Psalm 22:23 kjv
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
Psalm 22:23 nkjv
You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
Psalm 22:23 niv
You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
Psalm 22:23 esv
You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
Psalm 22:23 nlt
Praise the LORD, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
Psalm 22 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 22:22 | "I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You." | Precedes v. 23, the foundation for collective praise. |
| Ps 34:3 | "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together." | Call to corporate worship. |
| Ps 35:18 | "I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people." | Public thanksgiving and praise. |
| Ps 107:32 | "Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the congregation of the elders." | Corporate praise. |
| Ps 111:10 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;..." | Defines "fear of the LORD." |
| Prov 1:7 | "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,..." | Further defines "fear of the LORD." |
| Heb 2:12 | "saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” | Quotes Ps 22:22, links to Christ's leadership in praise. |
| Ps 96:8 | "Give to the LORD the glory due His name;..." | Command to glorify God. |
| 1 Chr 16:29 | "Give to the LORD the glory due His name;..." | Call to give God His deserved glory. |
| Ps 66:16 | "Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul." | Invitation to those who fear God. |
| Ps 89:7 | "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all who are around Him." | God's fearfulness in communal worship. |
| Ps 29:2 | "Give to the LORD the glory due His name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." | Glorifying and worshiping God. |
| Deut 6:13 | "You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him,..." | Core command to fear and serve God. |
| Is 29:13 | "Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men," | Contrast: true fear versus outward show. |
| Ps 40:9-10 | "I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness In the great assembly;..." | Declaration of God's faithfulness publicly. |
| Ps 67:3-4 | "Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You... Let the nations be glad and sing for joy;..." | Universal call to praise. |
| Ps 99:9 | "Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy." | Command to exalt and worship with holiness. |
| Rev 14:7 | "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth..." | Eschatological call to fear and worship God. |
| Rom 9:6-8 | "...For they are not all Israel who are of Israel,... that is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." | Explains who constitutes "descendants of Israel" |
| Gal 3:7 | "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham." | Spiritual lineage, true children of God. |
| Phil 2:9-11 | "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him... that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." | Ultimate glorification of Christ, universal worship. |
| Col 3:16 | "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." | Practical expression of corporate praise. |
Psalm 22 verses
Psalm 22 23 Meaning
Psalm 22:23 is a fervent call to worship, specifically directed at God's covenant people. Following the profound transition from lament to praise and confident declaration by the speaker in Psalm 22:22, this verse issues a threefold imperative for all who fear the Lord: to praise Him, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him. It encompasses the entirety of the community of faith, emphasizing collective and reverent worship of the God who delivers.
Psalm 22 23 Context
Psalm 22 stands as one of the most significant Messianic psalms, profoundly describing the suffering of the righteous, which Christian tradition identifies with Jesus Christ on the cross (Ps 22:1, 16-18). The first part of the psalm (vv. 1-21) is a desperate cry of anguish and abandonment. However, a dramatic shift occurs at verse 22. Here, the delivered one (interpreted as the resurrected Christ) declares his intention to "declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You." Verse 23 then immediately follows as a communal response to this declaration of deliverance and praise. It calls for all the people of God to join in reverent worship, celebrating the Lord's redemptive work. The psalm proceeds to extend this praise universally (vv. 27-31), portraying a future time when all nations will worship the Lord, stemming from the deliverance recounted earlier. Historically, for the original Israelite audience, it was a call to worship YHWH, their covenant God, in their sacred assembly, reinforcing monotheism against the polytheistic influences of surrounding cultures.
Psalm 22 23 Word analysis
- You who fear the LORD (יְרֵאֵי יְהוָה - yire'ei Yahweh):
- yire'ei: Derived from the Hebrew root yara (ירא), meaning to fear, dread, reverence, or stand in awe. It denotes not just terror, but a profound respect, humility, and obedience towards God, acknowledging His omnipotence, holiness, and majesty. It is often linked with wisdom and knowledge in biblical literature (Prov 9:10, Ps 111:10). This fear implies a proper relationship with the Divine.
- YHWH: The unique, personal, and covenantal name of God, often translated as "LORD" in English Bibles. It signifies God's self-existence, eternal nature, and His faithfulness to His covenant promises. Those who "fear YHWH" are identified as God's faithful, pious adherents.
- praise Him! (הַלְלוּהוּ - halleluhu):
- An imperative form of hillel (הלל), which means to praise, laud, commend, or boast. It suggests an enthusiastic, joyous, and often public acclamation of God's deeds and character. This is the root of the word "Hallelujah" (Praise the Lord!).
- All you descendants of Jacob (כָּל־ זֶרַע יַעֲקֹב - kol zera' Ya'aqov):
- kol: Meaning "all" or "every."
- zera': Hebrew for "seed," "offspring," or "descendants."
- Ya'aqov: Jacob, one of the patriarchs, whose name was later changed to Israel. This refers to the physical and national lineage of the chosen people. This emphasizes the communal nature of the call, addressing the whole assembly of Israel.
- glorify Him! (כַּבְּדוּהוּ - kabbdhu):
- An imperative from kavod (כבד), meaning to be heavy, weighty, honored, or glorious. To "glorify Him" means to acknowledge, give weight to, and show proper respect for His inherent greatness, honor, and majesty through both words and deeds. It implies recognizing God's supreme worth.
- And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel! (וְג֭וּרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ כָּל־ זֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל - v'guru mimmennu kol zera' Yisra'el):
- gûru: An imperative form of gur (גור), meaning to dread, be afraid of, reverence, sojourn. In this context, it implies a deep, inward sense of profound reverence, respect, and awe before God's holy and powerful presence. It signifies a humble awareness of God's ultimate authority and majesty.
- mimmennu: "from Him" or "before Him."
- zera' Yisra'el: "descendants of Israel," essentially synonymous with "descendants of Jacob." Using both terms reinforces the all-encompassing nature of the call to God's covenant people. "Israel" also implies those who have wrestled with God and prevailed (Gen 32:28), further hinting at a relationship established through struggle and grace.
Words-Group Analysis:
- "You who fear the LORD" vs. "All you descendants of Jacob... All you descendants of Israel": This threefold address defines the target audience broadly. "Those who fear the Lord" highlights a moral and spiritual characteristic (reverence and piety), while "descendants of Jacob/Israel" defines them ethnically and relationally as God's covenant people. The overlap signifies that true Israel should be characterized by fearing the Lord.
- "praise Him! glorify Him! And stand in awe of Him!": These are three distinct yet complementary aspects of worship. "Praise" (hallel) is often joyous outward celebration. "Glorify" (kavod) is to give due honor and recognition to God's intrinsic worth. "Stand in awe" (gur) describes a deeper, often more sober and reverent, inner disposition toward God's holiness and power. Together, they form a comprehensive command for worship that is joyful, honorific, and deeply reverential.
Psalm 22 23 Bonus section
This verse's call to worship in light of suffering and subsequent deliverance finds its ultimate Christian interpretation in the post-resurrection assembly. The "fear of the LORD" transcends simple dread, growing into a love-filled reverence and humble submission, reflecting the new covenant relationship. The emphasis on "descendants of Jacob" and "Israel" broadens, through Christ, to include all who believe, encompassing both Jew and Gentile into one body (Eph 2:14-16), a "spiritual house" (1 Pet 2:5) called to offer spiritual sacrifices of praise. This corporate worship serves not only to glorify God but also to witness to the world (Ps 22:27-31).
Psalm 22 23 Commentary
Psalm 22:23 is a profound exhortation to corporate worship, rooted in the transformative deliverance described in the preceding verse. The call extends to all who identify as God's people, urging them to participate actively in a display of collective adoration. The three imperatives – "praise Him," "glorify Him," and "stand in awe of Him" – reveal different dimensions of true worship: the enthusiastic vocal expression, the intellectual acknowledgment of divine worth, and the visceral, respectful recognition of God’s awe-inspiring power and holiness.
This verse bridges the personal experience of deliverance (seen through the eyes of the psalmist, and later, the Christ) and the communal response it evokes. In the New Testament, Hebrews 2:12 quotes Psalm 22:22, demonstrating that Christ Himself leads His brethren (the Church) in praise, thereby giving context to the subsequent call to the "descendants of Jacob and Israel" to join in this collective act of worship. For believers, this extends beyond physical Israel to those who are children of Abraham by faith (Gal 3:7), making the Church the present-day recipient of this ancient call to public, reverent, and honor-giving worship of the living God. It's a reminder that worship is not just an individual act, but a corporate testimony to God's faithfulness and greatness.