What Does Psalm 22:23 Mean in the King James?
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse says “fear” twice, but Hebrew shifts from ירא, awe, to גור, dread, while “glorify” is the act of giving the LORD weight.
THE MEANING
You are addressed among those who revere the LORD, and Israel is also called to fear him; the two English forms of “fear” come from different Hebrew verbs. Praise and honoring the LORD’s weight become a shared response, so reverence is voiced rather than kept private.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Awe and praise are opposites.
THE ROOT
יִרְאֵי
yir'ei
GROWS FROM
ירא
y-r-ʾ
To fear, revere, or stand in awe.
This is the first of the verse’s two words translated “fear.” Its Hebrew family connects the person who reveres with what inspires awe.
ALSO GROWS
yir'ah: Awe or reverence.
יִרְאָה
The noun names the posture of those addressed as fearers of the LORD.
nora: Awe-inspiring or fearful.
נוֹרָא
The same root describes what evokes awe, linking reverence with its source.
וְגוּרוּ
weguru
GROWS FROM
גור
g-w-r
To dread or be afraid.
The second “fear” comes from a different Hebrew verb than the first, giving the line a shift in shade from reverence to dread. English makes the two commands sound identical, while Hebrew preserves the distinction.
ALSO GROWS
gur: To fear or dread.
גּוּר
This is the verb behind the final command to Israel.
magor: Dread or terror.
מָגוֹר
This noun from the same root shows the fearful force carried by the second verb.
כַּבְּדוּהוּ
kabbeduhu
GROWS FROM
כבד
k-b-d
To be heavy or weighty; to carry weight.
The word translated “glorify” grows from the root for weight. To glorify the LORD is to recognize his weight and treat him as weighty; praise and awe take their place around that recognition.
ALSO GROWS
kavod: Weight, honor, or glory.
כָּבוֹד
This familiar noun holds together the ideas of weight and honor that the command expresses.
kaved: Heavy or weighty.
כָּבֵד
This form makes the root’s concrete sense visible beneath the command to glorify.
THE PATTERN
Awe of the LORD gathers into voiced praise and public honor.
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.THE THREAD
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.This verse pairs fearing the Lord with glorifying his name, as Psalm 22:23 pairs awe with praise and giving the LORD weight. Its scope opens from the seed of Jacob and Israel to all nations, showing awe as a force that gathers people into shared honor.
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