Translation
“You are worthy, O LORD
our GOD,
to receive
Go to footnote numberglory and honor and power,
Go to footnote numberfor you have created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
“You are worthy, O SUPREME RULER and THE CREATOR AND OWNER OF ALL THINGS to whom we willingly submit, to receive glory and honor and power, for you have created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
Footnotes
1: What does “receive” really mean here?
Although the word used means “receive,” God does not really receive them from us; He already has them. Rather this is an acknowledgement on our part that He possesses these qualities, they are rightfully His, and He alone exercises them.
2
Once again there are three things ascribed to God. It does not end with the things listed here, instead the use of three indicates that the list only begins with these three things. He is worthy of everything we could possibly ascribe to Him.
3
This word order seems backward to us, and in fact some versions of the Bible have taken it upon themselves to switch it around and make it “right” according to human perspective. But we should never change God’s word to fit our thinking, rather we should change our thinking to fit God’s word. Why does this verse place “existed” before “created?” Here’s why – everything that God created was present in His mind before it was created; that is how He was able to speak everything into existence. We could say that all things were real even before they were given physical characteristics. All creation is an expression of what is in His mind. Since we live in this world surrounded by the physical expressions of reality, we think these expressions are the real thing. They are not. The Bible calls these things shadows. Hebrews 9:23 and Hebrews 10:1 are examples.