הַלְלוּיָהּ הַלְלוּ עַבְדֵי ה' הַלְלוּ אֶת שֵׁם ה'

Halleluya. Praise, you servants of the Lord. These are not necessarily people of any particular status or position but simply those who regard themselves as serving God. Praise the name of the Lord.

יְהִי שֵׁם ה' מְבֹרָךְ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם

This is what you, the servants of God, should say: Blessed be the name of the Lord from now until eternity. This is a general statement of praise for God. This praise consists of two distinct facets, as the psalmist goes on to elaborate.

מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ עַד מְבוֹאוֹ מְהֻלָּל שֵׁם ה'

The first facet is God’s awesome greatness: From the sun’s rising place in the east to the place where it sets in the west, the name of the Lord is praised.

רָם עַל כָּל גּוֹיִם ה'עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם כְּבוֹדוֹ

Exalted above all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is His glory. God rules over the heavens, is above worldly existence, and is beyond the powers and forces of the world.

מִי כַּה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ הַמַּגְבִּיהִי לָשָׁבֶת

Who is like the Lord our God, who sits on high,

הַמַּשְׁפִּילִי לִרְאוֹת בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ

who looks down to see what is in heaven and earth? Here we come to the second facet of God’s praise: His awareness of all His creations on earth and His care for them. Because God is “above the heavens” (verse 4) and “sits on high” (verse 5), even when He observes what is in heaven He is looking down, as it were. From His perspective, the heavens and everything within them are no more exalted than the creatures of the earth; He cares about everyone and everything to the same degree.

מְקִימִי מֵעָפָר דָּל מֵאַשְׁפֹּת יָרִים אֶבְיוֹן

As a result of God’s concern for all His creations, He raises the poor from the dust, lifts the needy from the refuse heap,

לְהוֹשִׁיבִי עִם נְדִיבִים עִם נְדִיבֵי עַמּוֹ

to set them among the rich and noble of His people. The poor receive divine care and are raised to a higher level, even in this world.

מוֹשִׁיבִי עֲקֶרֶת הַבַּיִת אֵם הַבָּנִים שְׂמֵחָה הַלְלוּיָהּ

He sets the barren woman at home as a joyful mother of children. Halleluya.