"Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
4 The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!"
Psalm 113
The Psalm consists of three stanzas, 1-3, in which Israel is summoned to praise the Lord; 4-6, in which God's exalted greatness and sovereignty in history and nature are stressed; 7-9, in which God's greatness is seen in His condescension to the poor and needy. In 1-3 the threefold emphasis on 'the name' constitutes a comprehensive summary of all that God has revealed about Himself in word and deed. 'Name' is the revelation of character and this is the source and inspiration of praise ('Hallel' means 'praise' - cf Hallelujah) - hence the use of these Psalms at the festivals when the mighty acts of God were celebrated. One commentator says 'It is impossible to read a Psalm such as this, in which the threefold mention of the name of God occurs so impressively, without recalling the words of the Lord's Prayer, 'Hallowed be Thy Name''. In 4-6 it is the transcendent sovereignty of God over history and nature that is in view. One thinks of the encouragement this would be, for example, to the struggling exiles in their attempts to rebuild Jerusalem after their return from Babylon (some commentators suggest that the Psalm belongs in fact to the post-exilic period), but it is surely an encouragement to all hard-pressed souls (what must it have meant to the Apostle Paul in the situation he describes in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10). There seems to be an echo in 5a of Exodus 15:11, from the song of Moses, and 5b and 6 resemble Isaiah 57:15. The incomparable greatness of God does not, however, make Him remote or detached. On the contrary, He has a care for the lowly, the oppressed and the poor. Indeed, this is precisely the mark of His greatness, that He has regard for them in their need. More of this in the next Note.