Psalm 147 6

Psalm 147:6 kjv

The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

Psalm 147:6 nkjv

The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.

Psalm 147:6 niv

The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.

Psalm 147:6 esv

The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.

Psalm 147:6 nlt

The LORD supports the humble,
but he brings the wicked down into the dust.

Psalm 147 verses

Psalm 147 6 Meaning

Psalm 147:6 declares God's righteous governance, asserting His active role in the affairs of humanity. It presents a divine reversal of fortunes: the LORD consistently raises those who are humble and oppressed, granting them strength and status, while conversely, He brings down the wicked to a state of complete lowliness and defeat. This verse highlights God's justice, sovereignty, and providential care, demonstrating that His kingdom principles are fundamentally opposite to worldly pride and wickedness.

Psalm 147 6 Context

Psalm 147 is a hymn of praise and thanksgiving, celebrating God's great power, wisdom, and compassionate care. The psalm is composed of several distinct units, possibly reflecting a post-exilic setting where the people of Israel had returned from Babylon and were engaged in rebuilding Jerusalem (cf. Ps 147:2). It interweaves themes of God's universal sovereignty over nature (sustaining the earth, controlling weather - verses 8-9, 15-18) with His particular covenantal care for His people, Israel (gathering the outcasts, healing the brokenhearted, revealing His statutes - verses 2-5, 19-20).

Verse 6 specifically fits into the larger declaration of God's providential rule and justice. In a world often marked by the strong oppressing the weak and the wicked seemingly prospering, this verse provides a polemic against such an observation by asserting that the LORD, the true King, does not allow such imbalances to stand indefinitely. He is actively involved in administering justice, upholding those who genuinely trust in Him (the humble and afflicted), and overthrowing those who defy Him. This truth would have been profoundly encouraging to a people who had endured oppression and were in the process of rebuilding, reminding them that their deliverance and restoration were from the hand of a just and powerful God, contrasting sharply with the transient power and fickle justice of earthly empires or pagan deities.

Psalm 147 6 Word Analysis

• The LORD:

  • Original: יְהוָה (YHWH), the Tetragrammaton.
  • Significance: This is God's covenant name, signifying His eternal, self-existent nature, and His personal, active relationship with His people. It emphasizes that this judgment and lifting are not random but come from the unchanging, faithful, and omnipotent God of Israel. It denotes the God who acts in history and keeps His promises.

• lifts up:

  • Original: מְרוֹמֵם (merômēm).
  • Significance: A Piel participle, meaning "one who is lifting up," suggesting a continuous, habitual, or characteristic action. It denotes active exaltation, raising from a low position, restoring, or granting prominence and strength. This lifting is not merely passive support but a powerful act of divine intervention to elevate those who are humble.

• the humble:

  • Original: עֲנָוִים (anavim).
  • Significance: Refers to the meek, lowly, poor, afflicted, or oppressed. This is not necessarily a status of poverty, but a spiritual posture of dependence on God, acknowledging one's own limitations and God's sovereignty. They are those who are "poor in spirit," yielding to God's will and relying on His grace rather than their own strength or worldly power. They often suffer injustice.

• he casts down:

  • Original: מַשְׁפִּיל (mašpîl).
  • Significance: Another Hiphil participle, meaning "one who is bringing low" or "humbling." Like "lifts up," it indicates a continuous or characteristic action of God. It signifies abasing, degrading, or causing to fall. This is an act of divine judgment and bringing low of the proud and defiant.

• the wicked:

  • Original: רְשָׁעִים (rĕšāʿîm).
  • Significance: Refers to those who are guilty, lawless, unrighteous, rebellious against God's will and commandments. They are characterized by actively doing evil, disregarding divine and often human law, and frequently acting with arrogance and self-sufficiency. They stand in direct opposition to the "humble."

• to the ground:

  • Original: עֲדֵי־אָרֶץ (ʿădê-ʾāreṣ).
  • Significance: Means "to the earth" or "to dust." This signifies complete degradation, humiliation, and destruction. It emphasizes a fall from any perceived position of power or pride, a total reversal of status, metaphorically reducing them to insignificance or returning them to dust from which humanity was formed, symbolizing mortality and ultimate defeat.

• Words-group Analysis: "The LORD lifts up the humble":

  • This phrase encapsulates God's grace and providential care towards those who align with His will through humility. It speaks of divine vindication, restoration, and elevation, demonstrating that God champions the cause of the downtrodden who rely on Him. It contrasts with worldly values that often despise humility and uplift the proud.

• Words-group Analysis: "he casts the wicked to the ground":

  • This phrase highlights God's swift and decisive justice against unrighteousness. It is an act of divine judgment that overturns human arrogance and defiant sinfulness, ensuring that ultimate power does not rest with evil, but with God who holds all things accountable. It affirms that sin does not have the final victory.

Psalm 147 6 Bonus section

The active participles used for both "lifts up" (merômēm) and "casts down" (mašpîl) highlight that these are not isolated events but rather characteristic and ongoing aspects of God's interaction with humanity. He is continually engaged in this process of reversing fortunes based on character. This reinforces the steadfastness and reliability of God's justice and His commitment to His principles. This consistent action forms the very fabric of His righteous rule and ensures that humility and righteousness will ultimately triumph, and pride and wickedness will ultimately fail. This divine consistency is a source of great comfort to the faithful and a severe warning to the rebellious across all generations.

Psalm 147 6 Commentary

Psalm 147:6 powerfully articulates a foundational principle of divine justice: God's active role in maintaining moral order and righting wrongs. This verse reveals God as the sovereign Judge who meticulously oversees the destinies of individuals. He is not a distant, indifferent deity but one deeply involved in the human condition, keenly aware of suffering and injustice.

The phrase "lifts up the humble" (מְרוֹמֵם עֲנָוִים) goes beyond mere alleviation of distress; it signifies a divine act of elevation, honoring, and empowering those who, in their humility, acknowledge their dependence on Him. This humility is not weakness, but a strength derived from faith, especially in the face of adversity. It is often the experience of the oppressed, the poor, and those who trust in God rather than their own resources or worldly might. God takes those considered insignificant by human standards and raises them to a place of dignity, provision, or spiritual strength.

Conversely, "he casts the wicked to the ground" (מַשְׁפִּיל רְשָׁעִים עֲדֵי־אָרֶץ) declares God's uncompromising judgment against the proud and rebellious. The "wicked" are those whose lives are characterized by unrighteousness, injustice, and defiance of God's ways. They are self-reliant, often exploiting others, and their pride sets them against the divine order. God's action here is a clear declaration that their power is temporary and their self-exaltation will ultimately lead to a humiliating downfall. The image of being cast "to the ground" emphasizes absolute defeat, reducing them to nothingness or insignificance in the divine scheme.

This verse therefore encapsulates a theological truth about God's character – His unwavering justice, His compassion for the oppressed, and His opposition to arrogance and sin. It offers comfort and hope to the humble, assuring them of divine vindication, while serving as a warning to the wicked of inevitable consequences. It showcases God's moral governance, where the world's values are overturned, and true greatness is found in humble dependence on the Most High.

Examples:

• Joseph: Humbled by betrayal and false accusations, imprisoned, yet exalted by God to rule over Egypt (Gen 37-45).
• David: A humble shepherd, rejected by his family, but chosen by God to be king, while King Saul, though exalted, was eventually brought low due to pride (1 Sam 16-31).
• Pharaoh: Exalted himself against God and His people, brought low by the plagues and the Red Sea (Exo 5-14).