Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
Parallel translations
- WEB May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
- BSB May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands,
- 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 quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- Ps 66:17I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
- Rev 1:16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
- Rev 19:6And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
- Neh 9:5Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.
- Ps 96:4For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
- Luke 2:14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
- Ps 145:3–5Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
- Dan 4:37Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
- Ps 115:7They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
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.