The Meaning of ‘Holy and Reverend’ in Psalm 111:9

He has sent redemption to His people;
He has commanded His covenant forever:
Holy and awesome is His name.

My Thoughts

This verse shows God’s holiness and reverence, highlighting His eternal covenant and redemption for His people. Commentators clarify that true reverence belongs only to God, cautioning against human titles like “Reverend.” The Psalm underscores God’s nature as worthy of awe, established through His acts of deliverance and grace.

In some denominations, the title Reverend is used incorrectly, in my opinion, because by the definition, no “man” is worthy of that title. I think that John Gill and Matthew Poole come closest to explaining it correctly……Bill

The KJV translates “awesome ” as ”reverend”; several of the commentaries below reference it. Strongs dictionary has this word as

יָרֵא yârêʼ, yaw-ray’; a primitive root; to fear; morally to revere; causatively to frighten:—affright, be (make) afraid, dread(-ful), (put in) fear(-ful, -fully, -ing), (be had in) reverence(-end), × see, terrible (act, -ness, thing).

“the name of God is “holy”; it is his nature, and appears in all his works; and in which he is glorious, and so is reverend; he is to be feared and reverenced by all his creatures, and among his saints, as he is by the angels in heaven.” (John Gill)

“Holy and reverend; terrible to his enemies, and venerable in his people’s eyes, and holy in all his dealings with all men.” (Matthew Poole)

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Commentaries:

Charles Spurgeon

“He sent redemption unto his people.” When they were in Egypt, he sent not only a deliverer, but an actual deliverance, not only a redeemer, but complete redemption. He has done the like spiritually for all his people, having first by blood purchased them out of the hand of the enemy, and then by power rescued them from the bondage of their sins. Redemption we can sing of as an accomplished act: it has been wrought for us, sent to us, and enjoyed by us, and we are in very deed the Lord’s redeemed.

“He hath commanded his covenant forever.” His divine decree has made the covenant of his grace a settled and eternal institution: redemption by blood proves that the covenant cannot be altered, for it ratifies and establishes it beyond all recall. This, too, is reason for the loudest praise. Redemption is a fit theme for the heartiest music, and when it is seen to be connected with gracious engagements from which the Lord’s truth cannot swerve, it becomes a subject fitted to arouse the soul to an ecstasy of gratitude. Redemption and the covenant are enough to make the tongue of the dumb sing. “Holy and reverend is his name.” Well may he say this. The whole name or character of God is worthy of profoundest awe, for it is perfect and complete, whole or holy. It ought not to be spoken without solemn thought and never heard without profound homage. His name is to be trembled at; it is something terrible; even those who know him best rejoice with trembling before him. How good men can endure to be called “reverend” we know not. Being unable to discover any reason why our fellow men should reverence us, we half suspect that in other men there is not very much which can entitle them to be called reverend, very reverend, right reverend, and so on. It may seem a trifling matter, but for that very reason, we would urge that the foolish custom should be allowed to fall into disuse.

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Enduring Word

He has sent redemption to His people: One of God’s greatest works is rescuing His people from their oppression and sin, and doing it in the context of His covenant. The psalmist likely had the exodus in mind.

i. The King James Version translates the phrase, holy and awesome is His name as holy and reverend is his name. Adam Clarke comments on the word reverend from the King James Version: “The word reverend comes to us from the Latins, reverendus, and is compounded of re, intensive, and vereor, to be feared; and most or right reverend, reverendissimus, signifies to be greatly feared. These terms are now only titles of ecclesiastical respect, especially in the Protestant ministry, but there was a time in which these were not empty titles. Such was the power of the clergy, that, when they walked not in the fear of the Lord, they caused the people to fear, and they themselves were to be feared; but, when the secular power was added to the spiritual, they were then truly reverendi and reverendissimi, to be feared and greatly to be feared.”

(David Guzik)

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Albert Barnes

He sent redemption unto his people – In their deliverance from Egypt. He has now sent it in a higher sense under the great Deliverer, the Saviour.

He hath commanded his covenant for ever – He has ordained or appointed it. The covenant is here represented as if it were obedient to the will of God or under his control. The covenant refers to his arrangements with his people, his assurances of favor, with the terms on which that favor will be shown.

Holy and reverend is his name – Holy and to be venerated; literally, “to be feared.” That is, he has shown in all this that he is holy and that he is a Being who is to be had in reverence.

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John Gill

He sent redemption unto his people,…. Or one to redeem them, who effected it; Moses to redeem Israel out of Egypt, and Christ to redeem his people from sin, Satan, and the law, and who has done it; and having obtained eternal redemption, he sent his ministers to publish it in the world, and his Spirit to apply it, and to show his people their interest in it; and make it over to them, and the blessings of it, that they may enjoy it, and all the comforts and advantages arising from it; temporal redemption, as typical of the spiritual and eternal one, is here meant.

He hath commanded his covenant for ever; which cannot be the covenant of circumcision, or that at Sinai, neither of which were forever; but the covenant of grace made with Christ, and which stands fast with him forever; it is everlasting, sure, and can never be removed; its blessings and promises are forever; and it is so made and framed, and so kept and observed, as that it shall always continue, which is meant by its being “commanded”: as well as it may denote the decree and resolution of God never to break and alter it; see Psalm 89:3.

Holy and reverend is his name; the name of God is “holy”; it is his nature, and appears in all his works; and in which he is glorious, and so is reverend; he is to be feared and reverenced by all his creatures, and among his saints, as he is by the angels in heaven.

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Matthew Henry

The many deliverances which he wrought for his people when by their iniquities they had sold themselves into the hand of their enemies (v. 9): He sent redemption unto his people, not only out of Egypt at first, but often afterwards; and these redemptions were typical of the great redemption which in the fulness of time was to be wrought out by the Lord Jesus, that redemption in Jerusalem which so many waited for.

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Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown

The deliverance He provided accorded to His established covenant. Thus, He manifested Himself in the sum of His perfections (Ps 20:1, 7; 22:3) worthy of reverence.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 380–381.

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Matthew Poole

9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: ^mholy and reverend is his name.

Redemption; that deliverance out of Egypt, which was a type and pledge of that greater and higher redemption by Christ. Commanded, i.e. appointed or established firmly by his power and authority. And so this word is oft used, as Psal. 33:9; 42:8; 105:31, 34. See also before on ver. 7, the ground of which signification may be taken from hence, that the command of a sufficient authority concerning anything doth commonly establish and effect it. Forever; through all successive generations of his people to the end of the world; for the covenant is the same for substance in all, and differed only in circumstances. Holy and reverend; terrible to his enemies, and venerable in his people’s eyes, and holy in all his dealings with all men.

Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, vol. 2 (New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1853), 175.

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Cross References

⁵⁸If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Deuteronomy 28:58.

² Wherefore, when I came, was there no man?

When I called, was there none to answer?

Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem?

Or have I no power to deliver?

Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea,

I make the rivers a wilderness:

Their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Isaiah 50:2.

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KJV W/Strongs Bible

111:9 He sent 7971 8804 redemption 6304 unto his people 5971: he hath commanded 6680 8765 his covenant 1285 for ever 5769: holy 6918 and reverend 3372 8737 [is] his name 8034.

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Geneva Bible 1560

Psalm 111:9

9 He sent redemption unto his people: he hathe commanded his covenant for ever: holie and fearful is his Name.

Closing Thoughts:

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said:

“Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.

Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.

“Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:10-13 NKJV