Psalms 66:17 Meaning: Praise Under His Tongue
I cried to him with my mouth. He was extolled with my tongue.
I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
I cried unto him with my mouth, And he was extolled with my tongue.
Unto Him with my mouth I have called, And exaltation is under my tongue.
I called unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 66:17 means the psalmist had praise ready on his tongue even while crying out to God, a prayer full of both desperation and trust.
Context
Psalm 66 is a song of thanksgiving, but its frame is wide. It begins with a call for the whole earth to shout to God (v.1). Then it narrows. The singer recounts how God tested His people like silver, yet brought them through (v.10-12). Now he speaks in his own voice. He promised offerings when he was in distress, and he is coming to pay them. In verse 16 he turns to the congregation: "Come and hear, all you who fear God. I will declare what he has done for my soul." What follows is a brief, honest account of how he prayed and how God answered. Verse 17 is the hinge, a single verse that captures the paradox of praying while already praising.
Key Words
The Hebrew word for "cried" (qara) means to call out loud, a prayer that comes from deep need, not a quiet whisper. That is the sound coming from the psalmist's mouth. But the second half of the verse uses a very different word. "Extolled" here is actually a noun, romam, meaning exaltation or praise lifted high. And the psalmist says it was under his tongue (tachat leshoni). This is not an afterthought. It is a hidden reserve. The wicked store iniquity under their tongues (Psalm 10:7, Job 20:12), but the psalmist stores praise there, as if the thanks was already prepared before the answer arrived. The same mouth that cried out in distress also carried praise waiting to be spoken. His prayer did not have to wait for the answer to turn into thanksgiving. The thanks was already there, underneath every word. In the original language, the exaltation was present at the same moment as the crying. This is the secret of the psalmist's prayer: honest need and quiet trust, woven together.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have heard different notes in this verse. John Calvin, reading the psalm as a whole, thought the speaker was giving voice to the gathered people of God, one person describing the nation's prayer. Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible saw it as David's personal testimony, a pattern for any believer. The Baptist commentator John Gill pointed out that the psalmist prayed and praised at the same time, following Paul's instruction to make requests with thanksgiving. The Lutheran scholars Keil and Delitzsch noted that the praise was "in readiness", the certainty of being heard had already produced a song. Anglicans through the Cambridge Bible stressed that such confidence rests on sincerity before God. These interpretations differ on who is speaking, but all of them hear the same striking truth: the psalmist cried out, and even as he did, praise was already near.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume the psalmist praised God after his prayer was answered, as if the crying came first and the praising followed later. But the Hebrew paints a different picture. The words "exaltation was under my tongue" describe a state that existed at the same time as the crying, not later. The praise was already there, stored up and ready, while he was still calling out. This changes how we understand prayer: it can hold both the urgency of need and the certainty of praise at once.
Living This Out
This week, pick one worry you keep bringing to God. Before you say another word about it, stop and remember something specific He has done for you, a past answer, a kindness, a moment you knew He was near. Let that praise rest under your tongue, as the psalmist did. Then speak your need from the same mouth that already holds thanks. The verse does not ask you to pretend the trouble is small. It invites you to let confidence and crying share the same breath.
Main takeaway: The psalmist cried to God honestly while praise was already waiting under his tongue, need and trust sharing the same prayer.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The man who wrote this verse was asking God for help. But even while he was asking, he already had a thank-you song ready in his mouth. He knew God would answer, so he started praising before he saw the answer.
For ages 9, 12
Psalm 66:17 shows a kind of prayer that is both honest and confident. The psalmist did not hide his need, he cried out loud. But at the same time, he already had praise stored up "under his tongue," like words waiting to be spoken. This teaches us that we don't have to wait until we see God's answer to start thanking Him. We can trust Him so much that thanks is ready even while we ask.
Questions People Ask
What does 'extolled with my tongue' mean in Psalm 66:17?
The Hebrew word 'romam' is a noun meaning exaltation or praise. 'He was extolled with my tongue' means the psalmist lifted God up in praise as he spoke. Some translations render it 'praised him with my tongue' or 'exaltation was under my tongue.'
Why does the psalmist say praise was 'under' his tongue?
The Hebrew preposition 'tachat' means underneath, suggesting something stored up and ready. Commentators like Keil and Delitzsch note that the psalmist had the song of praise in readiness even while crying out. It is a picture of trust already present before the answer came.
Was the psalmist praising after God answered or while he was still praying?
The verse describes both actions at the same time. The crying out and having exaltation under the tongue are concurrent, not sequential. The praise was not a response to the answer; it was already there as part of the prayer itself.
Is Psalm 66:17 about one person or the whole nation of Israel?
Christians have understood it both ways. John Calvin and others see the speaker as giving voice to the congregation, while Matthew Henry and John Gill treat it as personal testimony. The verse can apply to an individual believer or to the people of God as a whole.
What does 'I cried unto him with my mouth' tell us about prayer?
The Hebrew word 'qara' means to call out loudly and urgently. John Gill described it as 'vocal, ardent, and fervent prayer.' The psalmist did not pray silently or halfheartedly; he spoke his need aloud with intensity.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study