What is the meaning of Psalm 118:16?

The right hand of the LORD is exalted!

• “Right hand” pictures supreme power and authority. Exodus 15:6 celebrates, “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.”

• The psalmist lifts that hand up for all to see. Isaiah 26:11 notes, “Your hand is lifted up.” God’s deeds stand above human schemes.

• Exaltation also foreshadows Christ. Acts 2:33 says Jesus was “exalted to the right hand of God.” The same mighty hand that parted seas now enthrones the risen Savior.

• For worshipers, exaltation invites praise. Psalm 63:8 affirms, “My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me,” so we respond by lifting our voices and lives in gratitude.

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The right hand of the LORD performs with valor!

• Valor stresses courageous, victorious action. Psalm 118’s context is rescue from hostile nations; God fights and wins for His people.

• Scripture repeatedly depicts that valor:

– Deuteronomy 26:8: “The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.”

– Psalm 98:1: “His right hand and holy arm have worked salvation for Him.”

• The ultimate valiant act is Christ’s resurrection. Ephesians 1:19-20 speaks of “the immeasurable greatness of His power…when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand.”

• Because God’s hand still “performs with valor,” believers face trials with confidence. Romans 8:37 declares, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

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summary

Psalm 118:16 highlights God’s unrivaled power (“right hand”), His public honor (“is exalted”), and His decisive, courageous intervention (“performs with valor”). The verse calls us to recognize, celebrate, and trust the Lord who has acted—most fully in Christ—and who still acts powerfully on behalf of His people today.