Psalms 113:7

“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, etc.] Persons of mean extraction and in low life are sometimes raised by him to great honour and dignity, as Saul, David, and others; and is true of many who are spiritually poor and needy, as all men are, but all are not sensible of it; some are, and these are called poor “in spirit”, and are pronounced “blessed”, for “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”: they are raised out of a low and mean estate, out of the dust of sin, and self-abhorrence for it, in which they lie when convicted of it. And lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; which denotes a mean condition; so one born in a mean place, and brought up in a mean manner, is sometimes represented as…”

“He raiseth up the poor out of the dust - From the most humble condition in life. He exalts them to conditions of wealth, rank, honor. He has power to do this; he actually does it. This is not intended to be affirmed as a universal truth, or to assert that it is always done, but that it is among the things which show his majesty, his power, and his goodness, and which lay the foundation for praise. And lifteth the needy out of the dunghill - From the condition of lowest poverty. Instances are sufficiently abundant in which this is done, to justify such an assertion, and to show that it is a proper foundation of praise to God. return to 'Top of Page'”

“113:7-8 These phrases are a quotation from Hannah’s prayer of praise (1 Sam 2:8-9a).”

“raiseth: Psa 75:6, Psa 75:7, Psa 107:41; Job 5:11, Job 5:15, Job 5:16; Eze 17:24, Eze 21:26, Eze 21:27; Luk 1:52, Luk 1:53; Jam 2:5 out of: Psa 22:15; Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2, Dan 12:3; Act 2:31-33; Eph 1:20, Eph 1:21; Pe1 3:21, Pe1 3:22 needy: Sa1 2:7, Sa1 2:8, Sa1 24:14; Sa2 7:8, Sa2 7:9; Job 2:8, Job 36:6, Job 36:7 Psalms 113:8”

“The thoughts of Psa 113:7 and Psa 113:8 are transplanted from the song of Hannah. עפר, according to Kg1 16:2, cf. Psa 14:7, is an emblem of lowly estate (Hitzig), and אשׁפּת (from שׁפת) an emblem of the deepest poverty and desertion; for in Syria and Palestine the man who is shut out from society lies upon the mezbele (the dunghill or heap of ashes), by day calling upon the passers-by for alms, and by night hiding himself in the ashes that have been warmed by the sun (Job, ii. 152). The movement of the thoughts in Psa 113:8, as in Psa 113:1, follows the model of the epizeuxis. Together with the song of Hannah the poet has before his eye Hannah's exaltation out of sorrow and reproach. He does…”