Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

PSALMS 50:23KJV
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Psalms 50:23 (KJV)

What does Psalms 50:23 mean?

Psalms 50:23 says that anyone who offers praise to God brings Him honor, and that God will show His salvation to those who live rightly. The verse highlights that both grateful worship and a well-ordered life are important to God.

In this psalm, God is speaking through the psalmist Asaph to His people, addressing how they worship and live. The verse comes at the end of a passage where God corrects misunderstandings about sacrifices, stressing that heartfelt gratitude and right living matter more than ritual. Psalms 50:23 sums up what God truly desires from His people: sincere thanks and a life aligned with His ways.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 50:23

  • "Offereth" (זָבַח, zāvaḥ) means "to sacrifice." Here, it refers to offering praise as a kind of sacrifice, not just animal offerings, showing that God values thankful words as much as ritual acts.
  • "Praise" (תּוֹדָה, todah) means "thanksgiving" or "gratitude." This word points to a specific kind of offering—thankful acknowledgment of God’s goodness, not just formal worship.
  • "Ordereth" (שִׂים, sīm) means "to set" or "arrange." The phrase "ordereth his conversation aright" suggests intentionally arranging one’s way of life, not just behaving well by accident.
  • "Conversation" (דֶּרֶךְ, derek) literally means "way" or "path." In this context, it refers to the overall direction or conduct of a person’s life, not just their speech.

Why Psalms 50:23 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God is not only interested in outward religious acts but in genuine gratitude and a life lived rightly.
  • The verse connects the ideas of worship and daily living, showing that both must align for someone to experience God’s salvation.
  • Psalms 50:23 wraps up the psalm’s message, correcting the idea that ritual alone pleases God and emphasizing the heart and actions behind worship.

Where else these words appear

“praise” Hebrew H8426 · used in 30 verses

  • Leviticus 7:12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.
  • Nehemiah 12:31 Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate:
  • Psalms 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

“salvation” Hebrew H3468 · used in 35 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
  • Psalms 20:6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
  • Psalms 85:7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

“glorifieth” Hebrew H3513 · used in 109 verses

  • Genesis 13:2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
  • 2 Samuel 6:22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
  • Proverbs 12:9 He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.

“offereth” Hebrew H2076 · used in 127 verses

  • Genesis 31:54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
  • 1 Samuel 1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.
  • 2 Chronicles 11:16 And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers.