“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 57:11 Mean?
"Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth." The REFRAIN of Psalm 57 — repeated identically in verse 5 and verse 11. The prayer is for God's ELEVATION: exalted ABOVE the heavens, glory ABOVE all the earth. The two dimensions — heavens (vertical) and earth (horizontal) — cover EVERYTHING. The exaltation is comprehensive. The glory fills both dimensions. Nothing is above God. Nothing is beyond His glory.
The phrase "be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens" (rumah al hashshamayim Elohim — be lifted up above the heavens, O God) asks for God's position to exceed the HIGHEST POINT: the heavens are the ceiling of creation. God's exaltation goes ABOVE even that. The prayer doesn't ask God to fill the heavens. It asks God to be ABOVE them — higher than the highest, beyond the boundary, exceeding the limit. The exaltation has no ceiling.
The phrase "let thy glory be above all the earth" (al kol ha'aretz kevodekha — above all the earth, your glory) extends the prayer HORIZONTALLY: the glory covers ALL the earth — not just Israel, not just the temple, but the entire surface of the planet. The scope is PLANETARY. The glory doesn't settle in one location. It spreads over EVERYTHING.
The REFRAIN structure — the same verse appearing twice in one psalm — makes the prayer INSISTENT: David says it once (verse 5) during the LAMENT (verses 1-4, when the enemies are pressing in). He says it again (verse 11) after the CONFIDENCE returns (verses 7-10). The same prayer bookends the psalm — the request for God's exaltation frames BOTH the suffering and the praise. The prayer is the same whether David is lamenting or confident.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What prayer stays the same whether you're lamenting or praising?
- 2.What does praying for GOD'S exaltation (not your own deliverance) as the refrain teach about the highest prayer?
- 3.How does the SAME prayer in suffering AND confidence describe a request that transcends circumstance?
- 4.What would it mean for God's glory to be above ALL the earth — including the parts you can't see?
Devotional
ABOVE the heavens. ABOVE all the earth. The prayer asks for God's position to exceed every boundary — higher than the highest (above heavens) and wider than the widest (above all the earth). The exaltation has no ceiling. The glory has no border. The prayer is for UNLIMITED divine elevation.
The REFRAIN appears TWICE: once in the suffering (verse 5, after describing enemies) and once in the confidence (verse 11, after declaring trust). The SAME prayer in BOTH conditions. The request for God's exaltation doesn't change with David's emotional state. Whether lamenting or praising, the prayer is identical: be exalted, O God. The circumstances change. The prayer doesn't.
The VERTICAL (above heavens) and HORIZONTAL (above all the earth) cover EVERYTHING: there's nowhere God's exaltation doesn't reach. No height exceeds it. No geography escapes it. The two dimensions eliminate every gap. The comprehensive exaltation means NOTHING is outside God's glory — not the highest point and not the furthest reach.
The prayer for GOD'S exaltation (not David's deliverance) is the theological maturity: David doesn't pray 'save me' in the refrain. He prays 'be exalted.' The ultimate desire isn't for David's comfort but for God's GLORY. The highest prayer isn't 'help me' but 'be lifted up.' The personal need is real (the psalm is about enemies). But the REFRAIN — the repeated, bookending prayer — is about GOD'S position, not David's.
What is your REFRAIN prayer — the one that stays the same whether you're lamenting or praising?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
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