Psalms 89:5
in Psalms 89The heavens praise Your wonders, O LORD— Your faithfulness as well— in the assembly of the holy ones.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Jehovah; Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
KJV
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
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This verse in Psalms 89
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd the heavens shall confess your wonders, O Lord. This is what is said in the eighteenth psalm: "The heavens declare the glory of God." According to the mystical understanding, he calls the apostles "heavens." For if it is said to the sinner, "Earth you are, and to earth you shall go," why should it not be said to the holy or righteous man, "Heaven you are, and to heaven you shall go"? For of the saints, according to the apostle, "the conversation is in the heavens."
This site's exposition
The heavens praise Your wonders
on Psalms 89:5-8
The praise here is in the heavens, and the assembly and the council are of the holy ones. Heavenly beings in verse 6 renders bene elim, sons of God, and none of them can be compared with the LORD. Verse 8 names Him God of Hosts, with faithfulness around Him.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"O Lord, the very Heavens shall praise Thy wondrous works" [Psalm 89:5]. The Heavens will not praise their own merits, but Thy wondrous works, O Lord. For in every act of mercy on the lost, of justification of the unrighteous, what do we praise but the wondrous works of God? Thou praisest Him, because the dead have risen: praise Him yet more, because the lost are redeemed. What grace, what mercy of God! Thou seest a man yesterday a whirlpool of drunkenness, to-day an ornament of sobriety: a man yesterday the sink of luxury, to-day the beauty of temperance: yesterday a blasphemer of God, to-day His praiser: yesterday the slave of the creature, to-day the worshipper of the Creator. From all these desperate states men are thus converted: let them not look at their own merits: let them become Heavens, and praise the wondrous works of Him by whom they were made Heavens...
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
The heavens proclaim your wonders, that is, the marvels of the soul which they feel within them. Such experiences make faith most secure. When the soul considers the Most High in a manner that is most pious, true, and good, then it is lifted up …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord,....
"Thy faithfulness and the truth of thy promise, that rock on which the church is built, shall be praised in the congregation of the saints, who owe their all to that faithfulness, and whose constant comfort it is that there is a promise, and that he is faithful who has promised." It is expected from God's saints on earth that they praise him; who should, if they do not?
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord. Looking down upon what God had done, and was about to do, in connection with his covenant of grace, all heaven would be filled with adoring wonder. The sun and moon, which had been made tokens of the covenant, would praise God for such an extraordinary display of mercy, and the angels and redeemed spirits would sing, "as it were, a new song." Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. By which is probably intended the holy ones on earth.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord. Looking down upon what God had done, and was about to do, in connection with his covenant of grace, all heaven would be filled with adoring wonder. The sun and moon, which had been made tokens of the covenant, would praise God for such an extraordinary display of mercy, and the angels and redeemed spirits would sing, "as it were, a new song." Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. By which is probably intended the holy ones on earth. So that the "whole family in heaven and earth" would join in the praise. Earth and heaven are one in admiring and adoring the covenant God. Saints above see most clearly into the heights and depths of divine love, therefore they praise its wonders; and saints below, being conscious of their many sins and multiplied provocations of the Lord, admire his faithfulness. The heavens broke forth with music at the wonders of mercy contained in the glad tidings concerning Bethlehem, and the saints who came together in the temple magnified the faithfulness of God at the birth of the Son of David. Since that auspicious day, the general assembly on high and the sacred congregation below have not ceased to sing unto Jehovah, the Lord that keepeth covenant with his elect.
The heavens shall praise thy wonders - The works that shall be wrought by this descendant of David shall be so plainly miraculous as shall prove their origin to be Divine: and both saints and angels shall join to celebrate his praises. Thy faithfulness also - All thy promises shall be fulfilled; and particularly and supereminently those which respect the congregation of the saints - the assemblies of Christian believers.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord - That is, the inhabitants of heaven shall find new occasion for praise in the faithfulness evinced in carrying out the promise to David, and in the marvelous things which will occur under that promise, and in its accomplishment. If we suppose that this promise embraced the Messiah and his reign, then we shall see what new occasions the angels would find for praise - in the incarnation of the Redeemer, and in all that would be accomplished by him. Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints - In the assembly of the holy ones; that is, the angels. In their songs of praise, this will be among the things which will fill them with joy. The idea is, that the inhabitants of the heavens - the holy angels - would take a deep interest in the fulfillment of this promise, as it would furnish new manifestations of the character of God. Compare Rev 5:11-14; 1Pe 1:12.
Modern Voices1 voice
A commentator
Michael S. Heiser"Response to Dr. Thomas Howe's Thoughts on The Unseen Realm" (drmsh.com) (2019)
The same council language found in Psalm 82 appears in Psalm 89 (as I noted in the book), and the latter psalm specifies that the council and its sons of God are "in the skies" (the spiritual realm; Psa 89:5-8, noting v. 6 in particular).
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְי֘וֹד֤וּ | veyodu | so they may praise | H3034 → | 114 times |
| שָׁמַ֣יִם | shamayim | [the] heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| פִּלְאֲךָ֣ | pilakha | wonder[s] your | H6382 → | 13 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אַף־ | ʾaf- | also | H637 → | 134 times |
| אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗ | ʾemunatekha | faithfulness your | H530 → | 49 times |
| בִּקְהַ֥ל | bikhal | in [the] assembly of | H6951 → | 123 times |
| קְדֹשִֽׁים׃ | kedoshim | [the] holy [ones] | H6918 → | 116 times |
וְי֘וֹד֤וּso they may praise
veyoduH3034 →114 times
שָׁמַ֣יִם[the] heavens
shamayimH8064 →421 times
פִּלְאֲךָ֣wonder[s] your
pilakhaH6382 →13 times
יְהוָ֑הO Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אַף־also
ʾaf-H637 →134 times
אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗faithfulness your
ʾemunatekhaH530 →49 times
בִּקְהַ֥לin [the] assembly of
bikhalH6951 →123 times
קְדֹשִֽׁים׃[the] holy [ones]
kedoshimH6918 →116 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
Psalms 19:1The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
it leads to
- Psalms 50:6
And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 8:3
When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
- Romans 1:19–20
For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
- Psalms 148:3–4
Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars.
- Psalms 33:6
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
- Psalms 50:6
Through
2 Thessalonians 1:7and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels
it leads to
- Revelation 14:13
And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors,…
- Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
- Revelation 14:13
Through
Isaiah 44:23Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O depths of the earth. Break forth in song, O mountains, you forests and all your trees. For the LORD has…
it leads to
- Ephesians 1:6–7
to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.
- Ephesians 1:6–7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies12
On this verse
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 89; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 9; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 4; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jerome, Homily 66, on Psalm 88 (Alternate Series); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Michael S. Heiser, "Response to Dr. Thomas Howe's Thoughts on The Unseen Realm" (drmsh.com).