Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible (public domain), shown in quotation marks; all commentary is written by Scripture Trove. Source: Psalms 113 · Commentary
Psalm 113 is the opening psalm of the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118), a collection of psalms sung during the Jewish Passover Seder, collectively known as the "Hallel" (הַלֵּל, hallel, "praise"). The "hymn" that Jesus sang at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:30 / Mark 14:26) was this collection of psalms. On the last night before His suffering, the Lord Jesus sang with His disciples from Psalm 113 until Psalm 118. Psalm 113, with its mere 9 verses, is framed by the "Hallelujah" at the beginning and end, making the entire psalm an arch toward the name of God. Key verses 113:5-6, "Who is like Yahweh, our God, who has his seat on high, who humbles himself to look at the heavens and on the earth?" This is the most concentrated declaration of the mystery of condescension in the Hebrew Bible. 113:7-8, "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, that he may set him with princes": This is the Old Testament root of Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:52-53). This psalm declares in the most concise language: the Most High stoops down to lift up the lowly.
The Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118) · Psalms sung at the Passover Seder.
Position of this psalm: Psalm 113 is the opening of the Egyptian Hallel. The "Egyptian Hallel" is named after the theme of "Israel came out of Egypt" in Psalm 114, and the entire collection is understood as a collection of praises commemorating the Exodus. Jewish tradition divides Psalms 113-118 into two halves: Psalms 113-114 are sung before the Passover Seder (the first Hallel), and Psalms 115-118 are sung after the Seder (the second Hallel). The Mishnah, tractate Pesachim 10, explicitly prescribes this liturgical order.
The Lord Jesus' Last Supper was the Passover Seder. Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 state, "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." The "hymn" in the Greek original is ὕμνον (hymnon, "hymn of praise"), and it is generally believed to refer to the second Hallel of Psalms 115-118. In other words, the last song the Lord Jesus sang before going to Gethsemane was this group of Egyptian Hallel psalms.
As the opening psalm, Psalm 113 sets the tone for the two major themes of the entire collection: praising the name of Yahweh (113:1-3) and the Most High condescending to the poor (113:4-9). This is the core message of the Exodus: God stoops down and lifts slaves out of the brick kilns. There is no title for this psalm; it opens directly with "Hallelujah" instead of a title. This direct opening with a call is characteristic of the Egyptian Hallel.
Hallelujah at the beginning and end (113:1) "Praise Yah! Praise, you servants of Yahweh, praise the name of Yahweh."
From sunrise to sunset (113:2-3) "Blessed be the name of Yahweh, from this time forward and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, Yahweh’s name is to be praised."
Who is like Yahweh, the mystery of condescension (113:4-6) "Yahweh is high above all nations. His glory is above the heavens. Who is like Yahweh, our God, who has his seat on high, who humbles himself to look at the heavens and on the earth?"
Lifting up the poor and the barren (113:7-9) "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah!"
Psalm 113 is an exquisitely structured short psalm: 9 verses form a movement of "Call (1) → Universal (2-3) → Most High (4-6) → Condescension (7-9)." But the true poetic core lies in the "high:low" contrast. The first half (verses 4-6) emphasizes Yahweh's supremacy (above all nations, above the heavens, seated on high), while the second half (verses 7-9) depicts Yahweh's condescension (raising from the dust, lifting from the ash heap, making the barren a joyful mother). The two poles of supremacy and condescension unite at the center of 113:5-6: "who humbles himself to look at the heavens and on the earth": This is the key verse of the entire psalm and the core declaration of Hebrew condescension theology. The two "Hallelujahs" at the beginning and end form an inclusio, framing the entire psalm as an arch toward the name of God.
The Most High, who sits above the heavens and is above all nations, is precisely the God who stoops down to lift the poor from the ash heap and places the barren in a home as a mother of many children. His supremacy is not for alienation from humanity, but so that He can stoop down from such a high place to lift up those who are so low. This is the message of the Exodus, the root of Mary's song, and the central theme of the entire Gospel.
"Who humbles himself to look at the heavens and on the earth?" (113:5-6) : The center of the entire psalm. The most concentrated declaration of the mystery of condescension in the Hebrew Bible. This verse is the Old Testament root of Christ's condescension in Philippians 2:6-11; the theme of the Most High humbling Himself is already formed in Psalm 113.
"He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people." (113:7-8) : The Old Testament root of Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:52-53, "He has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty."). Mary's song is almost a direct echo of Psalm 113.
"He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children." (113:9) : Directly echoes Hannah's Song (1 Samuel 2:1-10), especially 1 Samuel 2:5, "She who was barren has borne seven; and she who had many children languishes." Psalm 113 concludes with Hannah's story; this condescending God is still doing the same things today.
If today you feel "unseen": this psalm is written for you.
Psalm 113 has only 9 verses, but it speaks of something that can make one kneel: the God who sits above the heavens must stoop down to see His creation, because He is so high that even the heavens are "lowly" to Him. And then this stooping God, His gaze does not stop at the clouds, nor at the mountaintops, nor at the palaces of kings; He stoops all the way down, to the ash heap, to see the forgotten person sitting there.
Please read 113:7 slowly: "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the ash heap." In Hebrew, the specific image of the word "ash heap" (ashpot) refers to the ancient city's garbage dump, a place where lepers, outcasts, and those who had given up on themselves would sit. Job, after his calamities, sat in ashes and scraped his sores with a potsherd; this is that kind of place.
If today you feel you are that person sitting in the ash heap of your life, unheeded, misunderstood, seemingly forgotten by the whole world, Psalm 113:7 is written for you. He is stooping down. It's not "He will come if you pull yourself together," nor "He will come if your faith is stronger," but "He has already stooped down": just as Mary's song proclaims, He has already exalted the lowly.
Please look again at 113:9: "He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children." This verse is written for all who feel their lives are empty. Perhaps you are not literally barren, but you may feel your life is fruitless, that years of effort yield no results, living like an empty shell. Psalm 113:9 speaks directly to you: the God who enabled Hannah to bear Samuel, Elizabeth to bear John the Baptist, and Mary to bear the Savior, has not stopped doing the same things to this day.
But please note, Psalm 113 does not say you must first do something for Him to stoop down. There are no "if...then..." conditional clauses in the Hebrew of this psalm. He is the God "who humbles himself" (113:6); His condescension is His very essence, not a response to some action of yours. He does this because that is who He is.
Friend, this is why Psalm 113 is among the psalms the Lord Jesus sang at the Last Supper: He Himself is the perfect fulfillment of this psalm. Philippians 2 says that He, "being in the form of God, didn’t consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant": He descended from such a high position to a manger, then to a carpenter's shop, then to the cross on Calvary. This is the personification of Psalm 113:5-6.
So when you read Psalm 113 today, please do one thing: find a quiet corner, kneel down, and tell this God where you are. Is it in an ash heap? In the dust? In a barren womb? In an unseen corner? Tell Him. Then respond to Him with the words Hebrews have used for three thousand years: "Hallelujah": "I praise Yahweh." Because He is doing what He declared He would do in Psalm 113; He is stooping down.
113:5-6 "Who is like Yahweh our God, who has his seat on high, who humbles himself to look at the heavens and the earth?" Has your past understanding of God's "loftiness" and "condescension" ever been out of balance? Which aspect did you overemphasize, and which did you neglect?
113:7 "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy out of the ash heap." Are there "ash heaps" in your life? That forgotten corner that you yourself want to give up on? Bring it before God and ask Him to humble Himself according to the promise of Psalm 113.
113:9 "He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children." Are there areas in your life where you "don't see results"? Which one is it? Can you specifically ask God for His condescension in that area this week?
Title "(No title)"
Psalm 113 is a psalm without a title, opening directly with "הַלְלוּ יָהּ" (Hallelu-Yah, "Hallelujah") in the Hebrew text. This "direct opening with a call" format shares a set of common characteristics in Hebrew psalms: Psalms 111-113, 115-117, 135, and 146-150 are all untitled "Hallelu-Yah Psalms." The vast majority of these psalms are concentrated in the fifth book of Psalms (Psalms 90-150).
"Hallelujah" consists of two parts: הַלְלוּ (hallelu, "Praise you," the imperative plural of the verb הָלַל halal), and יָהּ (Yah, the abbreviated name of Yahweh). The literal translation is: "You people, praise Yahweh." This is a collective call, not for one person to praise alone, but for the entire community to praise together.
"Hallelujah" appears 24 times in the Hebrew Bible: 23 times in Psalms and 1 time in Chronicles (1 Chronicles 16:36). It is a praise call exclusive to the Psalms. In the New Testament, "Hallelujah" (Ἁλληλουϊά, Hallēlouia) appears only in Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6, referring to heavenly worship on the last day. In other words, Hallelujah is a praise slogan that originates in the Psalms, permeates temple worship, and ultimately culminates in the new heavens and new earth.
Psalm 113 uses "Hallelujah" in place of a title, directly immersing the reader in the scene of praise. There are no technical introductions like "A Psalm of David" or "To the choirmaster"; the psalm opens with an imperative: "Praise you." This perfectly aligns with Psalm 113's opening position in the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118), as the entire collection aims to gather the congregation for praise.
The Egyptian Hallel is a collection of psalms sung during the Passover Seder in Jewish tradition. Jewish tradition records (Mishnah Pesachim 10:6-7): During the Passover Seder, the congregation sings this group of psalms in two stages, Psalms 113-114 (the First Hallel) before the meal, and Psalms 115-118 (the Second Hallel) after the meal. Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 state, "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." This "hymn" can almost certainly be identified as the latter half of the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 115-118). The last collection of psalms sung by the Lord Jesus on the night before His suffering was the Egyptian Hallel, which gives the entire group of psalms a unique spiritual status in New Testament faith as "the chanting on the eve of the Lord's suffering."
As the opening of this collection of psalms, Psalm 113 sets the tone for two major themes: praising the name of Yahweh (verses 1-3) and the Most High stooping to the poor (verses 4-9). This is precisely the core message of the Exodus, where Yahweh stoops down and lifts slaves from the brick kilns. This psalm lays the foundation for the entire Passover Seder chanting: it tells the congregation what kind of God they are commemorating tonight.
Section Focus: The first three verses of Psalm 113 are a passage calling the congregation to praise. Starting with "Hallelujah," "the name of Yahweh" is mentioned four times consecutively: this dense repetition of "name" is a technique of focus intensification in Hebrew poetry. These three verses also expand praise to the universal, using both temporal and spatial dimensions, from now until forever, from sunrise to sunset, transforming a small temple into a worship place for the entire universe.
113:1 "Praise Yah! Praise, you servants of Yahweh, praise Yahweh’s name."
Psalms 113:1（World English Bible）
"Praise Yahweh!" (הַלְלוּ יָהּ, Hallelu-Yah), opens directly with "Hallelujah." The imperative plural הַלְלוּ (hallelu) and the abbreviated name of God יָהּ (Yah). This is the most widely recited praise slogan in the Hebrew Bible, and "Hallelujah" has almost become synonymous with praise in Christian tradition.
"You servants of Yahweh" (עַבְדֵי יְהוָה, avdei Yahweh): The plural possessive of עֶבֶד (eved, servant, slave). "Servant" in the Hebrew Bible is a relational title: it can refer to the priests and Levites of the temple (Psalm 134:1, "You servants of Yahweh, who stand in the house of Yahweh by night"), all the people of Israel (Isaiah 41:8, "Jacob, my servant"), or individual faithful believers (Psalm 31:16, "Make your face to shine on your servant").
Using "servant" in the opening of the Egyptian Hallel (a collection of psalms commemorating the Exodus) creates a special tension. The Exodus was a process of transitioning from one "slave status" to another "servant status," from slaves of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:5, "Why have we let Israel go from serving us?") to servants of Yahweh (Leviticus 25:55, "For the children of Israel are my servants"). Psalm 113 calls "servants of Yahweh" to praise, declaring: your identity has changed; now praise the Lord who delivered you.
"The name of Yahweh" (שֵׁם יְהוָה, shem Yahweh): שֵׁם (shem, name). In Hebrew culture, "name" is not just a designation; it is the sum of personality, attributes, and presence. "Praise the name of Yahweh" is not praising a word, but praising all that He is.
113:2 "Blessed be Yahweh’s name, from this time forward and forever more."
Psalms 113:2（World English Bible）
"From now on and forevermore" (מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם, me-attah ve-ad-olam): עַתָּה (attah, now), עוֹלָם (olam, forever). The full dimension of time: from this moment until the endless future.
In the Hebrew Bible, this formula "from now on and forevermore" is used to describe uninterrupted praise: Psalm 115:18, Psalm 121:8, Psalm 125:2, Psalm 131:3, Isaiah 9:7, "from now on even forever. The zeal of Yahweh of Armies will perform this." Psalm 113:2 places praise in a temporal continuum; this is not a momentary impulse, but an eternal posture of worship.
113:3 "From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, Yahweh’s name is to be praised."
Psalms 113:3（World English Bible）
"From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same" (מִמִּזְרַח־שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד־מְבוֹאוֹ, mi-mizrach-shemesh ad-mevo'o): מִזְרָח (mizrach, sunrise, east), מָבוֹא (mavo, sunset, west). The full dimension of space: from east to west, covering the entire inhabited world.
Note that 113:2 and 113:3 form a perfect parallel:
In Hebrew poetry, this technique of time-space dual parallelism is called "merismus," using two extremes to represent the whole. Psalm 113 uses this technique to declare: the praise of Yahweh's name should fill all time and all space.
Malachi 1:11, "For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name will be great among the nations," also uses the same formula. This is a traditional thread of universal worship in the Hebrew Bible, a continuous line from the Abrahamic covenant, "all of the families of the earth will be blessed in you" (Genesis 12:3), to the Great Commission, "to the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Psalm 113, at the beginning of the Egyptian Hallel, expands its vision to the universal. The Exodus is not just Israel's story; it is a foreshadowing of all humanity eventually praising Yahweh.
Section Focus: Verses 4-6 are the theological core of Psalm 113 and the most concentrated declaration of the mystery of condescension in the Hebrew Bible. These three verses open up the core tension of the entire Old Testament with a rhetorical question, "Who is like?"—how the exalted and the condescending can coexist in the same God. Psalms 113:5-6 almost become the most concise answer to the question "Who is God?" in the entire Bible: He sits on high, yet humbles Himself.
113:4 "Yahweh is high above all nations, his glory above the heavens."
Psalms 113:4（World English Bible）
"high above all nations" (רָם עַל־כָּל־גּוֹיִם, ram al-kol-goyim): The participle form רָם (ram) of רוּם (rum, to be high, to be lifted up), and גּוֹי (goy, nations, Gentiles). Literal translation: "lifted high above all nations."
"his glory above the heavens" (עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם כְּבוֹדוֹ, al ha-shamayim kevodo): כָּבוֹד (kavod, glory; original meaning "weight, significance"), שָׁמַיִם (shamayim, heavens).
This verse uses two "lifted high" images to emphasize Yahweh's exaltation: He is above all nations (the highest human level), and His glory is above the heavens (the highest created level). This echoes Psalm 8:1, "You have set your splendor above the heavens," and Isaiah 6:1, when Isaiah saw the vision, "the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up." In the Hebrew cosmology, the heavens are seven or nine layers; Yahweh's glory exceeding all layers of heaven means He transcends the entire created realm.
113:5 "Who is like Yahweh, our God, who has his seat on high,"
Psalms 113:5（World English Bible）
"Who is like" (מִי כַּיהוָה, mi ka-Yahweh): This is the most classic "incomparable" rhetorical question in the Hebrew Bible. מִי (mi, who), the comparative preposition כְּ (ke, like), the divine tetragrammaton.
This rhetorical question, "Who is like Yahweh," has strong anti-idolatry implications in the Hebrew Bible. Ancient Near Eastern peoples had praises like "Who is like Marduk?" or "Who is like Baal?" Psalm 113:5 declares in this tradition: "Only Yahweh is incomparable." This is in the same tradition as Psalm 86:8, "Among the gods there is none like you, Lord," and Exodus 15:11, "Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods?"
"our God" (אֱלֹהֵינוּ, Eloheinu): Adding "our" makes this declaration relational. This is not an abstract theological statement but a confession by the congregation together, declaring, "He is our God."
"who has his seat on high" (הַמַּגְבִּיהִי לָשָׁבֶת, ha-magbihi la-shavet): The Hiphil participle of גָּבַהּ (gavah, to be high), and the infinitive of יָשַׁב (yashav, to sit). Literal translation: "the one who makes himself high to sit."
This Hebrew expression is unique; it doesn't simply say "He sits on high" but uses a reflexive tone, "He makes himself high to sit." This implies that His exaltation is His active choice, an essential attribute of Him as God, not something He was elevated to by circumstances.
113:6 "Who stoops down to see in heaven and in the earth?"
Psalms 113:6（World English Bible）
"who humbles himself" (הַמַּשְׁפִּילִי לִרְאוֹת, ha-mashpili lir'ot): The Hiphil participle of שָׁפֵל (shafel, to be low), and the infinitive of רָאָה (ra'ah, to see). Literal translation: "the one who makes himself low to look."
This forms a perfect reflexive contrast with the previous verse, "the one who makes himself high to sit":
The Hebrew text uses perfectly parallel grammatical structures in these two verses: the same Yahweh actively makes Himself high (to sit) and actively makes Himself low (to look). This is the most concentrated grammatical expression of the mystery of condescension in the Hebrew Bible.
"to look at the things in the heavens and on the earth" (בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, ba-shamayim u-va-arets): Both the heavens and the earth are within His scope of looking down. This means His gaze can reach even the lowest places.
The overall theology of 113:5-6: The Exalted One must condescend to look at His creation, because He is so high that even "heaven" is "low" to Him, let alone "earth." This logic of "exaltation necessarily requires condescension" finds its personal fulfillment in the New Testament through Christ's incarnation, Philippians 2:6-11, "who, existing in the form of God... emptied himself, taking the form of a servant": this is the most perfect New Testament echo of Psalm 113:5-6.
Section Focus: Psalms 113:5-6 declare the mystery of condescension, while 113:7-9 depict its concrete manifestations: lifting the poor from the dust and ash heap, and making the barren woman a joyful mother of children. These three verses are the Old Testament root of Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:52-53) and a continuation of the motif in Hannah's Song (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Psalm 113 concludes with "Hallelujah": but this "Hallelujah" is built upon the fact that the Exalted One truly humbles Himself.
113:7 "He raises up the poor out of the dust. Lifts up the needy from the ash heap;"
Psalms 113:7（World English Bible）
"He raises up the poor out of the dust" (מְקִימִי מֵעָפָר דָּל, meqimi me-afar dal): The Hiphil participle of קוּם (qum, to rise), עָפָר (afar, dust), דַּל (dal, poor, weak).
"and lifts up the needy from the ash heap" (מֵאַשְׁפֹּת יָרִים אֶבְיוֹן, me-ashpot yarim evyon): אַשְׁפֹּת (ashpot, ash heap, refuse heap), the Hiphil form of רוּם (rum, to lift up), אֶבְיוֹן (evyon, needy, lacking).
These two phrases are in strict synonymous parallelism:
Note a few details:
First, the word "dust" (afar) is very important. Genesis 2:7, "God formed man from the dust of the ground," uses afar; in Genesis 18:27, Abraham acknowledges before God, "I am but dust and ashes"; Psalm 22:15, "You bring me into the dust of death." "Dust" in Hebrew culture refers to a person's lowest point, on the brink of death, both the beginning of life (created dust) and the end of death (returning to dust).
Second, the "ash heap" (ashpot) in ancient Near Eastern culture was the lowest and most despised place: the city's garbage dump, where lepers, outcasts, and the lowest strata of society squatted. Job, after his calamities, "sat among the ashes" (Job 2:8), which refers to such an ash heap or refuse pile. Psalm 113:7 uses the word "ash heap" to declare that Yahweh condescends to such a low place.
Third, "the poor" (dal) and "the needy" (evyon) are standard terms in the Hebrew Bible for the socio-economic bottom, the former emphasizing physical weakness and powerlessness, the latter emphasizing lack of resources and need. Together, they describe the lowest stratum of society.
113:8 "that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people."
Psalms 113:8（World English Bible）
"that he may set him with princes" (לְהוֹשִׁיבִי עִם־נְדִיבִים, le-hoshivi im-nedivim): The Hiphil infinitive of יָשַׁב (yashav, to sit), and the plural of נָדִיב (nadiv, prince, noble).
Note that 113:8 uses yashav: the same verb was just used in 113:5 ("He has his seat on high"). This is a Leitwort (root word echo) in Hebrew poetry: the Exalted One "who makes himself high to sit" (113:5) sets the poor "with princes" (113:8). Where He Himself sits, He lifts the poor to sit beside Him. This is the deepest unfolding of the mystery of condescension: condescension is not just looking and leaving, but lifting the humble to His own seat.
"even with the princes of his people" (עִם נְדִיבֵי עַמּוֹ, im nedivei ammo): עַם (am, people, nation). "Princes among His people": this means that such elevation is not an abstract "status improvement" but a real acceptance into the honorable ranks of God's people.
Psalms 113:7-8 are the most direct Old Testament root of Mary's Song (Luke 1:52-53):
When Mary, an obscure girl from a Galilean village, sang this song, Psalm 113 resonated in her heart. She was not creating a new theme; she was inheriting the entire Old Testament tradition of condescension, from Hannah's Song (1 Samuel 2) to Psalm 113 to her own annunciation by the angel: the Exalted One truly humbles Himself to lift up the lowly.
113:9 "He settles the barren woman in her home, as a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah!"
Psalms 113:9（World English Bible）
"the barren woman" (עֲקֶרֶת הַבַּיִת, aqeret ha-bayit): עֲקָרָה (aqarah, barren woman), בַּיִת (bayit, house). Literal translation: "the barren one of the house."
In ancient Near Eastern culture, barrenness was a woman's deepest shame, losing the core qualification of being recognized as a "wife," often leading to divorce or the husband taking a second wife. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah—the theme of "barren matriarchs and mothers" repeatedly appears in the Hebrew Bible, and ultimately, God condescended to enable them to bear children.
"to keep house" (יוֹשִׁיבִי, yoshivi): Again, the Hiphil form of yashav ("to sit"). This is the third time yashav is used in the entire chapter of Psalm 113:
These three yashav are structural Leitwörter in Psalm 113: how He Himself sits, so He arranges for the humble to be placed.
"and to be a joyful mother of children" (אֵם הַבָּנִים שְׂמֵחָה, em ha-banim semechah): אֵם (em, mother), the plural of בֵּן (ben, son), שָׂמֵחַ (sameach, joyful). "A joyful mother of children": from being a pointed-at barren woman to a mother of many children admired by the congregation.
This verse directly echoes the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:5): "Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. She who was barren has borne seven; and she who has many children languishes." After being mocked by Peninnah, Hannah cried out to God, and God stooped down to give her Samuel. The song she sang afterward (1 Samuel 2:1-10) is an earlier prototype of the Song of Mary. Psalm 113 concludes with Hannah's story, and this condescending God is still doing the same thing today.
"Praise Yahweh!" (הַלְלוּ יָהּ, Hallelu-Yah). Psalm 113 opens with "Hallelujah" and closes with "Hallelujah," forming a perfect inclusio. These two "Hallelujahs" frame the entire psalm as an arch pointing towards the name of God, with the opening summoning the congregation to enter and the closing prompting the congregation to praise again from the awe of the condescending mystery.
| Paragraph | Dominant Voice | Directed Towards | Emotional Arc |
|---|---|---|---|
| 113:1 | Gathering call | Servants of Yahweh | Collective entry into praise |
| 113:2-3 | Universal expansion | All time / All space | Broadened perspective |
| 113:4-6 | Supreme declaration | Above the heavens | Solemnity in contemplation |
| 113:7-9 | Depiction of condescension | The poor from dust and ash heaps | Astonishment and gratitude |
The voice of Psalm 113 moves from an outward call (verse 1) to universal expansion (verses 2-3), to supreme contemplation (verses 4-6), and to the wonder of condescension (verses 7-9). This is a movement first upward, then downward. The center of the psalm, Psalm 113:5-6, is the mystery of the unity of supremacy and condescension in the same God, and the preceding and following sections are an unfolding of this center. The two "Hallelujahs" at the beginning and end frame the entire psalm as an arch pointing towards the name of Yahweh.
| Vocabulary | Original | Transliteration | Verse | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hallelujah | הַלְלוּ יָהּ | Hallelu-Yah | 113:1, 9 | "Praise Yahweh": 23 times in the Hebrew Bible, concentrated in Psalms |
| Praise | הָלַל | halal | 113:1, 3, 9 | Root of "Hallelujah" |
| Servant | עֶבֶד | eved | 113:1 | Relational belonging |
| Name | שֵׁם | shem | 113:1, 2, 3 | Sum of person, attributes, presence |
| Bless | בָּרַךְ | barakh | 113:2 | Blessing/Worship |
| From this time | מֵעַתָּה | me-attah | 113:2 | This moment in time |
| Forever | עוֹלָם | olam | 113:2 | Endless time |
| Rising of the sun | מִזְרָח | mizrach | 113:3 | East |
| Setting of the sun | מָבוֹא | mavo | 113:3 | West |
| Exalted | רוּם | rum | 113:4, 7 | Cognate word running through the entire psalm |
| Nations/Gentiles | גּוֹי | goy | 113:4 | Non-Israelite peoples |
| Glory | כָּבוֹד | kavod | 113:4 | Weight/Significance |
| Heavens | שָׁמַיִם | shamayim | 113:4, 6 | Highest level of creation |
| Who | מִי | mi | 113:5 | Incomparable rhetorical question |
| Like | כְּ | ke | 113:5 | Comparative preposition |
| Exalts (reflexive) | גָּבַהּ | gavah | 113:5 | "He makes himself high" |
| Sits | יָשַׁב | yashav | 113:5, 8, 9 | Structural root word appearing three times in the psalm |
| Humbles (reflexive) | שָׁפֵל | shafel | 113:6 | "He makes himself low" |
| Looks | רָאָה | ra'ah | 113:6 | Specific action of condescending |
| Raises up | קוּם | qum | 113:7 | Action of lifting up |
| Dust | עָפָר | afar | 113:7 | Same as "dust" in Gen 2:7, Gen 18:27 |
| Poor | דַּל | dal | 113:7 | Physically weak and powerless |
| Dunghill | אַשְׁפֹּת | ashpot | 113:7 | Lowest and most despised place |
| Needy | אֶבְיוֹן | evyon | 113:7 | Those in need, lacking resources |
| Princes/Nobles | נָדִיב | nadiv | 113:8 | Top of society |
| Barren | עֲקָרָה | aqarah | 113:9 | Deepest shame for women in the ancient Near East |
| House | בַּיִת | bayit | 113:9 | Place of belonging |
| Mother | אֵם | em | 113:9 | Bearer of life |
| Joyful | שָׂמֵחַ | sameach | 113:9 | Emotion after the turning point |
Psalm 113 is a short psalm with an extremely intricate structure: 9 verses form an arch structure with an enclosed beginning and end:
A 113:1 Hallelujah (opening call)
B 113:2-3 Praise in all dimensions of space and time (from this time to forever, from sunrise to sunset)
C 113:4 Most High: above all nations, higher than the heavens
┃
D 113:5-6 ★Center: He sits on high, yet humbles himself (mystery of condescension)
┃
C' 113:7 Condescension: raises the poor, lifts the needy
B' 113:8-9 Specific lifting up (sits with princes, barren woman as joyful mother)
A' 113:9b Hallelujah (concluding echo)
Psalm 113 forms a perfect central chiasm in 113:5-6. The first half (4-5a) describes "high," the second half (6-7) describes "low," and the center (5b-6a) is the unity of high and low:
113:4 Above all nations, glory higher than the heavens (high)
113:5a Who is like Yahweh, our God (incomparable)
113:5b He sits on high (↑ultimate high)
★ Central Pivot ★
113:6a Humbles himself (↓downward turn)
113:6b Looks at things in heaven and on earth (surveys all creation)
113:7 Raises from the dust, lifts from the dunghill (low)
113:8-9 Makes the poor sit with princes, the barren woman a joyful mother (result of condescension)
The theological climax of the entire psalm is at the turning point in 113:5b–6a. The Hebrew uses a reflexive grammatical structure (ha-magbihi la-shavet / ha-mashpili lir'ot, "He who makes himself high to sit / He who makes himself low to look") to pin the most high and the condescension in the same grammatical parallel.
The verb yashav ("to sit") is used three times throughout Psalm 113, forming structural echoes:
| Verse | Sentence | Who is sitting? |
|---|---|---|
| 113:5b | "He sits on high" (ha-magbihi la-shavet) | Yahweh (on high) |
| 113:8 | "Makes them sit with princes" (le-hoshivi im-nedivim) | The poor (beside princes) |
| 113:9 | "Makes the barren woman dwell in her house" (moshivi … ha-bayit) | The barren (in her house) |
The poetic function of these three yashav instances: Yahweh's own "sitting" position (on high) → determines how high He can lift people to "sit." The higher He is, the higher the lifted person is raised, from the dunghill to sitting with princes.
Psalm 113 and Psalm 114 complement each other in the Egyptian Hallel:
Psalm 113 declares in universal language, "He stoops down to lift the poor." Psalm 114 immediately follows with concrete imagery, answering "What did He do when He stooped down?": He lifted Israel out of Egyptian slavery. Read together, the two psalms form the core message of the first half of the Passover Seder (the first Hallel).
Synonymous Parallelism (dominant):
Antithetical Parallelism (central pivot):
Comprehensive Parallelism (merismus):
The word "praise" (halal) appears 4 times in 113:1, 3, 9 (including the two "Hallelujahs" at the beginning and end), framing the entire psalm.
"Yahweh's name" (shem Yahweh) appears consecutively in 113:1, 2, 3, a focal word in the opening three verses.
"Sit" (yashav) appears three times in 113:5, 8, 9, a structural root echo already analyzed above.
"to make oneself... to..." (Hiphil reflexive participle, infinitive) This unique grammatical structure appears twice in 113:5b and 113:6a, connecting the high and the condescending with the same grammatical structure.
Hebrew 113:5b (ha-magbihi la-shavet) and 113:6a (ha-mashpili lir'ot) use Hiphil participles with the definite article and infinitive constructions. This grammar in the Hebrew Bible typically describes God's essential attributes rather than incidental actions.
This means: His sitting on high and His stooping to look are both essential attributes of Him as God, not something He does occasionally. This grammatical choice roots the theology of condescension in Psalm 113 in God's nature; it is not an occasional grace but His eternal way of being.
"Hallelujah" in 113:1 and 113:9 forms a perfect inclusio: this is the strongest framing technique in Hebrew poetry. The entire psalm is nailed by these two "Hallelujahs" into an arch towards the name of Yahweh. The congregation enters through one "Hallelujah," passes through the interior of the psalm (universal praise → declaration of the Most High → mystery of condescension), and finally exits through another "Hallelujah."
Ancient Near Eastern religions commonly had rhetorical praise in the form of "Who is like our god?" The Sumerian Hymn to Ninurta, the Akkadian Hymn to Marduk, and the Canaanite Epic of Baal all contain praises like "Who is like Marduk, Baal?" These are declarations of preference in a polytheistic context, acknowledging the existence of other deities but proclaiming "our god is the greatest."
The Hebrew tradition's "Who is like Yahweh" (Psalm 113:5, Psalm 86:8, Exodus 15:11, Deuteronomy 33:26, 1 Kings 8:23, Micah 7:18) formally inherits the Ancient Near Eastern tradition, but its content is revolutionary different. This is not to say "Yahweh is greater than other gods," but rather to deny the reality of other gods: "Only Yahweh is incomparable." The rhetorical question in Psalm 113:5 declares the core of monotheistic faith.
Ancient Near Eastern cultures shared a common understanding of most high deities. Sumerian An, Akkadian Anu, and Canaanite El were all distant, most high deities. However, these most high deities were often remote from humans, with other lesser deities managing minor affairs. This was a common dilemma in Ancient Near Eastern religions: the highest god was the most distant, and the closest gods were not great enough.
The Hebrew tradition is revolutionarily different in this regard: the same Yahweh is both most high and condescending. Psalm 113 declares this uniqueness in the most concise language: "He sits on high, who humbles himself to look at the things that are in heaven and in earth." This theology of "the Most High and condescension unified in the same God" is a core contribution of the Hebrew tradition to the history of world religions, later reaching its personal completion in Christianity through the doctrine of the Incarnation.
In Ancient Near Eastern literature, "sitting in the dust" or "sitting in the ash heap" is the posture of deepest suffering. The pagan goddess in the Babylonian Descent of Ninurta to the Underworld is depicted in the posture of being confined to the land of the dead. Job in 2:8 "sat among the ashes" and scraped himself with a potsherd. In Esther 4:1, Mordecai "wore sackcloth and ashes." These are visual symbols of profound despair.
Psalm 113:7 uses the imagery of the "ash heap," so concrete that it cannot be avoided. It tells the reader: the place where the Most High goes is not the living room of the wealthy, not the inner court of the temple, but the ash heap. This image of condescension to the lowest point finds its personal completion in the New Testament through the incarnate Jesus going among tax collectors, lepers, and sinners.
Psalm 113:9, "He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children," directly echoes Hannah's Song (1 Samuel 2:1-10). The two passages have several direct linguistic overlaps in Hebrew:
| Psalm 113 | 1 Samuel 2 |
|---|---|
| 113:7 "He raises up the poor out of the dust" | 2:8 "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes" |
| 113:8 "to make them sit with princes" | 2:8 Same as above |
| 113:9 "He makes the barren woman... to be a joyful mother of children" | 2:5 "She who was barren has borne seven" |
In fact, 1 Samuel 2:8 and Psalm 113:7-8 are almost verbatim identical, implying a direct literary relationship between the two texts. Scholars generally believe that either Psalm 113 quotes Hannah's Song, or both draw from an older tradition. In any case, Psalm 113 elevates the core message of Hannah's story to the core of Israelite worship: the Most High stoops down to lift up the humble.
| Scripture | Content |
|---|---|
| Exodus 3:7-8 | God to Moses: "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt... I have come down to deliver them." The Exodus is God's condescension. |
| Deuteronomy 26:7 | "We cried to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and Yahweh heard our voice, and saw our affliction." |
| Psalm 113:5-6 | "Who is like Yahweh our God, who has his seat on high, who humbles himself to look at the heavens and the earth?" A condensed declaration of the mystery of condescension. |
| Isaiah 57:15 | "For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit.'" |
| Isaiah 66:1-2 | "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool... But to this man will I look, even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word." |
| Luke 1:48 | Mary's song: "For he has regarded the low estate of his handmamaid." |
| Philippians 2:6-11 | "who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men... He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross." |
| Hebrews 4:15 | "For we don't have a high priest who can't be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin." |
| Revelation 21:3 | "Behold, God's tabernacle is with people, and he will dwell with them." |
This entire thread tells us: Psalm 113:5-6 is the most complete poetic declaration of the "exalted: condescending" theme in the Old Testament. This theme reaches its personal fulfillment in the incarnation of Christ, and ultimately its eternal completion in the "God's tabernacle is with people" in the new heavens and new earth.
| Scripture | Content |
|---|---|
| 1 Samuel 2:1-10 (Hannah's Song) | "She who was barren has borne seven; He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the dunghill, to make them sit with princes." |
| Psalm 113:7-9 | "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the dunghill... He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children." |
| Isaiah 54:1 | "Sing, barren one, you who didn't bear." A poetic representation of Israel's return from exile. |
| Luke 1:46-55 (Mary's Song) | "He has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty. He has given help to Israel, his servant, that he might remember mercy." |
| Luke 1:52 | "He has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly." |
This entire thread tells us: Mary's song did not appear out of nowhere, but is a poetic expression of Hebrew "condescension theology" from the lips of a virgin who received the angelic annunciation. Psalm 113 is the core node of this tradition in the Psalms; Hannah's song is its narrative prototype; Mary's song is its personal fulfillment at the beginning of the Gospels.
| Scripture | Content |
|---|---|
| Exodus 23:6 | "You shall not deny justice to your poor in their lawsuit." |
| Deuteronomy 15:7-11 | "If there is with you a poor man, one of your brothers... you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother." |
| Psalm 113:7 | "lifts up the needy from the dunghill" |
| Psalm 72:12-13 | "For he will deliver the needy when he cries... He will have pity on the poor and needy." |
| Amos 2:6-7 | "They... sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes." |
| Isaiah 61:1 | "to preach good news to the humble" (the poor): Jesus quotes this in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:18). |
| Luke 6:20 | "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God." |
| James 2:5 | "Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn't God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?" |
This entire thread tells us: "God's preference for the poor" is a consistent stance in the Hebrew Bible, condensed poetically in Psalm 113, and ultimately unfolded personally in Jesus' ministry and the epistolary teachings of the New Testament.
| Old Testament Scripture | New Testament Echo | Related Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Psalm 113:7-8 "He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the dunghill, to make them sit with princes." | Luke 1:52-53 "He has put down princes from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty." | Most direct echo: Mary's song is almost a word-for-word echo of Psalm 113:7-8. Mary, as an unmarried girl from a Galilean village, had the tradition of Psalm 113 + Hannah's song echoing in her heart when she sang this song. |
| Psalm 113:5-6 "Who is like Yahweh our God, who has his seat on high, who humbles himself?" | Philippians 2:6-11 "who, existing in the form of God... emptied himself, taking the form of a servant... He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross." | Psalm 113's "humbles himself" finds personal fulfillment in Christ's incarnation and death: the Hebrew mashpili ("he lowers himself") and the Greek etapeinōsen heauton ("he humbled himself") are two linguistic versions of the same theological action. |
| Psalm 113:9 "He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children." | Luke 1:5-25 Elizabeth, barren for many years, finally gives birth to John the Baptist; Galatians 4:27 "Rejoice, you barren who don't bear... For the children of the desolate are more than those of her who has a husband." | The tradition of "the barren becoming a joyful mother" in Psalm 113:9 is specifically fulfilled in Elizabeth; Paul in Galatians quotes Isaiah 54:1 to apply this tradition to the Gentile church: the Gentiles, once "barren," now become mothers of many children. |
| Psalm 113:1 "Praise, you servants of Yahweh." | Revelation 19:5 "Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!" | The call to Hallelujah extends from the Psalms to end-time heavenly worship: Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6 contain the only four explicit occurrences of this Hebrew word in the New Testament. |
| Psalm 113:2-3 "From this time forth and forevermore... From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same." | Matthew 28:19 "Make disciples of all nations"; Acts 1:8 "to the uttermost parts of the earth"; Revelation 7:9-12 "every nation and all tribes and peoples and languages" worship before the throne. | Psalm 113's "all-dimensional praise in time and space" initiates universal propagation in the Great Commission and reaches end-time completion in Revelation. |
| Psalm 113:7 "lifts up the needy from the dunghill" | James 2:5 "Didn't God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?" | James directly carries on the Hebrew tradition of "preferring the poor": Psalm 113 is a core node of this tradition in the Psalms. |
| Psalm 113:5 "Who is like Yahweh our God?" | Revelation 15:3-4 The Song of Moses and the Lamb: "Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations. Who wouldn't fear you, Lord, and glorify your name?" | The end-time victors sing "Who wouldn't fear you?": this is the rhetorical question of Psalm 113:5 "Who is like Yahweh?" echoed in the New Testament's end-times. |
| Psalm 113 as the opening of the Egyptian Hallel | Matthew 26:30 / Mark 14:26 "When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." | The "hymn" (Greek hymnon) sung by the Lord Jesus at the Last Supper, according to Jewish liturgical tradition, was the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118). This means Psalm 113 is a psalm sung by the Lord himself on the night before his suffering: Christians read this psalm singing along with the Lord. |
Psalm 113 holds multiple unique statuses within the Psalms:
First, it is the opening of the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113-118), a collection of psalms that has been sung for three millennia in the Jewish Passover Seder ritual. The "hymn" that the Lord Jesus sang at the Last Supper, according to the ritual regulations of the Mishnah Pesachim 10, was this very collection of psalms. Psalm 113 therefore carries the spiritual weight of the night before the Passover Seder, a psalm sung by the Lord Himself before He went to Gethsemane.
Second, it contains the most condensed proclamation of the "mystery of condescension" in the Hebrew Bible (113:5-6). The Hebrew uses a reflexive participle grammatical structure (ha-magbihi la-shavet / ha-mashpili lir'ot, "He who makes himself high to sit / He who makes himself low to look") to attribute both transcendence and condescension simultaneously to the essential attributes of the same God. This poetic expression of theological tension reaches such refinement in the Hebrew Bible only in this one place.
Third, it is the Old Testament root of Mary's Song: 113:7-9 almost literally echoes Luke 1:52-53. This means that Mary, as a village girl, had the tradition of Psalm 113 and Hannah's Song resounding in her heart. Psalm 113 shows us that Mary's Song did not appear out of nowhere, but was a poetic outburst of Hebrew condescension theology at the beginning of the Gospels.
Fourth, it accomplishes the greatest theological span with the most concise structure: in 9 verses, it fully speaks of: a call to praise (1-3) → a declaration of transcendence (4) → the mystery of condescension (5-6) → specific exaltation (7-9). The two short psalms of the pre-Hallel (113-114) together cover the entire Exodus theology: 113 is "the general overview of what He condescends to do," and 114 is "the specific actions He actually did by condescending."
Fifth, it achieves a high level of Hebrew poetic skill: three structural root echoes of yashav, the perfect parallel of reflexive participles in 113:5b-6a, the inclusio formed by two Hallelujahs at the beginning and end, and the spatio-temporal double merismus in 113:2-3. All these poetic techniques combine to allow 9 short verses to carry astonishing theological density.
Every believer needs to return to Psalm 113: especially when feeling "I am not seen." This psalm assures you in 9 verses: the God who sits above the heavens must humble Himself to see His creation, and His gaze goes all the way down, down to the dunghill, and He is looking at you. Then this Most High will truly humble Himself, because this is His essential attribute as God, not a response to some action of yours. He does this because He is who He is. This is the core of the gospel that Psalm 113 gives to the night before the Passover Seder, to Mary, and to you today.
Authoritative Commentaries
Further Reading
Chinese Resources (Contributions welcome)
| Theme | Content |
|---|---|
| Opening of the Egyptian Hallel | Psalm 113 is the opening of the Passover Seder psalm collection (113-118): the psalms Jesus sang at the Last Supper were from this group (Matthew 26:30 / Mark 14:26) |
| Hallelujah Inclusio | Two "Hallelujah" at the beginning and end: an eschatological praise cry appearing in 23 concentrated psalms and only in Revelation 19 in the New Testament |
| Praise in All Dimensions of Time and Space | 113:2-3 from this time forth and forevermore (time) + from the rising of the sun to its going down (space): Hebrew merismus covering the entire cosmos |
| Who is like Yahweh: Anti-Idolatry Proclamation | 113:5 "Who is like Yahweh our God": a clue to the anti-idolatry tradition found in Exodus 15:11 and Psalm 86:8 |
| Condensed Proclamation of the Mystery of Condescension | 113:5-6 "He sits on high, humbling himself": Hebrew uses reflexive "makes himself high / makes himself low" grammar to attribute both transcendence and condescension simultaneously to the same God |
| Three Echoes of the Root yashav | 113:5 He sits on high / 113:8 to sit with princes / 113:9 the barren woman to keep house: the same verb connects His own "sitting" with the "sitting" of those who are exalted |
| Old Testament Root of Mary's Song and Hannah's Song | 113:7-9 lifts from the dust and dunghill + barren woman as a joyful mother of children: the psalm motif of Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:52-53) and Hannah's Song (1 Samuel 2:1-10) |