Bible Strands
Psalms 113:4
The LORD is exalted over all the nations, His glory above the heavens.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the worshiping community, declaring Yahweh's supreme status within a liturgical moment that spans from sunrise to sunset (Psalms 113:3). This assertion immediately precedes a rhetorical question about God's unique enthronement (Psalms 113:5).
The words — The Hebrew רָם (ram) literally means "is exalted," paired with עַל־ (ʿal-) meaning "over" or "above" to establish spatial supremacy. כְּבוֹדוֹ (kĕḇôḏô) translates directly to "his glory," anchoring the declaration to divine majesty.
The thread — This theme of Yahweh's exaltation over all peoples appears in Psalms 99:2, which notes He is exalted above all the peoples, and Psalms 97:9, which describes Him as Most High over all the earth. The motif of universal scope also echoes Psalms 8:1, where His name is praised across the entire earth.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment of a hierarchy where divine authority supersedes every political and cultural power. A reader must confront the implication that human governance and earthly glory are subordinate to a transcendent sovereign.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
Cross-references
- Psalms 8:1 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.
- Psalms 99:2 Great is the LORD in Zion; He is exalted above all the peoples.
- Psalms 97:9 For You, O LORD, are Most High over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
- Psalms 148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
- Isaiah 40:17 All the nations are as nothing before Him; He regards them as nothingness and emptiness.
- Psalms 57:10 For Your loving devotion reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness to the clouds.
- Isaiah 40:15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered a speck of dust on the scales; He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
- Isaiah 40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
- Isaiah 66:1 This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?
- 1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.