Limitless Word
But the righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God; Yes, they will rejoice with gladness.
Psalms 68:3 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
  • KJV But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
  • BSB But the righteous will be glad and rejoice before God; they will celebrate with joy.
  • NKJV But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
  • NLT But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.

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 righteous, by contrast, are glad and rejoice exceedingly before God. It contrasts the joy of the godly with the doom of the wicked.

Overview

Over against the perishing wicked, the righteous rejoice greatly in God's presence. The same presence that destroys evil is the joy of God's people. This abundant gladness is the inheritance of those who are made righteous in Christ and will dwell forever before God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Ps 64:10The righteous shall be glad in Yahweh, and shall take refuge in him. All the upright in heart shall praise him!
  • 1 Th 5:16Rejoice always.
  • Ps 100:1–2A Psalm of thanksgiving. Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands!
  • Rev 18:20“Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your judgment on her.”
  • 1 Pet 1:8whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory —
  • Ps 95:1–2Oh come, let’s sing to Yahweh. Let’s shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!
  • Ps 97:12Be glad in Yahweh, you righteous people! Give thanks to his holy Name.
  • Ps 43:4Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy. I will praise you on the harp, God, my God.
  • Deut 12:12You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God, you, and your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
  • Ps 98:8–9Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing for joy together.
  • Rev 19:7Let us rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and let us give the glory to him. For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.”
  • Ps 32:11Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!
  • Ps 21:1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh! How greatly he rejoices in your salvation!
  • Ps 58:10The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 68:3YouTube · 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 68:3 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.