Psalms 5:11
in Psalms 5But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever shout for joy. May You shelter them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But let all those that take refuge in thee rejoice, Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
KJV
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
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This verse in Psalms 5
Commentary
15 notes on this verseAnd let all rejoice who hope in Thee. Let those perish, let those of the Church rejoice. They shall exult forever. Here, forever, we ought not to speak of the present age, but of the age to come. In short, he did not say, they exult in this age; but, they shall exult, it is said of the future. For here there is sadness, but there is joy there. The heretics laugh in the present, but they shall mourn in the future: we, however, mourn in the present, that we may laugh in the future.
This site's exposition
let them ever shout for joy
on Psalms 5:11-12
The LORD blesses the righteous and surrounds them, and the Hebrew word for shield here is the large one. The verb with it means to encircle, so Henry read that favor as a defence on every side. Spurgeon put the joy of verse 11 in God Himself.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
"And let all rejoice that hope in You;" those of course to whose taste the Lord is sweet. "They will exult for evermore, and You will dwell in them" [Psalm 5:11]. This will be the exultation for evermore, when the just become the Temple of God, and He, their Indweller, will be their joy. "And all that love Your name shall glory in You:" as when what they love is present for them to enjoy. And well is it said, "in You," as if in possession of the inheritance, of which the title of the Psalm speaks: when they too are His inheritance, which is intimated by, "You will dwell in them." From which good they are kept back, whom God, according to the multitude of their ungodlinesses, drives out.
It is the goal of good people to receive the inheritance promised to them, to follow the Lord, to have him living within as a companion, in accordance with those things that were promised, saying, "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
Other joys, at any rate, are no better than flowing steams, no sooner seen than gone by. The happiness that is from God, by contrast, remains steady and has firm roots, is both ample and lasting, interrupted by no unforeseen circumstance but rendered more elevated by the very obstacles themselves.
Someone who takes pride in the things of this life is no different from people enjoying themselves in dreams. What human thing is it, after all, tell me, of such a kind as to permit one to boast? Strength of body? But that is not an achievement of our willing, and hence is no grounds for boasting, especially since the body weakens and collapses in a flash, and the strong person suffers from the effects of not using it properly. This can also be said of the bloom of youth and a shapely figure, of riches, of power, of luxury, and of all the things of this life. To boast in God, on the contrary, and in love for him, is a greater honor than all others and a distinction outshining diadems beyond telling, even if the one boasting is in prison. This honor is not interrupted by disease, by old age, by the pressure of affairs, by variety of seasons, by death itself, at which times instead it shines more brightly.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Next, when he says "And let them rejoice," he sets forth the petition. And first he states it. Second, he adds the exposition, "Forever." Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he states what he asks for, namely joy; hence he says, "Let them …
8 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
It is conjectured (and it is but a conjecture) that is signifies wind --instruments, with which this psalm was sung, as Neginoth was supposed to signify the stringed --instruments. In these verses David had an eye to God, I. As a prayer-hearing God; such he has always been ever since men began to call upon the name of the Lord, and yet is still as ready to hear prayer as ever.
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice,....
The Nineteenth Century6 voices
Joy is the privilege of the believer. When sinners are destroyed our rejoicing shall be full. They laugh first and weep ever after; we weep now, but shall rejoice eternally. When they howl we shall shout, and as they must groan for ever, so shall we ever shout for joy. This holy bliss of ours has a firm foundation, for, O Lord, we are joyful in thee. The eternal God is the well-spring of our bliss. We love God, and therefore we delight in him. Our heart is at ease in our God.
Joy is the privilege of the believer. When sinners are destroyed our rejoicing shall be full. They laugh first and weep ever after; we weep now, but shall rejoice eternally. When they howl we shall shout, and as they must groan for ever, so shall we ever shout for joy. This holy bliss of ours has a firm foundation, for, O Lord, we are joyful in thee. The eternal God is the well-spring of our bliss. We love God, and therefore we delight in him. Our heart is at ease in our God. We fare sumptuously every day because we feed on him. We have music in the house, music in the heart, and music in heaven, for the Lord Jehovah is our strength and our song; he also is become our salvation.
Display this difference always by the joyfulness of your spirits. Let not noisome cares invade you, for we read, "I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there." Fear not that the wrathful judgment of God will fall indiscriminately, for we read, "Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail." The servants of the Lord should wear the royal garments—those garments are made of the fine cloth of holiness, trimmed with the lace of joy! Take care that you exhibit both holiness of character and joyfulness of spirit, for where these two things are in us, and abound, they prove that we are not barren nor unfruitful. To us there should be joy to strikingly contrast with the unrest of the unbeliever. Over all the land of Egypt there was darkness which might be felt, even thick darkness, for three days—"They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days—but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." If it is so with you, that the Lord has given you the light of joy, let your faces shine with it! If you walk in the light as God is in the light, go forth and let men see the brightness of your countenances and take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus and have learned of Him His gracious calm as well as His holiness. "Rejoice in the Lord always." Your Lord desires that your joy may be full. He gives you a joy which no man takes from you—it is His legacy. "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you." The subject for this morning is joy, the joy of faith, the joy which is the fruit of the Spirit from the root of trust in God.
Display this difference always by the joyfulness of your spirits. Let not noisome cares invade you, for we read, "I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there." Fear not that the wrathful judgment of God will fall indiscriminately, for we read, "Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail." The servants of the Lord should wear the royal garments—those garments are made of the fine cloth of holiness, trimmed with the lace of joy!
Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice - Such expressions as these should be translated in the same way, declaratively and prophetically: “All those who put their trust in thee Shall rejoice, - Shall ever shout for joy.”
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice - Compare the notes at Psa 2:12. That is, they have occasion to rejoice in thee and in thy protection. The wicked have everything to dread, for they must be cut off; but the righteous have every reason to be happy, for they shall partake of the favor of God. This is, at the same time, the earnest expression of a desire that they might rejoice, and that the dealings of God with them might be such that they would ever “have occasion” for joy.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
by their own counsels which they formulate against Israel. Then all who take shelter in You shall rejoice.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
For there is no sincerity in his mouth They appear as friends but they are enemies.
and You shall shelter them You shall shield and shelter them.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ | veyismechu | and let them rejoice | H8055 → | 155 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| ח֪וֹסֵי | chosei | [those who] seek refuge | H2620 → | 37 times |
| בָ֡ךְ | vakh | in you | ||
| לְעוֹלָ֣ם | leolam | for ever | H5769 → | 438 times |
| יְ֭רַנֵּנוּ | yeranenu | let them shout for joy | H7442 → | 54 times |
| וְתָסֵ֣ךְ | vetasekh | and you may cover | H5526 → | 24 times |
| עָלֵ֑ימוֹ | ʾaleimov | over them | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְֽיַעְלְצ֥וּ | veya'letzu | and let them exult | H5970 → | 8 times |
| בְ֝ךָ֗ | vekha | in you | ||
| אֹהֲבֵ֥י | ʾohavei | [those who] love | H157 → | 211 times |
| שְׁמֶֽךָ׃ | shemekha | <of> name your | H8034 → | 864 times |
וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּand let them rejoice
veyismechuH8055 →155 times
כָל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
ח֪וֹסֵי[those who] seek refuge
choseiH2620 →37 times
בָ֡ךְin you
vakh
לְעוֹלָ֣םfor ever
leolamH5769 →438 times
יְ֭רַנֵּנוּlet them shout for joy
yeranenuH7442 →54 times
וְתָסֵ֣ךְand you may cover
vetasekhH5526 →24 times
עָלֵ֑ימוֹover them
ʾaleimovH5921 →5755 times
וְֽיַעְלְצ֥וּand let them exult
veya'letzuH5970 →8 times
בְ֝ךָ֗in you
vekha
אֹהֲבֵ֥י[those who] love
ʾohaveiH157 →211 times
שְׁמֶֽךָ׃<of> name your
shemekhaH8034 →864 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Romans 8:28And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
it leads to
- James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish…
- Genesis 50:20
As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.
- Romans 5:3–5
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
- 1 Corinthians 2:9
Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
- James 1:12
Through
1 Corinthians 2:9Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 64:4
From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.
- Psalms 31:19
How great is Your goodness which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have bestowed before the sons of men on those who take refuge in You!
- Romans 8:28
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.
- Isaiah 64:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 5; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2146: “Joy, Joy Forever” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Eusebius of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 5:12; Jerome, Homily 2, on Psalm 5; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 5:5; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 5:5-6; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.