He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just speak of lifting the poor, but emphasizes their utterly degraded state by using imagery of "dust" and "dunghill." This highlights God's willingness to stoop to the lowest possible point, rescuing those who are not only disadvantaged but despised and practically buried in ruin. It’s God’s radical act of seeing and valuing those whom society has discarded.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is celebrating God's supreme majesty and His willingness to stoop down and notice the humble. It begins by calling for praise to God from east to west, emphasizing His exalted position above all creation. Immediately following this verse, the psalm anticipates God elevating these same poor and needy individuals to sit with princes, showcasing a dramatic reversal of fortune orchestrated by divine power.
Imagine being so destitute you live among the trash heaps of your village. That's the picture this Psalm paints. God doesn't just notice; He radically transforms.
This verse vividly illustrates God's profound care for the marginalized. The imagery of 'dust' and 'ash heap' (or 'dunghill') speaks of utter degradation, helplessness, and worthlessness in the eyes of the world.
A Radical Contrast
God actively intervenes in these desperate situations. He doesn't merely offer comfort; He raises and lifts, signifying a complete reversal of fortune and status. This isn't accidental; it's God's deliberate action to show His power and mercy.
The world often dismisses the poor and needy. But God's heart and actions are turned towards them with a powerful, life-altering grace.
Psalm 113:7 isn't just descriptive; it's revelatory of God's character. It declares that God 'stoops' to notice and act on behalf of those whom everyone else ignores or despises.
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A Divine Reversal
Understand the original words
dal · Hebrew Noun
A term often used in wisdom literature and the Psalms to describe those who are economically, socially, or spiritually oppressed. It denotes those who have no resources or power of their own and must rely entirely on God.
aphar · Hebrew Noun
This refers to the lowest state of existence or the place of humiliation and mourning. It symbolizes the depths of human misery and the point from which God initiates His redemptive intervention.
ebyon · Hebrew Noun
Someone who lacks basic necessities or rights, often associated with the marginalized. It carries a sense of being destitute and in constant need of divine provision.
ashpoth · Hebrew Noun
A place of refuse or a site of intense mourning (associated with mourning rites). Being lifted from it represents a dramatic reversal of fortune and divine restoration from utter shame to honor.
nadib · Hebrew Noun
Refers to those in positions of high authority, nobility, or leadership. Biblically, God is portrayed as the ultimate King who elevates the lowly to share in a status they could never achieve on their own.
This psalm's powerful image of God lifting the poor from dust and dunghills resonates deeply with the historical experiences of the Israelites, particularly their suffering during the Babylonian exile and their hope for restoration, echoing earlier and later biblical accounts of God's transformative justice and mercy.
c. 11th century BC
Hannah's Song of Deliverance
Hannah, after years of barrenness and reproach, conceives and gives birth to Samuel. Her joyous song includes the powerful declaration: 'The LORD brings death and gives life, he casts down into the grave and raises up.' (1 Samuel 2:6)
c. 10th century BC
David's Reign Begins
David, a humble shepherd boy, is anointed king and rises to unite Israel, demonstrating God's power to elevate the lowly.
c. 8th century BC
Isaiah's Prophecy of Restoration
The prophet Isaiah speaks of God's future judgment and restoration, describing a humbled people as having 'sat in the dust.' (Isaiah 47:1)
c. 8th century BC
Lamentations Describes Extreme Misery
The prophet Jeremiah, in the book of Lamentations, uses the imagery of sitting 'on the dunghill' to describe the utter desolation and suffering of Jerusalem.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Exile
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and carry many Israelites into exile, leaving many in extreme poverty and despair.
c. 540 BC— this verse
Exilic Reflections and Hope
During the Babylonian exile, the people of God reflect on their low state. Psalms like 113, likely composed or compiled during or after this period, echo the hope found in Hannah's song and Isaiah's prophecies, emphasizing God's ability to lift His people from dust and despair.
c. 1st century AD
Luke's Gospel Echoes the Theme
Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1:52 explicitly recalls this theme, 'He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.'
This passage, Hannah's prayer, is directly echoed in Psalm 113:7-8, showing the ancient roots of this powerful imagery of God exalting the lowly.
Luke 1:52This verse from the Magnificat shows Mary's song picking up the same theme, linking God's action in Christ's coming to His consistent character of lifting up the humble.
Job 2:8This passage describes Job's utter desolation, sitting in ashes and scraping himself with pottery, illustrating the extreme 'dust and dunghill' state from which God can lift people.
Isaiah 47:1The imagery of a princess being brought down to sit in the dust powerfully contrasts with Psalm 113, highlighting the dramatic reversal God enacts for the poor and needy.
Lamentations 4:5This verse speaks of former nobles eating from refuse heaps, painting a vivid picture of the utter degradation and hopelessness implied by the 'dust and dunghill' from which God rescues.
pulpitPsalms 113:7: "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;"
Verse 7. - He raiseth up the poor out of the dust. Heaven is full of his glory, earth of his mercy and loving-kindness. The words of 1 Samuel 2:8 are, consciously or unconsciously, quoted. And lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; rather, from the dunghill (Revised Version).
poolePsalms 113:7: "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;"
He raiseth up the poor; yea, he stoops so low as to regard and advance those whom all men, and even their own brethren, slight and despise. Out of the dust; from a most contemptible and miserable condition. Beggars and mourners used to lie in the dust, or, as it follows, upon the dunghill, 1 Samuel 2:8 Lamentations 4:5 .
The verse doesn't just speak of lifting the poor, but emphasizes their utterly degraded state by using imagery of "dust" and "dunghill." This highlights God's willingness to stoop to the lowest possible point, rescuing those who are not only disadvantaged but despised and practically buried in ruin. It’s God’s radical act of seeing and valuing those whom society has discarded.
This psalm is celebrating God's supreme majesty and His willingness to stoop down and notice the humble. It begins by calling for praise to God from east to west, emphasizing His exalted position above all creation. Immediately following this verse, the psalm anticipates God elevating these same poor and needy individuals to sit with princes, showcasing a dramatic reversal of fortune orchestrated by divine power.
This psalm is celebrating God's supreme majesty and His willingness to stoop down and notice the humble. It begins by calling for praise to God from east to west, emphasizing His exalted position above all creation. Immediately following this verse, the psalm anticipates God elevating these same poor and needy individuals to sit with princes, showcasing a dramatic reversal of fortune orchestrated by divine power.
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people." — The verse doesn't just speak of lifting the poor, but emphasizes their utterly degraded state by using imagery of "dust" and "dunghill." This highlights God's willingness to stoop to the lowest possi…
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Last reviewed October 2026