The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
Parallel translations
- WEB The right hand of Yahweh is exalted! The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly!”
- KJV The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
- BSB The right hand of the LORD is exalted! The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!”
- NASB The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord performs valiantly.
- NLT The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
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
The Lord's right hand is exalted and acts valiantly. It matters because all glory for salvation belongs to God's mighty power.
Overview
The repeated praise of God's right hand magnifies his sovereign, victorious strength. The emphasis ensures the credit goes to God alone, not human effort. God's exalted right hand finds its ultimate display in raising and enthroning Christ at his right hand (Acts 2:33).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Exod 15:6Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power. Your right hand, Yahweh, dashes the enemy in pieces.
- Acts 2:32–36This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 118:16 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.