Psalms 113:8

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

That he may set him with princes, Even with the princes of his people.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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נְדִיבִ֑ים

nâdîyb

H5081

“noble”

Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute

Appears 29× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears at Exodus 35:5

Full BDB Definition

Origin: from H5068

TWOT: 1299b

inclined, willing, noble, generous (adjective) - incited, inclined, willing - noble, princely (in rank) - noble (in mind and character) - noble one (noun masculine)

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

6: words
4: distinct lemmas
Wisdom: section

Shared distinctive vocabulary

נְדִיבִ֑ים noble H5081 occurs in 26 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

1 verb
1 noun
2 adjectives
2 prepositions

Verb forms

לְהוֹשִׁיבִ֥י Hiphil · Infinitive Construct

Repetition

Words recur within this verse — often emphatic in Hebrew:

נְדִיבִ֑ים noble H5081 ×2
עִם with H5973 ×2

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 14 words from the Hebrew and 12 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — closely comparable.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 6 Hebrew tokens and 9 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Psalms 113:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Job 36:7 He doesn't withdraw his eyes from the righteous, But with kings on the throne, He sets them forever, and they are exalted.
Philippians 2:8–11 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.
Genesis 41:41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
Psalms 45:16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers. You shall make them princes in all the earth.
Psalms 68:13 While you sleep among the campfires, The wings of a dove sheathed with silver, Her feathers with shining gold.
Revelation 5:9–10 They sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book, And to open its seals: For you were killed, And bought us for God with your blood, Out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

You’re reading Greek Psalm 112 (Hebrew Psalm 113). The Septuagint counts the superscription, so verse numbers can differ from the Hebrew — chapter-level alignment, not verse-by-verse. Numbering follows Rahlfs.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Psalms 113:8 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

לְהוֹשִׁיבִ֥י עִם נְדִיבִ֑ים עִ֝֗ם נְדִיבֵ֥י עַמּֽוֹ

That he may set him with princes, Even with the princes of his people.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Greek Psalm 112:8 Septuagint · lemma form

ὁ καταἵζω αὐτός μετά ἄρχων μετά ἄρχων λαός αὐτός

to set him with princes, even with the princes of his people:

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

On this verse, The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges discusses the Septuagint’s reading. Read the note in Commentary ↓

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Commentary

Notes on Psalms 113:8 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Psa 113:8 That he may set [him] with princes, [even] with the princes of his people.

Ver. 8. That he may set him with princes] See 1Sa 2:8, Hannah’s song, whereof this seemeth to be an abridgment.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

J. A. Alexander on Psalms

Joseph Addison Alexander

8. (Psa 113:8) To make him sit with nobles, with the nobles of his people. Not merely to dwell, which is too vague, but to sit with them, as their equal and associate. There is also a climax in the last clause. He not only raises the poor to an equality with nobles in general, but with the nobles of his people, i.e. with the noblest of mankind. See again, 1Sa 2:8.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 8. With the princes] נדיבים nedebim, very properly translated by the Anglo-Saxon [A.S.], the aldermen, the most respectable of his people.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

8. ‘To dwell’ or ‘sit with princes’ is a figure for elevation to the highest rank and dignity[72]. So Job_36:7, “[God] withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings upon the throne he setteth them for ever, and they are exalted.” Cp. 2Sa_9:7.

[72] According to the Massoretic text the Chireq compaginis or binding vowel, which is characteristic of this Psalm (Psa_113:5-7; Psa_113:9), is here attached to the infinitive. But it is almost certain that, with the LXX, לּהושיבו ‘to set him,’ should be read for להושיבי.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

He maketh the barren woman to keep house,.... Or "to dwell in the house", as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and other versions; or rather "to cause the house to be inhabited"; to fill the house with inhabitants, to build up the house, as the barren woman, when made fruitful, does, as Rachel and Leah built up the house of Israel, Rut 4:11. This may be applied to the church of God, as it is to the congregation of Israel by the Targum,

"who makes the congregation of Israel, which is like to a barren woman, that sitteth sorrowful, to dwell with the men of her house, full of multitudes.''

Jarchi interprets it of Zion, who was as a barren woman; see Isa 54:1, Gal 4:27. It may be illustrated by the case of the primitive and apostolic church, which at first had but very few converts, but afterwards, both in Judea and in the Gentile world, had large numbers; as the church in the latter day will also have, when the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in, and the nation of the Jews born at once.

And to be a joyful mother of children; as the barren woman is when she becomes the mother of children; and indeed every woman rejoices when a man is born into the world, Joh 16:21, and so does the church of Christ and people of God, when souls are born again among them; this causes great joy among the saints; see Psa 87:4.

Praise ye the Lord; not only for the church's fruitfulness, but for all the great and good things the Lord has vouchsafed to do for his people, mentioned in this psalm.

Next: Psalms Chapter 114

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That he may set him with princes - May give him a rank - a position - with nobles and great people upon the earth. Many instances of this nature have occurred in the history of the world. Not a few of the nobles of England, including several of its lord chancellors, have been raised thus from very humble life; and in every nation God shows that he has power to give to those of humblest rank a name and place which no hereditary titles and honors can bestow: thus Shakespeare was the son of a glover and woolstapler. God has power to come into the humblest cottage of poverty, and to bring forth those who shall stand foremost in their generation as people of genius and power. Nothing is more absolute than the power which God thus holds over the nations of the earth, and it is meet that a Being who has this power, and who exercises it, should be praised and honored.

Even with the princes of his people - Among those who are selected to preside over the people whom he has chosen for himself. It is implied here that this would be a higher honor than to be exalted to power among a pagan people - a people ignorant of the true God. It is a higher honor to be counted worthy to rule a Christian nation than a pagan people; it is a higher honor to be a ruler in the church - over those whom God has redeemed for himself - than it is to administer a secular government.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

Set him with princes; in equal honour and power with them, as he did Joseph, David, and others.

The princes of his people; which in God’s account and in truth are far more honourable and happy that, the princes of heathen and barbarous nations, because their subjects are more noble, and they have God’s special presence and providence among them.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Treasury of David

Charles H. Spurgeon

Ver. 8. That he may set him with princes. The Lord does nothing by halves: when he raises men from the dust he is not content till he places them among the peers of his kingdom. We are made kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign for ever and ever. Instead of poverty, he gives us the wealth of princes; and instead of dishonour, he gives us a more exalted rank than that of the great ones of the earth.

Even with the princes of his people. All his people are princes, and so the text teaches us that God places needy souls whom he favours among the princes of princes. He often enables those who have been most despairing to rise to the greatest heights of spirituality and gracious attainment, for those who once were last shall be first. Paul, though less than the least of all saints was, nevertheless, made to be not a whit behind the very chief of the apostles; and in our own times, Bunyan, the blaspheming tinker, was raised into another John, whose dream almost rivals the visions of the Apocalypse.

"Wonders of grace to God belong,

Repeat his mercies in your song."

Such verses as these should give great encouragement to those who are lowest in their own esteem. The Lord poureth contempt upon princes; but as for those who are in the dust and on the dunghill, he looks upon them with compassion, acts towards them in grace, and in their case displays the riches of his glory by Christ Jesus. Those who have experienced such amazing favour should sing continual hallelujahs to the God of their salvation.

Ver. 8. Even with the princes of his people. It is the honour that cometh from God that alone exalts. Whatever account the world may take of a poor man, he may be more precious in the eyes of God than the highest among men. The humble poor are here ranked, not with the princes of the earth, but with "the princes of his people." The distinctions in this world, even among those who serve the same God, are as nothing in his sight when contrasted with that honour which is grounded on the free grace of God to his own. But here, also, the fulness of this statement will only be seen in the world to come, when all the faithful will be owned as kings and priests unto God. W. Wilson.

Ver. 8. Elevation to the peerage of heaven; or, the Royal Family increased.

Psalms 113:9*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

That he may set him with princes. The words of 1Sa_2:8 are still followed. (For the sentiment, see also Job_36:7) Historically, the statement is illustrated by the examples of Joseph, Saul, David, Daniel, Mordecai. Even with the princes of his people. Not merely with heathen princes, but with those who exercise sovereignty over Israel, as Joseph with Pharaoh, Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, Mordecai with Ahasuerus or Xerxes.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Princes - As he did Joseph, David, and others. His people - Who in God's account are far more honourable than the princes of Heathen nations.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Psalms, in the Wisdom, opens this verse with 6 words (4 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is nâdîyb (“noble”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

How does “noble” (nâdîyb) shape what this verse is saying?
How does Exodus 35:5, which shares the word «noble», read alongside this verse?
What does the repetition of “noble” (2× in this one verse) do in this verse?
These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
«לְהוֹשִׁיבִ֥י» is a Hiphil Infinitive Construct verb. How does that grammatical form shape the action described?
Compare how Trapp's Complete Commentary and J. A. Alexander on Psalms read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

This verse counts 6 Hebrew ↔ 9 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 4 words in this verse.
“noble” occurs 2× in this single verse.
4 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 6 words in this verse.