As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse reveals that God's praise isn't just a passive reflection of His reputation, but an active outpouring of His nature. His "right hand," the very instrument of His action, isn't filled with power for its own sake, but with "righteousness," meaning He consistently dispenses justice and blessing in perfect alignment with His character. This active, inherent righteousness is precisely why His fame spreads so universally.
As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm celebrates God's mighty deliverance of Zion, portraying it as an unassailable fortress. After recounting how enemy kings were routed by God's powerful intervention, the focus shifts to the resulting praise and confidence the people have in Him. This leads to the acknowledgment that God's name and reputation, established through His righteous acts, will be known and praised everywhere.
We often think of 'name' as just a label, but in the Bible, it's so much more. What does it mean for God's praise to reach the ends of the earth, mirroring His name?
The Weight of God's Name
In this verse, "name" isn't just a tag like 'Bob' or 'Mary.' It represents God's very character, His reputation, and the sum of all His perfections and actions. Think of it as His divine essence revealed.
Praise Proportional to Perfection
The psalmist declares that God's praise is according to His name. This means the extent and nature of the praise He receives directly reflects who He is and what He has done. As His name carries divine authority, power, and goodness, so His praise should echo throughout the entire world. His fame isn't confined to a small group; it's meant to be universal, reaching to "the ends of the earth."
This concept is echoed in Isaiah 33:13, where nations are called to hear and recognize God's awe-inspiring acts, and in Psalm 138:2, where the psalmist resolves to bow toward His holy temple and praise His name for His steadfast love and faithfulness.
When we think of God's 'right hand,' we might picture power. But this verse connects it to something even more profound: righteousness. What does this mean for how God acts?
Divine Action and Absolute Justice
The phrase "your right hand is full of righteousness" speaks volumes about God's governance and interaction with the world. Unlike human rulers who might be flawed or biased, God's "right hand" – the instrument of His power and action – is completely imbued with righteousness. This isn't just about fairness; it's about perfect justice and integrity in all His dealings.
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Blessing and Judgment
This overflowing righteousness has a dual application:
This connects to the idea in Psalm 48:11, where the devastation of Jerusalem's enemies is seen as God's righteous judgment.
Understand the original words
shêm · Hebrew Noun
In Scripture, a name represents the essence, character, and authority of a person. God's name signifies His nature and the revelation of who He is to humanity.
yâmîn · Hebrew Noun
An anthropomorphic reference to God's power, agency, and active involvement in human history. It symbolizes His strength to save, uphold, and execute justice.
tsedeq · Hebrew Noun
Biblically, righteousness refers to the standard of moral perfection and justice that characterizes God Himself. It is the quality of being right, just, and in conformity with God's holy law.
Psalm 48 celebrates God's powerful deliverance of Jerusalem, likely during the Assyrian siege. The psalm assures readers that God's praise extends globally because His powerful right hand is always full of justice and righteousness for His people.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah and captures many of its cities. Jerusalem itself is besieged, but miraculously spared.
c. 605-586 BC
Babylonian Captivity
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon deports Judeans to Babylon in stages, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
538 BC
Cyrus's Decree
Cyrus the Great of Persia allows exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple.
c. 167-164 BC
Maccabean Revolt
Jews revolt against the Seleucid Empire after Antiochus IV Epiphanes attempts to suppress Jewish religion and desecrate the Temple.
c. 63 BC
Roman Conquest of Jerusalem
The Roman Republic, under Pompey the Great, takes control of Jerusalem, ushering in Roman rule over Judea.
This passage describes a coming judgment on God's enemies and emphasizes that God's actions will be righteous, echoing the 'right hand is full of righteousness' in Psalms 48:10 and showing how God's justice is revealed.
Psalm 138:2This verse speaks of bowing toward God's holy temple and giving thanks for His steadfast love and faithfulness, directly connecting to the praise of God ('so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth') that arises from His revealed character and actions.
Revelation 14:7This verse commands to worship God because the 'hour of his judgment has come' and to give Him glory, mirroring how God's righteous acts, as mentioned in Psalms 48:10, inspire praise across the earth.
Malachi 1:11This prophecy states that from the rising of the sun to its setting, God's name will be great among the nations and that incense and pure offerings will be offered to Him, highlighting the universal scope of God's praise mentioned in Psalms 48:10.
gillPsalms 48:10: "According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness."
According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth,.... That is, as he himself is in the perfections of his nature, which are displayed in the works of his bands, throughout the whole creation; so is or ought his praise to be: or rather, as in the latter day his name will be great in all the earth, Malachi 1:11 ; so will his praise be; and as…
ellicottPsalms 48:10: "According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness."
(10) According to thy name . . . —“Name” here has plainly the meaning we give it in the phrase, “name and fame.” God’s praise was up to the reputation His great deeds had won. (Comp. Psalm 138:2 .) Thy right hand is full of righteousness.—Not like Jove’s, as heathen say, full of thunderbolts, but of justice.
The verse reveals that God's praise isn't just a passive reflection of His reputation, but an active outpouring of His nature. His "right hand," the very instrument of His action, isn't filled with power for its own sake, but with "righteousness," meaning He consistently dispenses justice and blessing in perfect alignment with His character. This active, inherent righteousness is precisely why His fame spreads so universally.
This psalm celebrates God's mighty deliverance of Zion, portraying it as an unassailable fortress. After recounting how enemy kings were routed by God's powerful intervention, the focus shifts to the resulting praise and confidence the people have in Him. This leads to the acknowledgment that God's name and reputation, established through His righteous acts, will be known and praised everywhere.
This psalm celebrates God's mighty deliverance of Zion, portraying it as an unassailable fortress. After recounting how enemy kings were routed by God's powerful intervention, the focus shifts to the resulting praise and confidence the people have in Him. This leads to the acknowledgment that God's name and reputation, established through His righteous acts, will be known and praised everywhere.
"As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness." — The verse reveals that God's praise isn't just a passive reflection of His reputation, but an active outpouring of His nature. His "right hand," the very instrument of His action, isn't filled with p…
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Last reviewed October 2026