Tehillim 113 | “Who Looks Down So Low to See the Heavens and the Earth”

Psalm 113 opens the series of psalms known from Hallel, recited in prayer on Chagim and Rosh Chodesh. This psalm describes the all-encompassing nature of God's praise across all realms of existence: “Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forevermore” – across the axis of time; “From sunrise to sunset may the Lord’s name be praised”  – across the axis of space; and “The Lord is exalted above all nations” – across the axis of human existence.

The second half of the psalm marvels at the fact that although God is exalted, He involves Himself in the smallest details of the world’s operation. On the one hand, He is high and supreme: “Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned so high”, and yet He also watches over what happens below: “Yet looks down so low to see the heavens and the earth”. The psalm concludes with examples of God's aid to His creations — His salvation of the poor, who come to sit among the noble, and His blessing to the barren woman, who becomes a joyful mother of children. These closing verses echo the thanksgiving prayer of Chana: “He lifts the poor from the dust, raises the needy from the refuse heap and seats them beside nobility” (Shmuel I 2:8). It’s possible that the “barren woman” mentioned in the psalm is Chana herself.

The theme of this psalm touches on a core issue in many theological discussions. The poet is awestruck by the fact that although God is exalted and transcendent, He is deeply concerned with what happens down here on earth. This idea is not self-evident from a human perspective. Idolaters believed that God was too high and distant, so they preferred to worship intermediaries. Medieval philosophers believed in a Creator but denied that He was aware of or concerned with earthly affairs. Even today, it often seems that a secular perspective views the attention to “petty” commandments with skepticism –“You really think God cares about that?!” Our psalm confronts this very question, and its answer is — yes, this is precisely God's greatness. God is so exalted and transcendent that His rule encompasses the entire universe from above, yet it also embraces the smallest details of human life. He sustains the grand cosmos — and yet cares deeply for the needs and emotions of individual people.