Psalms
Psalm 113
KJV
Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,
Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.
Overview
Psalm 113 calls God's servants to praise from sunrise to sunset, celebrates God's incomparable majesty, and then emphasizes divine attention to those society places low: the poor, the needy, and the childless woman.
Setting and context
A compact hymn of praise and social reversal, traditionally grouped with the Egyptian Hallel. Its movement is from universal praise, to God's transcendence, to God's care for the lowly.
Themes
Praise · Name of the Lord · Divine transcendence · Care for the poor · Dignity · Social reversal · Infertility and childlessness
Reflection
Praise God broadly while letting worship reshape how you treat people with little status, wealth, or social security. Pair spiritual language with practical solidarity and resist simplistic promises about money, status, or fertility.
Reading notes
The psalm celebrates God's care for the lowly; it does not guarantee money, office, or social promotion. It is a poetic image of reversal in an ancient context, not a universal fertility contract. The psalm proclaims God's worthiness and does not authorize coercion or suppression of conscience.
Key passages
Psalm 113:3: Praise stretches from sunrise to sunset without becoming coercive religion. Psalm 113:7: God's attention to the poor overturns contempt and prosperity theology. Psalm 113:9: The closing fertility image celebrates reversal without promising conception to everyone.
Questions readers ask
Does Psalm 113 teach prosperity gospel? No. It honors the poor and needy and celebrates God's care without guaranteeing wealth or status. Does Psalm 113:9 promise pregnancy? No. It portrays a reversal of childlessness in poetic praise and should not be used to blame or pressure people experiencing infertility.