Limitless Word
Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Psalms 103:20 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.
  • BSB Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.
  • NKJV Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.
  • NASB Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!
  • NLT Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

David summons the mighty angels who do God's word to praise the LORD. Even the strongest heavenly servants exist to obey and worship Him.

Overview

The call to praise widens from David's soul to the angelic host, powerful beings who carry out God's commands. Their strength is bent entirely toward obeying His voice. They worship the same Lord who is exalted in Christ, before whom all heaven bows.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Heb 1:14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
  • Ps 148:2Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
  • Luke 1:19And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
  • Matt 26:53Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
  • Luke 2:13–14And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
  • 2 Kgs 19:35And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
  • Matt 6:10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
  • Ps 78:25Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.
  • Ps 29:1Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
  • Joel 2:11And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
  • Rev 19:5–6And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
  • Isa 6:2Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 103:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 103:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.