Psalms 113:9

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, (and to be) a joyful mother of children - `Who maketh the barren woman to dwell (in) the house;' the Septuagint, Syriac, Ethiopic, Arabic, and Vulgate. "A house" is often put for children (Psalms 115:10; Psalms 115:12: cf. Psalms 68:6, margin; Exodus 1:21, He made them (the midwives) houses" ). Fruitful women, as Leah and Rachel, are said to "build the house of Israel" (Ruth 4:11). Hengstenberg translates, 'He maketh the barren woman of the house (i:e., the mistress) to dwell like a joyful mother of children.' The Hebrew seems in the construct form [ `ªqeret (H6135)], 'barren woman of the house,' and the accents favour Hengstenberg. But the old versions all take it in the absolute state, as the English version, which I prefer if the absolute form be legitimate (cf. 1 Samuel 2:5). Hannah in the spirit regarded herself (once barren, afterward fruitful) as the type of Israel (literal and spiritual), and from her own exaltation from depression anticipates the same for her people. Peninnah is a type of the world. Israel (as also the Church), once desolate and having but a little flock, shall have more children in the last days than the once haughty and numerous power that oppressed her (Isaiah 54:1). So the Chaldaic paraphrases this verse, 'who places the Church of Israel, which is like a barren woman sitting sad for the members of her house, so as to be frequented with crowds like a joyful mother.' So the Virgin Mary sang, when the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the power of the highest overshadowed her so that she conceived the Saviour. God puts down the mighty and exalts the lowly (Luke 1:46-42). This trilogy, Psalms 111:1; Psalms 112:1; Psalms 113:1, is followed by the tetralogy, Psalms 114:1; Psalms 115:1; Psalms 116:1; Psalms 117:1. Combining them, we have an heptade, and prefixing the Davidic trilogy, a decade. The Hallelujah, we have seen, occurs four times in the trilogy. It occurs thrice in the tetralogy (at the end of Psalms 115:1; Psalms 116:1; and Psalms 117:1); in all seven times.

The 113th Psalm, with the five following Psalms 114:1; Psalms 115:1; Psalms 116:1; Psalms 117:1; Psalms 118:1, forms the greater Hallel (as the Jews called it), or grand hymn of praise, especially sung at the Passover feasts. Buxtorf, in his 'Chaldaic Lexicon', pp. 613, 614, observes-`The whole is divided into two parts. The former contains Psalms 113:1 and Psalms 114:1; the latter, Psalms 115:1; Psalms 116:1; Psalms 117:1; Psalms 118:1. The Jews usually recite the former at the Passover, before they sit to table, and take food; the latter, after they have taken food, and have drunk the fourth and last cup, having added another blessing which they call the blessing of the song, also that solemn formula, Blessed be He who createth the fruit of the vine. So they close the Passover supper. The antiquity of this usage appears from its mention in the Talmud in Pesachim, fol. 117, Colossians 1:1, etc. Compare Lightfoot, 'Temple Service,' ch. 13, who shows that the former part of the Hallel was recited or sung after the second of the four cups drunk at the feast.

Thus the latter part of the Hallel was probably the "hymn" sung by Christ and His disciples at the last Passover supper (Matthew 26:30).