“Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 21:13 Mean?
David closes Psalm 21 with a request and a promise: be exalted, LORD, in your own strength. And when You are — when Your power is on display — we will sing and praise. The exaltation is God's. The singing is the response. The power belongs to Him. The worship belongs to us.
The phrase "in thine own strength" distinguishes God's power from borrowed power. God doesn't derive strength from anyone or anything. He IS strength. The exaltation comes through what He already is, not through what He acquires. Be exalted in what's already Yours.
"So will we sing and praise thy power" — the worship is conditional on the display. When God shows His strength, the singing follows. The display triggers the devotion. The power produces the praise. But the singing is also a commitment: we WILL sing. Not might. Will. The worship is as certain as the strength that provokes it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What display of God's strength has most recently triggered your singing?
- 2.Does 'in thine own strength' (God's native power, no supplements needed) change how you think about what God is capable of?
- 3.Is your worship conditional on seeing God act — or can you sing before the display?
- 4.How does the rhythm (God displays → we worship) describe the pattern of your spiritual life?
Devotional
Be exalted, LORD, in your own strength. And we will sing. That's the deal. You display. We worship.
David closes the Psalm with the simplest possible theology of worship: God shows His power. We respond with singing. He is exalted. We praise. The sequence is always the same: God acts. We worship. He demonstrates. We celebrate.
"In thine own strength" — not strength borrowed from allies or generated by circumstances. God's own, native, inherent, uncreated strength. The power that exists because God exists. The strength that needs no supplement, no assistance, no external source. Be exalted in what You already are.
The request is paradoxical: God is already exalted. His strength is already supreme. David isn't asking God to become something He isn't. He's asking God to display what He is — to make visible the strength that's always been there. The exaltation isn't a change in God's status. It's a change in God's visibility.
"So will we sing" — the commitment is forward-looking. When You show Your strength — and You will — our response is locked in. We don't need to deliberate. We don't need to evaluate. The singing is guaranteed. Because Your power always produces our praise. Every time.
This is the rhythm of the worshipping life: observe God's strength → sing God's praise. The observation fuels the singing. The strength fuels the praise. You can't sing what you haven't seen. But when you see it, the singing is automatic.
Be exalted. Show Your strength. And the singing will follow. It always does.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength,.... Exert thy strength, display thy power in such manner, that thou mayest…
Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength - This is the concluding part of the psalm (see the introduction),…
The psalmist, having taught his people to look back with joy and praise on what God had done for him and them, here…
The congregation's concluding prayer (as in Psa 20:9), returning to the thought of Psa 21:21. Jehovah is exalted when He…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture