This short psalm opens a group of six, Psalms 113 through 118, that Jewish tradition calls the Hallel — sung at Passover for centuries before Christ, and almost certainly the very hymn He and His disciples sang together at the Last Supper, on the night before the cross.
A study in Psalm 113 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 9 min read
From The Rising Of The Sun Unto The Going Down
“Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’s name is to be praised.”
Psalm 113:1-3
“From the rising of the sun unto the going down” measures praise across every hour of a single day, and also, by implication, across the entire globe — wherever the sun happens to be rising at that exact moment, praise is already due there too.
Who Is Like Unto The LORD Our God
“The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!”
Psalm 113:4-6
This is a genuinely startling combination — a God so high He must stoop even to see the heavens, let alone the earth, and yet the psalm insists He does exactly that, looking closely at what is, by any comparison, almost unimaginably far beneath Him.
“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high…”
Ellen G. White · Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 283
White pairs this psalm directly with Psalm 145’s own praise of God’s greatness — the same theme returning across different psalms, a God whose height above all things never actually stops Him from paying close attention to them.
He Raiseth Up The Poor Out Of The Dust
“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.”
Psalm 113:7-8
“Out of the dust” and “out of the dunghill” are deliberately undignified starting points, describing genuinely the lowest possible social position — and the destination named is just as extreme in the other direction, seated with actual princes.
“He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.”
Psalm 113:9
The psalm’s closing image narrows this same reversal down to one household, one specific and deeply personal grief turned to joy — the same God who governs the rising and setting sun also, this final verse insists, genuinely attends to sorrows this quiet and this small.
