Psalms 111:9
He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse links God sending redemption with him commanding his covenant "forever," showing that His saving acts are not random but rooted in His eternal, unwavering promises to His people. This emphasizes that God's faithfulness isn't just a nice idea; it’s a powerful, active force that underpins every rescue and deliverance He orchestrates.
This psalm is a beautiful reflection on God's faithfulness, looking back at His mighty acts. Right before this verse, the psalmist has been recounting how God’s commands are trustworthy and how His people should live by them. Now, he summarizes God's grand actions: sending deliverance, establishing His enduring covenant, and revealing His holy, awe-inspiring name.
When you hear 'redemption,' what comes to mind? This verse points to a deliverance that's both a historical event and a promise of something greater.
The psalmist looks back at God's mighty act of rescuing Israel from slavery in Egypt. This wasn't just a one-time fix; it was a foundational moment that revealed God's character and His deep love for His people.
But even as they celebrated this historical rescue, the Spirit was already hinting at a future, even more profound redemption. This echoes forward to the ultimate redemption we find through Jesus Christ, freeing us not just from physical bondage, but from sin and death itself.
It's a reminder that God's redemptive plan is vast, encompassing our past, present, and future.
God's promises aren't flimsy. They're rooted in something eternal, a commitment that shapes all of history.
The phrase 'he has commanded his covenant forever' is huge! It’s not just a casual agreement; God has decreed and established His covenant. Think of it like an unbreakable law or a foundational decree that governs His relationship with His people.
This covenant is the bedrock of God’s faithfulness. Even when His people faltered, God remained committed. This ancient covenant, established with Abraham and reaffirmed through generations, finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. His sacrifice seals the new covenant, making God's promises eternally secure for all who believe.
Why is God's name described as 'holy and awesome'? What does that demand from us?
This verse culminates in a powerful declaration about God’s name: 'Holy and awesome is his name!' The Hebrew word for 'awesome' here doesn't just mean 'cool' or 'impressive'; it carries a sense of profound reverence, terror, and absolute otherness. It's the kind of awe that recognizes God's absolute purity and terrifying majesty.
His holiness means He is utterly separate from sin and evil. His name represents His very being and character. Therefore, to acknowledge His name as holy and awesome is to recognize Him as the supreme, perfect, and rightly feared God. This recognition should lead us to worship, humility, and a desire to live in a way that honors such a magnificent Being.
Understand the original words
peduth · Hebrew Noun
The act of liberating, releasing, or rescuing someone from bondage, debt, or judgment, often through the payment of a price. In the Bible, it is the primary motif of God's saving action for His people.
berith · Hebrew Noun
A formal, binding agreement between God and His people, characterized by divine promise and commitment. It is the framework through which God enters into relationship with humanity.
qadosh · Hebrew Adjective
Set apart for God, pure, and morally transcendent. It describes the absolute distinctness and moral perfection of God's character.
nora · Hebrew Adjective
Inspiring profound reverence, awe, and fear. Used of God, it signifies His majesty and the appropriate human response of trembling wonder before His greatness.
This psalm reflects on God's redemptive acts, particularly the Exodus, and His enduring covenant, reminding us that His holiness and trustworthiness are revealed through His faithfulness across generations and crises.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
Exodus from Egypt
God dramatically delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through Moses, a foundational act of redemption that established His covenant with them.
c. 1445 BC
Giving of the Law at Sinai
God ratified His covenant with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, giving them His law as a guide for their lives and a sign of their special relationship.
c. 722 BC
Assyrian Exile of Northern Kingdom
The northern kingdom of Israel fell to Assyria, leading to the exile of many Israelites and a time when God's covenant faithfulness might have seemed broken.
586 BC
Babylonian Exile of Southern Kingdom
Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by Babylon, and the southern kingdom of Judah was exiled, representing another profound crisis for God's people.
This passage echoes the awe and reverence for God's holiness, directly linking it to His mighty acts of redemption, mirroring the Psalmist's declaration about God's holy and awesome name after recounting His redemptive deeds.
Isaiah 43:1-3This prophecy highlights God's personal involvement in bringing redemption and forming His people, showing how He 'sent redemption' to His people by His very name and power, much like the Psalmist describes His foundational covenant promises.
Luke 1:68-75Zechariah's prophecy rejoices in God's fulfillment of His covenant promises, specifically mentioning the 'raising up of a horn of salvation' and remembering His holy covenant, directly paralleling the themes of redemption and eternal covenant found in Psalm 111:9.
Romans 1:1-4This passage connects the gospel of Jesus Christ to God's 'holy covenant' foretold in the Scriptures, framing Jesus as the redeemed promised through God's own Son, aligning with the idea of God establishing His covenant forever through redemptive acts.
Hebrews 12:28-29This New Testament passage powerfully reiterates the 'holy and awesome' nature of God's name and kingdom, urging believers to offer grateful worship because our God is a 'consuming fire' who provides a kingdom that cannot be shaken, emphasizing the reverence due to such a holy God who has accomplished redemption.
pulpitPsalms 111:9: "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."
Verse 9. - He sent redemption unto his people. The "redemption" from Egypt (Exodus 6:6) is perhaps especially in the writer's mind, but he may be thinking also of other deliverances. He hath commanded his covenant forever (comp. Genesis 9:12; Genesis 17:13; Exodus 31:16, etc.). Holy and reverend is his Name. Intrinsically "holy," and therefore "reverend," or to be reverenc…
poolePsalms 111:9: "He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."
Redemption; that deliverance out of Egypt, which was a type and pledge of that greater and higher redemption by Christ. Commanded, i.e. appointed or established firmly by his power and authority. And so this word is oft used, as Psalm 33:9 42:8 105:31,34 . See Poole "Psalm 111:7" , the ground of which signification may be taken from hence, that the command of a sufficient…
The verse links God sending redemption with him commanding his covenant "forever," showing that His saving acts are not random but rooted in His eternal, unwavering promises to His people. This emphasizes that God's faithfulness isn't just a nice idea; it’s a powerful, active force that underpins every rescue and deliverance He orchestrates.
This psalm is a beautiful reflection on God's faithfulness, looking back at His mighty acts. Right before this verse, the psalmist has been recounting how God’s commands are trustworthy and how His people should live by them. Now, he summarizes God's grand actions: sending deliverance, establishing His enduring covenant, and revealing His holy, awe-inspiring name.
This psalm is a beautiful reflection on God's faithfulness, looking back at His mighty acts. Right before this verse, the psalmist has been recounting how God’s commands are trustworthy and how His people should live by them. Now, he summarizes God's grand actions: sending deliverance, establishing His enduring covenant, and revealing His holy, awe-inspiring name.
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c. 538 BC
Return from Babylonian Exile
Under Cyrus the Great, many Israelites were allowed to return to Judah, marking a significant act of redemption and a demonstration of God's enduring covenant.
"He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!" — The verse links God sending redemption with him commanding his covenant "forever," showing that His saving acts are not random but rooted in His eternal, unwavering promises to His people. This empha…
