Psalms 96
A Call to Universal Praise and Mission 1–3
The Supremacy of the LORD over Idols 4–6
Worship and Acknowledge God's Glory 7–9
The Lord Reigns and Comes to Judge 10–13
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Study Notes for Psalm 96
Verse 1
a new song — The words of this psalm appear in 1 Chr 16:23–33, among the praise David appointed when the ark was brought to Jerusalem. ‘New’ is chadash, the word of the new song in Ps 33:3, 40:3 and 98:1, and the song of Isa 42:10. John hears it in heaven: ‘they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book’ (Rev 5:9).
Verse 3
Declare his glory among the heathen — Saphar is to recount, tell the number, and ‘wonders’ is pala, the ‘wondrous things’ of Ps 72:18. The audience is the goyim, the nations, and ‘all people’ (amim). The charge is carried out in Christ’s last command: ‘Go ye therefore, and teach all nations’ (Matt 28:19).
Verse 4
feared above all gods — ‘Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised’ is the wording of Ps 145:3 also. ‘Feared’ is yare, to reverence, and ‘gods’ is elohim. Moses sang the same claim at the Red Sea: ‘Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?’ (Ex 15:11).
Verse 5
are idols — The Hebrew word is elilim, ‘nothings’, which sounds like elohim, ‘gods’: what the nations call gods are worthless things. The line is repeated in 1 Chr 16:26. Paul says, ‘an idol is nothing in the world’ (1 Cor 8:4). Against them stands the LORD who ‘made the heavens’ (asah).
Verse 9
the beauty of holiness — Hadarah is adornment or splendour, found only here, in Ps 29:2, in 1 Chr 16:29, in 2 Chr 20:21 and in Prov 14:28. ‘Worship’ is shachah, to bow down. ‘Fear before him’ is chul, to tremble, and the call goes to ‘all the earth’, not to Israel alone.
Verse 10
Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth — This is the declaration of Ps 93:1 and 97:1, and the clause ‘the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved’ repeats the words of Ps 93:1 (kun, mot). ‘Righteously’ is meyshar, evenness or equity, the word of Ps 98:9 and 99:4. Ps 67:4 says the same: ‘thou shalt judge the people righteously’.
Verse 13
for he cometh to judge the earth — The repeated ‘for he cometh’ is the same verb (bo) both times. The judge comes ‘with righteousness’ (tsedeq) and ‘with his truth’ (emunah, faithfulness, as in Ps 92:2). Paul preaches it at Athens: God ‘will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained’ (Acts 17:31). Ps 98:9 ends in almost the same words.