Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.
Praise ye the LORD is a direct call to the servants of the LORD to praise the LORD and to praise and honor his name. The exalted LORD humbles his people as they praise him, while he himself remains exalted. Psalm 113 belongs to a group of psalms connected with the return from captivity in Babylon, expressing the mixed emotions of the returning exiles. That same group relates to the building and dedication of the second temple and its triumphs.
It belongs to Psalms 113-118, the Hallel or Passover Hallelujah, the Hebrew song of praise sung at Passover and paschal occasions and at some other feasts. Within the Passover meal it was chanted as the first part of the Hallelujah, with the first two psalms of the Hallel sung at the beginning of the meal. This took place after the story of Israel's deliverance from Egypt had been retold.
This psalm-song was sung after the last Passover supper before going to the Mount of Olives. Jesus sang these praises just before his betrayal while knowing that suffering lay ahead. The call to praise rests on the LORD's character and work toward the lowly, for he exalts the humble. The psalm is an excellent song of praise to God for deliverance, and it presents praise as a central purpose of the Psalms, which are songs to be read, studied, and sung.
The call to praise is fitting even in suffering, trusting in the Father's wisdom and goodness. Jesus could sing praise before his betrayal and coming agony because he trusted the Father. Paul and Silas likewise sang praise while imprisoned and in pain.
Praise ye the LORD is a direct call to the servants of the LORD to praise the LORD and to praise and honor his name. The exalted LORD humbles his people as they praise him, while he himself remains exalted. Psalm 113 belongs to a group of psalms connected with the return from captivity in Babylon, expressing the mixed emotions of the returning exiles. That same group relates to the building and dedication of the second temple and its triumphs.
It belongs to Psalms 113-118, the Hallel or Passover Hallelujah, the Hebrew song of praise sung at Passover and paschal occasions and at some other feasts. Within the Passover meal it was chanted as the first part of the Hallelujah, with the first two psalms of the Hallel sung at the beginning of the meal. This took place after the story of Israel's deliverance from Egypt had been retold.
This psalm-song was sung after the last Passover supper before going to the Mount of Olives. Jesus sang these praises just before his betrayal while knowing that suffering lay ahead. The call to praise rests on the LORD's character and work toward the lowly, for he exalts the humble. The psalm is an excellent song of praise to God for deliverance, and it presents praise as a central purpose of the Psalms, which are songs to be read, studied, and sung.
The call to praise is fitting even in suffering, trusting in the Father's wisdom and goodness. Jesus could sing praise before his betrayal and coming agony because he trusted the Father. Paul and Silas likewise sang praise while imprisoned and in pain.