Psalms 21:13 · Bible study
Psalms 21:13 Commentary: Praise Arising from God's Exalted Strength
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine how God's self-exaltation in power evokes the people's song, and what this reveals about worship rooted in God's strength.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God’s self-exaltation through strength leads the people to sing and praise His power.
- Key words: “be exalted,” “strength,” “sing,” “praise,” “power.”
- Main debate: Whether the verse’s primary reference is to David’s historical victories, a messianic future, or both. Commentators affirm multiple layers.
- Theological theme: Theocentric worship, God’s power is the sole ground of praise, and praise is the fitting response to that power made visible.
- Best use: As a concluding doxology in prayer or as a call to worship, especially after recounting God’s deliverance.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your power.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Be exalted, Yahweh, in your strength, so we will sing and praise your power.
KJV King James Version 1769
Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Be thou exalted, O Jehovah, in thy strength: So will we sing and praise thy power.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Be Thou exalted, O Jehovah in, Thy strength, We sing and we praise Thy might!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Be thou exalted, Jehovah, in thine own strength: we will sing and celebrate thy power.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Many calves have surrounded me: fat bulls have besieged me.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Ensálzate, oh Jehová, con tu fortaleza: cantaremos y alabaremos tu poderío.
Exalta-te, SENHOR, em tua força; cantaremos e louvaremos o teu poder.
Car tu leur feras tourner le dos,
HERR, erhebe dich in deiner Kraft, so wollen wir singen und loben deine Macht.
Want Gij zult hen zetten tot een wit; met Uw pezen zult Gij het op hun aangezicht toeleggen. Verhoog U, HEERE! in Uw sterkte; zo zullen wij zingen, en Uw macht met psalmen loven.
Innalzati, o Eterno, con la tua forza; noi canteremo e celebreremo la tua potenza.
Przetoż wystawisz ich za cel; cięciwę twą wyciągniesz przeciwko twarzy ich. Podnieśże się, Panie! w mocy twojej, tedy będziemy śpiewać i wysławiać możność twoję.
Множество тельцов обступили меня; тучные Васанские окружили меня,
耶和華啊，願你因自己的能力 顯為至高！這樣，我們就唱詩，歌頌 你的大能。
Be lifted up, O Lord, in your strength; so will we make songs in praise of your power.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Psalm 21:13 functions as the concluding prayer and praise of the congregation. The verse calls for God to exalt Himself by manifesting His strength, a request that finds echoes throughout the Psalter (e.g., Psalms 46:10; 57:5; 57:11). Adam Clarke notes that God alone can exalt Himself; His creatures cannot add to His glory. The people respond with a promise: they will sing and praise His power. As Barnes observes, this pattern, God’s triumph leading to universal rejoicing, points to the ultimate day when all holy beings will gather around the throne. Matthew Henry sees the verse as teaching God’s people to look forward with faith and praise for what God will do. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the congregation returns here to the thought of verse 1, concluding with a prayer that Jehovah be exalted when He manifests His strength. Whether read historically (David’s victories) or eschatologically (Christ’s final conquest), the core agreement stands: God’s power displayed draws forth the worship of His people.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God’s display of strength leads to the people’s praise; the verse calls for God to be exalted and promises a singing response.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The primary referent of the king | Christians agree the psalm originally applied to the Davidic king and ultimately points to Christ. | Some traditions emphasize the historical fulfillment in David’s reign, while others see it primarily as a prophecy of Christ’s kingdom. |
| The nature of God's exaltation | All agree that God exalts Himself by displaying His strength; He is not exalted by human addition. | The nuance: some see it as a petition for future action (God, be exalted), others as a declarative wish (may You be exalted) that acknowledges that God is already exalted. |
| The conditionality of praise | The verse ties praise to God’s self-exaltation in strength. | Some interpret the connection as a logical consequence (we will praise because You are exalted), while others see it as a conditional promise (if You exalt Yourself, we will praise). |
| The scope of 'power' | God’s power is the attribute celebrated in this verse. | Whether this refers primarily to military victory (as in the psalm’s context) or to a more comprehensive divine power over all creation is a point of emphasis but not a sharp division. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 21 is a royal psalm of thanksgiving, likely composed after a significant victory. Calvin describes it as “a public and solemn thanksgiving for the prosperous and happy condition of the king,” closely linked to the preceding Psalm 20, which was a prayer for the king’s success. Lange suggests a specific historical backdrop: David’s conquest of Rabbah (2 Samuel 12:30), after which the king placed the Ammonite crown on his own head and subdued the city. The psalm divides into two halves: verses 1, 7 thank God for blessings given to the king, while verses 8, 13 shift to a prediction of the king’s victory over his enemies. Verse 13 provides the congregation’s concluding response, a prayer that God would exalt Himself in strength, followed by a vow to praise.
The phrase “Be exalted, Yahweh” is a recurring biblical refrain (e.g., Psalm 57:5, 11; 46:10). In literary terms, the community here echoes the king’s own opening confidence (Psalm 21:1). The petition is not for God to gain something He lacks, but for Him to act so that His power is clearly seen. In ancient Near Eastern thought, a king’s victories reflected the power of his deity. This psalm inverts that pattern: the king’s success is entirely due to Yahweh’s strength, and the people’s praise is directed not to the monarch but to God alone. The verse thus serves as a liturgical hinge, turning from petition to doxology, and it invites the congregation to trust that God’s power will always evoke their song.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the translations (WEB, KJV, ASV, BSB, YLT, Darby) show only minor differences in rendering, such as “in thy strength” versus “in thy power.” The overall meaning is not affected.
Reception History
In the early church, this verse was likely used in liturgical settings as a concluding cry for God’s exaltation. The medieval church included it in the Psalter, often read or chanted as part of the daily office. Reformation commentators such as Calvin and the Geneva Bible emphasized God’s sovereignty in exaltation and the congregation’s fitting response. Wesleyan interpreters like Adam Clarke saw in it a pattern for how each attribute of God, power, mercy, wisdom, becomes the chief subject of praise according to the need. In modern hymnody, the verse has inspired songs of victory and praise, and it continues to serve as a model for worship that begins with God’s action and ends with the people’s song. Its use in times of national thanksgiving or personal deliverance reflects the psalm’s original setting of public gratitude.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s strength is the foundation. The verse begins not with human effort but with divine power as the cause for exaltation.
- Our prayer for God’s exaltation. We ask God to display His strength so that He is seen as supreme over every foe.
- Our response of song. The congregation promises to sing and praise, making worship the natural outcome of seeing God’s power.
Five-point outline
- God possesses strength that is entirely His own, no one contributes to it.
- Exaltation is what God does; His people call for it and participate by acknowledging it.
- This exaltation happens when God acts in power, especially against His enemies.
- The result is singing, a corporate, joyful response.
- Praise is directed specifically at God’s power, the attribute most clearly on display.
Illustration hooks
- A sports team that has just won a championship: the crowd does not stop at celebrating the players but turns to a larger appreciation of the skill and effort that made victory possible.
- Someone rescued from a dangerous situation: the person does not simply thank the rescuer but exclaims over the rescuer’s strength and courage.
- A moment in a worship service when a song about God’s power rises spontaneously after a testimony of answered prayer.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God is already exalted, why do we need to ask Him to be exalted?
- How can we genuinely praise God’s power when we feel weak or when our prayers seem unanswered?
- What does it look like to “sing and praise” in everyday life, not just on Sundays?
Leading a Discussion
This short verse captures the heartbeat of worship: God acts in power, and His people respond with praise. In Psalm 21, that power has just been described in terms of the king’s victory over his enemies. The congregation does not merely observe God’s power, they join in singing and praise. Use these questions to explore how God’s strength shapes our worship.
Discussion questions
- What does the verse ask God to do, and what does the people promise in return?
- The phrase “Be exalted, Yahweh” appears in other psalms (e.g., 46:10; 57:5, 11). What does this petition assume about God’s character and His relationship to the world?
- Why do you think the congregation makes their praise conditional on God exalting Himself? Does this imply they would not praise otherwise?
- In what ways have you seen God’s strength displayed in your own life or in the life of your church community?
- How might this verse encourage someone who feels that God is not acting powerfully in their current situation?
- What does it mean to praise God’s “power” specifically, rather than His love, mercy, or wisdom?
- How can you “sing and praise” God’s power in the midst of daily routines, both in personal devotion and corporate worship?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Chronicles 29:11 | Yours, Yahweh, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty! For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, Yahweh, and you are exalted as head above all. |
| Job 9:19 | If it is a matter of strength, behold, he is mighty! If of justice, ‘Who,’ says he, ‘will summon me?’ |
| Psalms 18:46 | Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation, |
| Psalms 46:10 | “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” |
| Psalms 57:5 | Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be above all the earth! |
| Psalms 57:11 | Be exalted, God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth. |
| Psalms 58:10 | The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, |
| Psalms 58:11 | so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.” |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
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What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that God alone exalts Himself and gives victory without human effort. He emphasizes that believers should praise God specifically for the attribute He most displays in their deliverance, whether power, mercy, or wisdom, making their gratitude personal and fitting.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees the psalmist's closing cry as the deepest longing of every holy being: that God would display His own power to triumph over every enemy and be lifted to His rightful place of honor over all. This victory, once achieved, will unite the entire universe in joyful praise of His strength.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This concluding prayer ties God’s exaltation directly to the display of His own strength. The commentator stresses that “thy power” refers to might made known through saving acts, not strength borrowed from any other source.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note sees a direct link between God revealing His strength and the people's worship. When the Lord exalts Himself in power, the natural human response is to sing and praise that power. The emphasis falls on worship as the fitting answer to divine action.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets this call for God to be exalted as a prophecy fulfilled in key judgment events: the destruction of Jerusalem, the final fall of Babylon, and the last judgment. The promised songs of praise correspond to the victory hymns sung in Revelation after each decisive act of divine power.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
The glory of all is ascribable to God alone.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that the psalm closes with a brief but intense cry for God to display His sovereign might in battle, ensuring the king's victory. The final two lines long for God's irresistible power to achieve worldwide conquest, and they promise a response of joyful gratitude even before the answer comes.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists the promises of eternal life and the golden crown in this psalm belong to David personally, not to
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry stresses that the king's stability comes solely from the mercy of the Most High, not from his own merit or strength. He sees this as a type of Christ, whose perfect trust and joy in God become the foundation for every believer's hope and confidence.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Exalted - By thy own power, or by the manifestation thereof.