The Meaning of Psalms 113:1 Explained

Psalms 113:1

KJV: Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.

YLT: Praise ye Jah! Praise, ye servants of Jehovah. Praise the name of Jehovah.

Darby: Hallelujah! Praise, ye servants of Jehovah, praise the name of Jehovah.

ASV: Praise ye Jehovah. Praise, O ye servants of Jehovah, Praise the name of Jehovah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Praise  ye the LORD.  Praise,  O ye servants  of the LORD,  praise  the name  of the LORD. 

What does Psalms 113:1 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 113:1-9 - The Mighty God Uplifteth The Lowly
We detect the song of Samuel's mother in the first of these psalms. She sang the Old Testament "Magnificat" and it was embalmed by the psalmist here. Thus it passed into the psalter of the Church. Note the universality of this ascription of praise. For all time, Psalms 113:2; through all the earth, Psalms 113:3; and above all heavens, Psalms 113:4. What a wonderful God is ours! Heaven cannot contain Him, but He lifts the poor and needy out of the dust. Largeness is not greatness, and the babe in the cot is more important than the palace.
In Psalms 114:1-8 Egypt represents the tyranny of sin; but we have been redeemed. Like Israel we have gone forth. We belong no more to the present world with its strange tongue. Ours is the language of Canaan, our home. This exodus of ours has made us the temple and sanctuary of God. If once the Church realized that she is God-possessed, she would become irresistible. Seas would divide, rivers would start back, mountains would cleave, and the hills would remove. "Impossible" would be blotted from our vocabulary. The power that made Sinai tremble gave earth water-springs. When the soul finds its all in God, the world ceases to affright or attract it, and the rocks yield refreshing streams. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 113

1  An exhortation to praise God for his excellence
6  For his mercy

What do the individual words in Psalms 113:1 mean?

Praise YAH Praise servants of Yahweh Praise - the name of Yahweh
הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֨הּ ׀ הַ֭לְלוּ עַבְדֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה הַֽ֝לְלוּ אֶת־ שֵׁ֥ם יְהוָֽה

הַ֥לְלוּ  Praise 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַל 
Sense: to shine.
יָ֨הּ ׀  YAH 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָהּ  
Sense: Jah (Jehovah in the shortened form).
הַ֭לְלוּ  Praise 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַל 
Sense: to shine.
עַבְדֵ֣י  servants 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
יְהוָ֑ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הַֽ֝לְלוּ  Praise 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: הָלַל 
Sense: to shine.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
שֵׁ֥ם  the  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
יְהוָֽה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.