Limitless Word
Be exalted above the heavens, God, And may Your glory be above all the earth.
Psalms 108:5 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth.
  • KJV Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;
  • BSB Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; may Your glory cover all the earth.
  • NKJV Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And Your glory above all the earth;
  • NLT Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.

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 prays that God would be exalted above the heavens and his glory cover all the earth.

Overview

The psalmist's chief desire is for God's exaltation and the spread of his glory over the whole earth. Personal praise gives way to a longing for God's universal honor. This prayer aligns with the ultimate purpose of redemption, that the earth be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea, accomplished through Christ's kingdom.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • Ps 57:5Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be above all the earth!
  • Matt 6:9–10Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
  • Ps 148:13let them praise Yahweh’s name, for his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the earth and the heavens.
  • Ps 72:19Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen.
  • Ps 57:11Be exalted, God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
  • 1 Chr 29:10–13Therefore David blessed Yahweh before all the assembly; and David said, “You are blessed, Yahweh, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.
  • Ps 8:1For the Chief Musician; on an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by David. Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, who has set your glory above the heavens!
  • Ps 21:13Be exalted, Yahweh, in your strength, so we will sing and praise your power.
  • Isa 6:3One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”
  • Matt 6:13Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’

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 108:5YouTube · 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 108:5 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.