Psalms 71:23 · Bible study
Psalms 71:23 Commentary: Redeemed Joy in Praise
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
How the psalmist's confident praise arises from the assurance of redemption, even amid troubles and old age.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The psalmist vows to praise God with joyful lips and redeemed soul, celebrating God's deliverance.
- Key words: “Lips” (speech/worship), “soul” (whole self), “redeemed” (ransomed by God).
- Main debate: Whether “soul” refers to the immortal part or the life delivered from earthly danger (Barnes).
- Theological theme: Redemption as the basis for wholehearted, joyful praise.
- Best use: Text for personal testimony, worship songs, or encouragement to praise in difficult seasons.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When I sing praise to You my lips will shout for joy, along with my soul, which You have redeemed.
WEB World English Bible 2000
My lips shall shout for joy! My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!
KJV King James Version 1769
My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises unto thee; And my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
My lips cry aloud when I sing praise to Thee, And my soul that Thou hast redeemed,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
My lips shall exult when I sing psalms unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Mis labios cantarán cuando á ti salmeare, y mi alma, á la cual redimiste.
Meus lábios terão muita alegria, porque cantarei a ti; e também se alegrará a minha alma, que tu tens resgatado.
En te célébrant, j’aurai la joie sur les lèvres,
Meine Lippen und meine Seele, die du erlöst hast, sind fröhlich und lobsingen dir.
Mijn lippen zullen juichen, wanneer ik U zal psalmzingen, en mijn ziel, die Gij verlost hebt.
Le mie labbra giubileranno, quando salmeggerò a te e l’anima mia pure, che tu hai riscattata.
Rozradują się wargi moje, gdyć będę śpiewał, i dusza moja, którąś wykupił.
我歌頌 你的時候，我的嘴唇 和你所 贖 我的靈魂 都必歡呼；
Joy will be on my lips when I make melody to you; and in my soul, to which you have given salvation.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 71:23
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators from across the Christian tradition agree that this verse expresses wholehearted, joyful praise rooted in the certainty of God's redemption. The parallel of “lips” and “soul” indicates that praise engages the entire person, speech and inner self alike. Adam Clarke notes that the lips “shall use words expressive of my soul's happiness and gratitude.” Barnes observes that “redeemed” refers to the soul as the immortal part or as life itself, but in either case the rescued person finds delight in celebrating God. Gill stresses that redemption is “the fruit of divine grace, and owing to the blood and sacrifice of Christ,” which powerfully stirs the heart to praise. Calvin, reading the psalm in the context of David’s old age during Absalom’s revolt, sees this verse as the poet’s turn from prayer to thanksgiving. The Hebrew verb padita (You have redeemed) is a perfect tense, a completed action, making the present joy rest on a past, unrepeatable act of deliverance. The dual mention of lips and soul underscores the integrity of worship that flows from a redeemed life.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The psalmist declares that because God has redeemed his soul, his entire being—lips and soul—will burst into joyful praise.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'soul' (nephesh) | It refers to the inner self, the whole person, or life. | Barnes notes it could mean the immortal soul or simply the life that has been spared; both readings are defended. |
| Authorship and setting | Traditionally ascribed to David; the psalm fits an old man facing enemies. | Calvin and others see Absalom's rebellion; Lange mentions the Septuagint's addition of 'sons of Jonadab and first captives.' Some modern scholars see a post-exilic composite. |
| Nature of redemption | Redemption (padah) is God's rescue from danger, often with a ransom idea. | Whether it primarily refers to physical deliverance from enemies (Barnes, Calvin) or spiritual redemption from sin (Gill) is a matter of emphasis, not contradiction. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 71 lacks a title, but the majority of commentators, including Calvin, attribute it to David in his old age, likely during Absalom’s rebellion. The psalm repeatedly refers to “old and grayheaded” (v. 9, 18) and to enemies who plot harm. It moves from urgent prayer for deliverance (vv. 1, 13) to a firm vow of praise (vv. 14, 24). The poet reuses phrases from earlier psalms (31, 35, 70), as if drawing together decades of trust into a single confession. Verse 23 belongs to the climactic praise section (vv. 19, 24) that follows the psalmist’s rehearsal of God’s faithfulness through “many and bitter troubles” (v. 20).
The Hebrew word for “redeemed” (padah) carries the force of a ransom or rescue, the same word used of God redeeming Israel from Egypt (Deuteronomy 7:8). Here it is intensely personal: my soul, which you have redeemed. The surrounding verses mention singing with the harp and lyre (v. 22) and employ the divine title “Holy One of Israel,” rooting the praise in Israel’s covenant worship. The psalmist speaks as though deliverance has already arrived; his faith is so certain that it shapes his present song. In the ancient Near East, praise was the proper and expected response to a deity’s saving acts, and music, both vocal and instrumental, was the vehicle for that response.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, with the Masoretic reading consistent. Translations differ only in how they render the tenses and the conjunction of clauses (e.g., WEB vs KJV vs BSB), but these are translational choices, not textual issues.
Reception History
Psalm 71:23 has been treasured in Jewish and Christian worship as a personal declaration of praise. The early church saw in its language of redemption a foreshadowing of Christ's saving work. Augustine and other church fathers drew on the psalm to teach that genuine praise must come from a redeemed heart. During the Reformation, both Calvin and Luther used the psalm to encourage believers to praise God despite affliction, emphasizing the certainty of God's faithfulness. The verse has inspired hymns such as “Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It” and appears in liturgies for times of thanksgiving. Its intensely personal tone makes it a favorite for private devotion and testimony.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The instrument of praise, the lips. The psalmist vows that his lips will shout for joy. Speech, song and declaration are the means by which praise becomes audible.
- The source of praise, the redeemed soul. True praise does not come from the mouth alone; it flows from the inner person, the soul that God has rescued. A redeemed heart produces joyful lips.
- The fuel for praise, the certainty of redemption. The verb “you have redeemed” is past tense, a completed act. Present joy is grounded in what God has already done, not in uncertain hopes.
Five-point outline
- The vow: “My lips shall shout for joy”, a deliberate, future-oriented promise to praise.
- The whole self engaged: Lips and soul together, no gap between outward worship and inward sincerity.
- The foundation: “Which you have redeemed”, God’s past action is the rock on which praise stands.
- The context: Old age, enemies, trouble, these do not silence praise; they prove its strength.
- The outcome: A life that keeps singing (v. 24) and a testimony that strengthens others.
Illustration hooks
- A grandparent who, despite fading health, still hums hymns of gratitude, the soul’s joy that the body cannot contain.
- Someone rescued from a serious accident or illness who cannot stop telling the story, redemption makes praise overflow.
- The difference between a polite “thank you” and a genuine shout of joy. When you know you have been rescued, words come easily.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I praise God with my whole heart when I am struggling with doubt or pain?
- Does my praise ever feel like just words? What would make it come from my soul?
- What does it mean for God to “redeem” me, is that only for the next life, or does it change today?
Leading a Discussion
This verse shows us that praise is not a duty we perform to earn God’s favor; it is the natural response of a soul that has been set free. The psalmist, facing the trials of old age and opposition, does not fake joy. He looks back at what God has already done, redemption, and lets that certainty shape his present song. As you discuss this passage, consider how your own experience of God’s rescue can make your praise more honest and wholehearted.
Discussion questions
- Read the verse aloud. What stands out to you most, the shouting joy, the redeemed soul, or something else?
- The psalmist says “my lips” and “my soul” will praise. Why does he mention both? What does that suggest about the kind of worship God desires?
- How does the past tense of “you have redeemed” give confidence for present praise, even when circumstances are hard?
- What kinds of “redemption” have you experienced from God? (Consider physical rescue, forgiveness of sin, deliverance from a destructive pattern.)
- When is it hardest for you to praise God with your whole being? What keeps your lips and soul from joining together?
- How does knowing that God redeems “the soul of his servants” (Psalm 34:22) affect the way you face old age, illness, or opposition?
- What would change in your daily life if you started each day by saying, “My soul, which You have redeemed, will sing praise to You”?
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 48:16 | the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. Let them grow into a multitude upon the earth.” |
| II Samuel 4:9 | David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, |
| Psalms 34:22 | Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. None of those who take refuge in him shall be condemned. |
| Psalms 63:5 | My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips, |
| Psalms 103:4 | who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, |
| Psalms 104:33 | I will sing to Yahweh as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. |
| Luke 1:46 | Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. |
| Luke 1:47 | My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, |
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
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that the lips rejoice because they give voice to what the soul already feels inside: happiness and gratitude for being redeemed. The praise is not temporary but belongs to God eternally, because the redemption itself is permanent.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the word usually translated as soul more commonly means life in the Psalms. He allows the possibility that the psalmist refers to the immortal part, but either way the rejoicing comes from the part of a person that God has redeemed.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that this psalm closely follows Psalm 31, which David wrote during Saul's persecution. The distinctive feature is that David adapted the earlier prayer to his later crisis by adding references to his old age, showing how faith reuses past expressions of trust for new trials.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator notes that "my soul" here means the whole self and personality of the psalmist, not a separate spiritual part. Having been delivered from danger, this entire being is described as joining actively in glad, exuberant thanksgiving through song.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note ties the psalmist's joyful singing to a specific cause: the deliverance of his soul. The outward praise of the lips flows from an inner redemption that has already happened, making the song itself a response to God's saving work rather than a request for it.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that true praise must come from the heart, not just the lips, and that the deepest motivation is the experience of redeeming love. He calls redemption "exceeding precious," rooted in God's wisdom, grace, and Christ's sacrifice, which alone can fully engage the soul in joyful worship.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observes that the poet's faith is so strong he already treats the deliverance as accomplished, so his uncomplaining prayer dissolves into a loud song of praise. They note that his personal vindication is interwoven with the nation's restoration, and that he will praise God's truth with both song and speech.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes a sudden and dramatic shift in the psalmist's tone from fear to joyful praise, rooted entirely in faith and hope. He emphasizes the deliberate choice to hope continually in the darkest conditions, which then fuels an ever-increasing offering of praise to God.