Psalms 113:9 · Bible study
Psalms 113:9 Commentary: Barren to Joyful
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Psalm 113:9: a verse about God reversing barrenness, read as literal blessing and as metaphor for restoring Israel.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God reverses barrenness, granting a childless woman a settled home and joyful motherhood, showing his compassion for the despised.
- Key words: mošivi (causes to dwell), ‘aqeret habbayit (barren woman of the house), em habbanim semechah (joyful mother of children).
- Main debate: Whether the primary reference is literal (individual barren women) or metaphorical (Zion/Israel restored from exile).
- Theological theme: God's condescension and compassion; his power to bring joy from desolation; the link between individual blessing and corporate restoration.
- Best use: A text for thanksgiving, for comforting those in prolonged waiting, and for reminding the church that God fills empty places.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!
WEB World English Bible 2000
He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children. Praise Yah!
KJV King James Version 1769
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, And to bea joyful mother of children. Praise ye Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Causing the barren one of the house to sit, A joyful mother of sons; praise ye Jah!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, [as] a joyful mother of sons. Hallelujah!
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Not to us, O Lord, not to us; but to thy name give glory.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
El hace habitar en familia á la estéril, gozosa en ser madre de hijos. Aleluya|strong="H1984, H3050".
Que faz a estéril habitar em família, como alegre mãe de filhos. Aleluia!
Il donne une maison à celle qui était stérile,
der die Unfruchtbare im Hause wohnen macht, daß sie eine fröhliche Kindermutter wird. Halleluja!
Die de onvruchtbare doet wonen met een huisgezin, een blijde moeder van kinderen. Hallelujah!
Fa abitar la sterile in famiglia, qual madre felice di figliuoli. Alleluia.
Który sprawia, że niepłodna w domu bywa matką weselącą się z dziatek. Halleluja.
Не нам, Господи, не нам, но имени Твоему дай славу, ради милости Твоей, ради истины Твоей.
他使不能生育的婦人 安居 家中，為多子 的樂 母。你們要讚美 耶和華！
He gives the unfertile woman a family, making her a happy mother of children. Give praise to the Lord.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 113:9
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Psalm 113:9 celebrates God's power to reverse barrenness, a condition of deep shame in the ancient world. The verse forms the climactic example of God's condescension (Psa 113:4-6), following his raising the poor and needy. Barnes notes that God 'interposes, and diffuses joy through a dwelling' when all hope of posterity is cut off. Calvin sees this as a reason to praise God's providence in sudden, unexpected changes. Keil and Delitzsch parse the Hebrew phrase ‘aqeret habbayit (barren woman of the house) as a wife without children, lacking a settled position, until God gives her children, making her 'thoroughly at home.' The Targum and the Cambridge Bible apply the image to Zion: a community that was like a barren woman mourning, then filled with children. Most commentators link the verse to Hannah (1 Sam 2:5) and to Isaiah 54:1, suggesting a double reference, literal and metaphorical. The consensus is that whether read individually or corporately, the verse magnifies God's compassion toward the despised and his power to bring joy from desolation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal individual blessing: The immediate context (v.7-9) lists concrete acts of raising the poor and giving children, consistent with God's character shown in Hannah, Rachel, etc.
- Metaphor for Israel's restoration: The Targum, Isaiah 54:1, and the psalm's placement in the Hallel suggest a corporate reading, linking barrenness to exile and fruitfulness to return.
What is clear: God reverses barrenness and brings joy—whether to an individual woman or to his people, the result is settled, joyful life that calls for praise.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Literal vs. metaphorical interpretation | The verse describes God's compassion for the barren, whether individual or corporate. | Some commentators (Clarke, Cambridge Bible) read it primarily as a metaphor for Israel's restoration. Others (Barnes, Calvin) emphasize the literal domestic joy of a family. |
| Application to individuals | God has power over barrenness and often intervenes to bring children. | Whether the verse promises that God will give children to every barren person who prays is debated. Most caution against reading it as a guarantee. |
| Role of barrenness as reproach | Barrenness was a social disgrace in ancient Israel, and God removes that shame. | Some traditions (e.g., Catholic) see the verse pointing to the spiritual fruitfulness of the Church, while others (e.g., Protestant) emphasize the literal experience of individual women. |
| What 'house' means | The woman is given a secure home, not merely a building. | Keil and Delitzsch argue it means being settled in her husband's house as a mother. Others see 'home' as the community of God's people (Zion). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 113 belongs to the Egyptian Hallel (Psalms 113, 118), sung at major Jewish festivals, especially Passover. Before the meal, Psalms 113 and 114 were chanted; after the meal, Psalms 115, 118. This verse closes the psalm with a concrete picture of God's restorative work.
Barrenness in the ancient Near East was a social and spiritual reproach. A woman without children lacked security and honor; her position in her husband's house was precarious. Rachel cried, 'Give me children, or else I die' (Gen 30:1), and Hannah's barrenness brought torment from her rival (1 Sam 1:6). The psalmist takes this well-known grief and turns it into a showcase of God's grace.
Keil and Delitzsch explain that ‘aqeret habbayit means 'the barren one of the house', a wife who manages a household but is not yet a mother. When God gives children, she becomes 'a joyful mother of children' (em habbanim semechah), with the definite article on habbanim pointing to specific children, as if the poet sees them before him. The language echoes Hannah's song (1 Sam 2:5): 'The barren has borne seven.'
Yet the psalmist seems to intend more than one woman's story. Adam Clarke reads the verse as a figure for the desolate state of Israel in Babylon and the joyful return. The Cambridge Bible and Gill note the Targum's interpretation that 'the congregation of Israel' is the barren woman. This symbolic reading grows from Israel's history: Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, key mothers of the nation were once barren. The metaphor continues in Isaiah 54:1, where the barren woman is Zion, called to sing because she will have more children than the married wife. So the verse carries both a literal meaning, God blesses individual women with children, and a corporate meaning, God restores his people from shame to fruitfulness.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 113:9. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The LXX and Targum support the same reading, though the Targum explicitly interprets the 'barren woman' as the congregation of Israel. The different English translations vary slightly in phrasing (e.g., 'keep house' vs. 'settles...in her home') but convey the same sense.
Reception History
Psalm 113:9 has been part of the Hallel, sung at Passover and other festivals since the Second Temple period. The Targum interprets the barren woman as the congregation of Israel, a reading taken up by early Christian writers who saw the Church as the barren woman made fruitful (Isaiah 54:1). In medieval Jewish exegesis, Jarchi applied the verse to Zion. The Reformers, like Calvin, used it to illustrate God's providence in reversing human fortunes. In modern times, the verse has been a source of comfort for those struggling with infertility, while also serving as a metaphor for spiritual renewal in many traditions. Its use in liturgy has kept it familiar to both Jewish and Christian congregations, always tied to the call to praise.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God sees the overlooked. The psalm moves from God's lofty throne to the ash heap and then to the barren woman. He notices those society despises or ignores.
- God reverses the hopeless. Barrenness was considered irreversible without divine intervention. The verse shows God as the one who opens wombs and restores joy.
- God fills empty homes. The result is not just a child, but a settled, joyful mother. God's work brings stability and celebration to families.
Five-point outline
- From the heights to the home. The God who dwells on high stoops to the domestic sphere (Psa 113:4-6).
- Barrenness as a Bible-wide pattern. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, each received God's intervention, building the covenant people.
- The one and the many. The verse applies to an individual woman and to the corporate people of God (Zion).
- Joy as the final word. The woman becomes 'joyful', the same root used for festival gladness. God's gift produces worship.
- Hallelujah as the only response. The verse ends with praise, drawing the entire psalm to a fitting conclusion.
Illustration hooks
- An empty nursery. A couple who struggled with infertility finally bring home a baby. The long-awaited joy of a full house mirrors the verse's picture.
- A restored church. A declining congregation that prayed and saw new families and younger believers fill the pews, like the barren woman becoming a joyful mother.
- A prodigal's return. A family estranged from a son or daughter, then reunited. The empty seat at the table is filled, and grief turns to celebration.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse promise that everyone who prays for a child will conceive? The psalm describes God's general character, He delights to reverse barrenness, but doesn't guarantee an individual result. It invites trust in God's wisdom and timing.
- If I am not called to biological parenthood, does this apply to me? The verse has often been applied to spiritual fruitfulness: the church, a ministry, or any place where God brings life out of desolation.
- What about those who remain barren? The verse points to God's compassion on the despised, but doesn't erase ongoing pain. It offers hope that God sees and values those who suffer reproach, and that His ultimate plan brings restoration.
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 113 calls us to praise God for his care of the lowly. The final verse pictures a barren woman becoming a joyful mother, a vivid image of God's power to reverse shame and bring life. As you discuss this passage, consider how it speaks both to individual experiences of longing and to the corporate hope of God's people.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What comes right before verse 9? How does the psalm build to this example?
- Interpretation: Why do you think the psalmist chose a barren woman as the climactic example of God's care?
- Interpretation: The same Hebrew phrase for 'barren woman of the house' appears here as in Psalm 68:6. How does that connection affect your reading?
- Interpretation: Several commentators see a metaphor for Israel or the church. What evidence from the surrounding verses and cross-references supports this?
- Application: In what areas of your life or community do you feel 'barren' or hopeless? How does this verse speak to those places?
- Application: The psalm ends with 'Praise Yah!' What would it look like for your small group to praise God for specific instances where he brought life from barrenness?
- Application: How can we support those in our church who struggle with infertility or childlessness, without implying a lack of faith?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 21:5 | Abraham was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him. |
| Genesis 21:7 | She said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.” |
| Genesis 25:21 | Isaac entreated Yahweh for his wife, because she was barren. Yahweh was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. |
| Genesis 30:22 | God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb. |
| Genesis 30:23 | She conceived, bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” |
| I Samuel 2:5 | Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry are satisfied. Yes, the barren has borne seven. She who has many children languishes. |
| Psalms 68:6 | God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land. |
| Isaiah 54:1 | “Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth! Break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who didn’t travail with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says Yahweh. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke reads the barren woman as a figure for the Jewish captives in Babylon, whose population was dwindling in exile. The promise of keeping house points to the joyful reversal when they returned to their own land. He also observes that these words closely echo Hannah's song.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes finds the deepest motive for praise not in God's public acts of lifting the lowly but in the quiet joy of the domestic circle. A family united by tender love and common happiness, he argues, is the place where the double Hallelujah framing this psalm fits most naturally. Such a household is called to praise the Lord with everything holy and lovely within it.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the psalm calls only the faithful to praise God, because they alone have spiritual perception to see His hand in sudden world changes. For him, the psalm directs us to acknowledge that all events are governed by God's will and pleasure, not by chance.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator sees two layers in the image of the barren woman becoming a joyful mother: a literal promise to women like Hannah, and a deeper figure of Zion, the once-desolate congregation of Israel, being filled with children. The Targum clarifies this second meaning, showing God restoring His people.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights God as the direct cause of the barren woman's transformation, placing her in a family and making her a joyful mother. The commentator sees in this a clear reason to praise the Lord for His sovereign, life-giving power.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill applies the verse primarily to the church, seeing the barren woman as a picture of the early church with few converts, which later becomes abundantly fruitful. He connects this joy to the spiritual birth of souls, when the church rejoices over new believers as a mother over her children.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
On this special case, compare 1 Sa 2:21 . Barrenness was regarded as a disgrace, and is a type of a deserted Church ( Isa 54:1 ). the barren woman . . . house —literally, "the barren of the house," so that the supplied words may be omitted.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch ground the psalm's images in Hebrew terms for lowly estate and the image of a person on a dunghill. They then fix on the phrase for a barren wife, arguing that such a woman has no settled position in her husband's house. God's gift of children roots her fully at home as a joyful mother.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry stresses that the repeated calls to praise in this psalm reveal both how essential praise is and how slow we are to offer it. Those who delight in praising God naturally urge others to join, because the work is vast and the pleasure is too good to keep to oneself.