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Psalms 98

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God's Victory and Universal Salvation 1–3

1
Oh sing unto Jehovah a new song; For he hath done marvellous things: His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him. ​
2
Jehovah hath made known his salvation: His righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the nations. ​
3
He hath remembered his lovingkindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ​

Call to Universal Praise and Worship 4–6

4
Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah, all the earth: Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises.
5
Sing praises unto Jehovah with the harp; With the harp and the voice of melody.
6
With trumpets and sound of cornet Make a joyful noise before the King, Jehovah. ​

Creation Anticipates the King's Judgment 7–9

7
Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein; ​
8
Let the floods clap their hands; Let the hills sing for joy together
9
Before Jehovah; for he cometh to judge the earth: He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with equity. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalm 98

Verse 1

his right hand, and his holy arm — ‘Marvellous things’ is pala, the word of ‘wondrous things’ in Ps 72:18. Moses sang of the same right hand at the Red Sea: ‘Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power’ (Ex 15:6). ‘Gotten him the victory’ is yasha, to save. The ‘new song’ is that of Ps 96:1; Mary says ‘He hath shewed strength with his arm’ (Luke 1:51).

Verse 2

his righteousness hath he openly shewed — ‘Made known’ is yada, and ‘openly shewed’ is galah, to uncover, as in Isa 52:10, ‘The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations’. Paul writes, ‘the righteousness of God without the law is manifested’ (Rom 3:21), and Simeon calls Christ ‘A light to lighten the Gentiles’ (Luke 2:32).

Verse 3

remembered his mercy and his truth — Chesed and emunah, covenant mercy and faithfulness, are shown ‘toward the house of Israel’. Micah says ‘Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham’ (Mic 7:20), and Mary ‘He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy’ (Luke 1:54). ‘The ends of the earth’ is the wording of Isa 52:10.

Verse 6

trumpets and sound of cornet — Chatsotserah is the trumpet which the LORD told Moses to make ‘of silver’ (Num 10:2), and the shophar is the horn. They were blown ‘in the day of your gladness’ over the offerings (Num 10:10), and the people swore with ‘trumpets, and with cornets’ (2 Chr 15:14). ‘Make a joyful noise’ is rua, to shout, to ‘the LORD, the King’ (melek).

Verse 7

Let the sea roar — Raam is to roar or thunder. The floods that ‘lifted up their voice’ in Ps 93:3 are bidden to roar in praise, as in Ps 96:11 and 1 Chr 16:32. ‘Fulness thereof’ is melo. Paul says that ‘the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God’ (Rom 8:21).

Verse 9

he cometh to judge the earth — The closing lines of Ps 96:13 return here, with ‘with equity’ (meyshar, evenness, as in Ps 96:10) in place of ‘with his truth’. ‘Cometh’ is bo, said of the LORD arriving, and the judging (shaphat) is ‘with righteousness’ (tsedeq). Paul says of that day, God ‘will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained’ (Acts 17:31).