Psalm 71:23

Psalm 71:23, in plain English

When I praise You, my entire being—lips, voice, soul—will burst with joy because I've been rescued and made whole. Nothing holds back; it's complete and uninhibited celebration.

Why it's here

The psalmist is painting a picture of what his worship will actually look like in that moment of restoration. He's not being quiet or polite about it—he's shouting, his soul is engaged, his whole body is involved. Notice that word 'redeemed'—it means God has bought him back, reclaimed him as His own. That's not just emotional comfort; that's spiritual transformation.

Who's speaking

The same aging worshiper, now visualizing the moment when his redemption becomes fully real and he can't help but express it with everything he has.

Where it sits in the story

Redemption is one of the deepest threads in Scripture—God buying back what was lost or enslaved. From Israel's redemption out of Egypt to our redemption through Christ, when you truly grasp that you've been redeemed, silence becomes impossible. The soul responds because it knows it's been set free.

The scholarly reading

When the psalmist sings God's praises, both voice and inmost self will be fully engaged in joyful celebration, united with the redemptive work God has accomplished. This verse emphasizes the wholeness of response—not mere external performance but integrated emotional and spiritual participation.

Language and setting

The Hebrew parallelism here—'my lips' paired with 'my soul' (nephesh, encompassing both emotional and vital life-force)—reflects the holistic anthropology of ancient Israel, where redemption (ga'al, literally 'to buy back' or 'to ransom') was understood not merely as spiritual but as restoration of the entire person to covenant community and dignity. The eschatological dimension emerges: joy is not frivolous but the appropriate response to God's saving activity.

Voice

The psalmist continues the votive language, now with intensified emotion, anticipating the corporeal and spiritual experience of restoration—an important reminder that biblical praise engages the whole person, not abstract rationality alone.

Significance

This aligns with the New Testament understanding of redemption (apolytrosis in Greek, carrying forward the Hebrew ga'al concept)—not merely forgiveness but total restoration to sonship and freedom (Romans 8:23; Ephesians 1:14). It prefigures the eschatological vision where redeemed creatures praise God with undivided heart and voice.

21You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.

22So I will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

23When I sing praise to You my lips will shout for joy, along with my soul, which You have redeemed.

24My tongue will indeed proclaim Your righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are disgraced and confounded.

Read all of Psalm 71 — From youth to gray hairs, the psalmist has known God's faithfulness. Now aging and weak, he asks: do not forsake me when my strength is spent.