May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands,
Parallel translations
- WEB May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
- KJV Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
- NKJV Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand,
- NASB The high praises of God shall be in their mouths, And a two-edged sword in their hands,
- NLT Let the praises of God be in their mouths, and a sharp sword in their hands—
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
God's people are pictured holding praise in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands, joining worship with active commitment to God's cause.
Overview
This verse pairs exuberant worship (the previous verses call for singing and rejoicing) with readiness to serve God's righteous purposes. In Israel's setting the sword was literal, but the New Testament reframes the believer's weapon as the word of God, called the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). The combination teaches that genuine praise and wholehearted devotion to God's kingdom belong together.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Heb 4:12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- Ps 66:17I cried out to Him with my mouth and praised Him with my tongue.
- Rev 1:16He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- Rev 19:6And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
- Neh 9:5Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting: Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
- Ps 96:4For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
- Luke 2:14“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”
- Ps 145:3–5Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
- Dan 4:37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
- Ps 115:7they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 149:6 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.