Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 33:1

"Rejoice in Jehovah, O ye righteous: Praise is comely for the upright." — Psalms 33:1 (ASV)

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous – This is the sentiment with which the preceding psalm closes. See the notes at (Psalms 32:11).

For praise is comely for the upright – It is befitting, suitable, and proper. That is, the upright—the righteous—have abundant cause for praise, and it is for them a suitable employment, or one that becomes them. A man who is upright, or who is a righteous man, has in this very fact much that lays a foundation for praise, because the fact that he has such a character is to be traced to the grace of God, and this in itself is a more valuable possession than gold or kingly crowns would be.

That he is not an open violator of the law of God; that he is not intemperate; that he is not the victim of raging lusts and passions; that he is not a dishonest man; that he is not profane; that he is not an unbeliever or a scoffer; that he is a pious man, a redeemed man, a man of good character, and an heir of heaven, is the highest blessing that could be conferred on him.

And he who has been saved from flagrant transgression and crime in a world like this, and has been enabled to live an upright life, has compelling reason to praise and bless God. Assuredly, for such a man, praise is an appropriate employment; for such a man it is “comely.”