Bible Commentaries

This and the five following psalms form the great HALLEL, or hymn of praise, sung at the passover and other festivals of the Jews. They celebrate, as the word imports, the shinings forth, eradiations, or manifestations of divine wisdom, power and love, in God’s dealings with Israel; and shadow forth the richer displays of grace and truth which should be afforded to the christian church. None of the psalms of the Hallel have any title, except the word Hallelujah; nor is the author of them distinctly named, but they exhibit the style and spirit of David.

Psalms 113:1. Praise ye the Lord, This phrase is the literal rendering of Hallelujah.

Psalms 113:4. The Lord is high above all nations. He is never compared to creatures, but to show that he is incomparable. Exodus 15:11. Micah 7:18.

Psalms 113:9. He makes the barren woman to keep house. The critics have noticed five of the scripture characters, descended from mothers who had been barren for many years, namely, Isaac, Joseph, Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist.

REFLECTIONS.

The whole gentile world are here exhorted to praise God with his chosen servants in the sanctuary, for he is high above all nations, and his divine perfections and evangelical glory fill the earth. No god, no prince is like unto him. Let Israel glory in her king.

He must be praised for his providence and grace. In David’s time he took many worthy men from the crowd, and seated them with the princes of his people. In the day when he published his gospel, he chose the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the promises; yea, things that were not, to bring to nought things that are. And since the reformation from popery, what has not God done for many poor ministers? What gifts, what grace, what honour has he not conferred upon them? Yea also, how has he blessed and prospered the little of his pious and industrious people in a temporal view. Truly we owe our all to his distinguishing grace. He makes the barren woman to keep house. Sarah received her Isaac, Rachel her Joseph, and Hannah her Samuel, a prince in Israel, and father of the nation. But these words are applicable to the barren wastes of the gentiles, who as a desolate woman had more children than she who had a husband. Therefore sing, oh barren; thy prosperity proceedeth from the Lord.