TRV
Translation
Geneva Bible (1599)
Exalt the Lord our God, and fall downe before his footestoole: for he is holy.
Young's Literal Translation
Exalt ye Jehovah our God, And bow yourselves at His footstool, holy is He.
In the KJVVerse 15,505 of 31,102
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Commentary on Psalms 99 verses 1–5
1 ¶ The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
2 The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.
3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.
4 The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
The foundation of all religion is laid in this truth, That the Lord reigns. God governs the world by his providence, governs the church by his grace, and both by his Son. We are to believe not only that the Lord lives, but that the Lord reigns. This is the triumph of the Christian church, and here it was the triumph of the Jewish church, that Jehovah was their King; and hence it is inferred, Let the people tremble, that is, 1. Let even the subjects of this kingdom tremble; for the Old Testament dispensation had much of terror in it. At Mount Sinai Israel, and even Moses himself, did exceedingly fear and quake; and then God was terrible in his holy places. Even when he appeared in his people's behalf, he did terrible things. But we are not now come to that mount that burned with fire, Heb 12:18. Now that the Lord reigns let the earth rejoice. Then he ruled more by the power of holy fear; now he rules by the power of holy love. 2. Much more let the enemies of this kingdom tremble; for he will either bring them into obedience to his golden sceptre or crush them with his iron rod. The Lord reigns, though the people be stirred with indignation at it; though they fret away all their spirits, their rage is all in vain. He will set his King upon his holy hill of Zion in spite of them (Psa 2:1-6); first, or last, he will make them tremble, Rev 6:15, etc. The Lord reigns, let the earth be moved. Those that submit to him shall be established, and not moved (Psa 96:10); but those that oppose him will be moved. Heaven and earth shall be shaken, and all nations; but the kingdom of Christ is what cannot be moved; the things which cannot be shaken shall remain, Heb 12:27. In these is continuance, Isa 64:5.
God's kingdom, set up in Israel, is here made the subject of the psalmist's praise.
I. Two things the psalmist affirms: - 1. God presided in the affairs of religion: He sitteth between the cherubim (Psa 99:1), as on his throne, to give law by the oracles thence delivered - as on the mercy-seat, to receive petitions. This was the honour of Israel, that they had among them the Shechinah, or special presence of God, attended by the holy angels; the temple was the royal palace, and the Holy of holies was the presence-chamber. The Lord is great in Zion (Psa 99:2); there he is known and praised (Psa 76:1, Psa 76:2); there he is served as great, more than any where else. He is high there above all people; as that which is high is exposed to view, and looked up to, so in Zion the perfections of the divine nature appear more conspicuous and more illustrious than any where else. Therefore let those that dwell in Zion, and worship there, praise thy great and terrible name, and give thee the glory due unto it, for it is holy. The holiness of God's name makes it truly great to his friends and terrible to his enemies, Psa 99:3. This is that which those above adore - Holy, holy, holy. 2. He was all in all in their civil government, Psa 99:4. As in Jerusalem was the testimony of Israel, whither the tribes went up, so there were set thrones of judgment, Psa 122:4, Psa 122:5. Their government was a theocracy. God raised up David to rule over them (and some think this psalm was penned upon occasion of his quiet and happy settlement in the throne) and he is the king whose strength loves judgment. He is strong; all his strength he has from God; and his strength is not abused for the support of any wrong, as the power of great princes often is, but it loves judgment. He does justice with his power, and does it with delight; and herein he was a type of Christ, to whom God would give the throne of his father David, to do judgment and justice. He has power to crush, but his strength loves judgment; he does not rule with rigour, but with moderation, with wisdom, and with tenderness. The people of Israel had a good king; but they are here taught to look up to God as he by whom their king reigns: Thou dost establish equity (that is, God gave them those excellent laws by which they were governed), and thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob; he not only by his immediate providences often executed and enforced his own laws, but took care for the administration of justice among them by civil magistrates, who reigned by him and by him did decree justice. Their judges judged for God, and their judgment was his, Ch2 19:6.
II. Putting these two things together, we see what was the happiness of Israel above any other people, as Moses had described it (Deu 4:7, Deu 4:8), that they had God so night unto them, sitting between the cherubim, and that they had statutes and judgments so righteous, by which equity was established, and God himself ruled in Jacob, from which he infers this command to that happy people (Psa 99:5): "Exalt you the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; give him the glory of the good government you are under, as it is now established, both in church and state." Note, 1. The greater the public mercies are which we have a share in the more we are obliged to bear a part in the public homage paid to God: the setting up of the kingdom of Christ, especially, ought to be the matter of our praise. 2. When we draw night to God, to worship him, our hearts must be filled with high thoughts of him, and he must be exalted in our souls. 3. The more we abase ourselves, and the more prostrate we are before God, the more we exalt him. We must worship at his footstool, at his ark, which was as the footstool to the mercy-seat between the cherubim; or we must cast ourselves down upon the pavement of his courts; and good reason we have to be thus reverent, for he is holy, and his holiness should strike an awe upon us, as it does on the angels themselves, Isa 6:2, Isa 6:3.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–5. Public domain.
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Ambrose of MilanAD 397
On the Holy Spirit 3.11.75-76
And the apostles worshiped, and, therefore, they who bore the testimony of the faith received authority of faith. And the angels worshiped God, of whom it is written: “And let all his angels worship him.”But they worship not only his Godhead but also his footstool, as it is written: “And worship his footstool, for it is holy.” Or, if they deny that in Christ the mysteries also of his incarnation are to be worshiped, in which we observe as it were certain express traces of his Godhead and certain ways of the heavenly Word, let them read that even the apostles worshiped him when he rose again in the glory of his flesh.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 99
"O magnify the Lord our God" [Psalm 99:5]. Magnify Him truly, magnify Him well. Let us praise Him, let us magnify Him who has wrought the very righteousness which we have; who wrought it in us, Himself. For who but He who justified us, wrought righteousness in us? For of Christ it is said, "who justifies the ungodly." [Romans 4:5] ..."And fall down before His footstool: for He is holy." What are we to fall down before? His footstool. What is under the feet is called a footstool, in Greek ὑ ποπόδιον, in Latin Scabellum or Suppedaneum. But consider, brethren, what he commands us to fall down before. In another passage of the Scriptures it is said, "The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool." [Isaiah 66:1] Does he then bid us worship the earth, since in another passage it is said, that it is God's footstool? How then shall we worship the earth, when the Scripture says openly, "You shall worship the Lord your God"? [Deuteronomy 6:13] Yet here it says, "fall down before His footstool:" and, explaining to us what His footstool is, it says, "The earth is My footstool." I am in doubt; I fear to worship the earth, lest He who made the heaven and the earth condemn me; again, I fear not to worship the footstool of my Lord, because the Psalm bids me, "fall down before His footstool." I ask, what is His footstool? And the Scripture tells me, "the earth is My footstool." In hesitation I turn unto Christ, since I am herein seeking Himself: and I discover how the earth may be worshipped without impiety, how His footstool may be worshipped without impiety. For He took upon Him earth from earth; because flesh is from earth, and He received flesh from the flesh of Mary. And because He walked here in very flesh, and gave that very flesh to us to eat for our salvation; and no one eats that flesh, unless he has first worshipped: we have found out in what sense such a footstool of our Lord's may be worshipped, and not only that we sin not in worshipping it, but that we sin in not worshipping. But does the flesh give life? Our Lord Himself, when He was speaking in praise of this same earth, said, "It is the Spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing."...But when our Lord praised it, He was speaking of His own flesh, and He had said, "Except a man eat My flesh, he shall have no life in him." [John 6:54] Some disciples of His, about seventy, were offended, and said, "This is an hard saying, who can hear it?" And they went back, and walked no more with Him. It seemed unto them hard that He said, "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, you have no life in you:" they received it foolishly, they thought of it carnally, and imagined that the Lord would cut off parts from His body, and give unto them; and they said, "This is a hard saying." It was they who were hard, not the saying; for unless they had been hard, and not meek, they would have said unto themselves, He says not this without reason, but there must be some latent mystery herein. They would have remained with Him, softened, not hard: and would have learned that from Him which they who remained, when the others departed, learned. For when twelve disciples had remained with Him, on their departure, these remaining followers suggested to Him, as if in grief for the death of the former, that they were offended by His words, and turned back. But He instructed them, and says unto them, "It is the Spirit that quickens, but the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." [John 6:63] Understand spiritually what I have said; you are not to eat this body which you see; nor to drink that blood which they who will crucify Me shall pour forth. I have commended unto you a certain mystery; spiritually understood, it will quicken. Although it is needful that this be visibly celebrated, yet it must be spiritually understood.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 99:5 issues an impassioned divine imperative, calling all people to recognize and respond to the unparalleled sovereignty and inherent sanctity of the LORD our God. It encapsulates the essence of true worship, demanding both the exaltation of God's supreme authority and a posture of profound humility before His manifest presence, all predicated on the foundational truth of His absolute holiness. This verse serves as a foundational declaration for reverent adoration, guiding humanity into an appropriate response to the transcendent and immanent King.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 99:5 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its urgent call to worship. The primary device is the use of the imperative mood ("Exalt," "worship"), which functions as a direct command, emphasizing the non-negotiable nature of this response to God's character. The phrase "his footstool" serves as a potent metaphor, representing God's majestic presence, sovereign authority, and the place of His manifest glory, thereby demanding a posture of profound humility and reverence. This metaphor is rich with theological significance, often alluding to the Ark of the Covenant or the entire earth as God's domain. Furthermore, the verse exhibits parallelism, specifically a form of synthetic parallelism, where the second clause ("and worship at his footstool") expands upon and reinforces the idea of the first ("Exalt ye the LORD our God") by specifying the manner of exaltation. The final clause, "for he is holy," provides the ultimate reason, creating a cause-and-effect relationship that undergirds the entire command. This emphatic declaration of God's holiness also contributes to an inclusio within Psalm 99, as the psalm begins and ends with declarations of God's holiness (Psalms 99:3 and Psalms 99:9), framing the entire message with this foundational attribute.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The profound theological truth embedded in Psalms 99:5 is that God's inherent holiness is the ultimate and sole basis for all true worship. It is not merely His power or His acts, but His very nature—His absolute purity, moral perfection, and distinctness from all creation—that compels and justifies our exaltation and reverent submission. This verse teaches that worship is not a casual activity but a solemn, awe-filled response to the transcendent and perfect character of the Almighty. It calls believers to align their hearts and actions with the divine standard, recognizing that our approach to God must always be marked by humility and a deep understanding of His unapproachable glory. This understanding of God's holiness as the foundation of worship resonates throughout Scripture, shaping both individual piety and communal liturgy, reminding us that reverence is not optional but essential to genuine communion with the divine.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 99:5 is a timeless summons to a worship that is both passionate and profoundly reverent. It challenges us to move beyond superficial expressions of praise to a deep, transformative encounter with the Holy God. To "exalt the LORD our God" means to consciously elevate Him in every aspect of our lives – in our thoughts, words, and deeds. It means prioritizing His glory above our own desires, recognizing His supreme authority in all circumstances, and actively proclaiming His greatness to a world that often ignores or diminishes Him. To "worship at his footstool" calls us to a posture of humility and submission, acknowledging our creatureliness before the Creator. This isn't about groveling in fear, but about bowing in awe and adoration before the One who is infinitely worthy, recognizing His sovereign claim over our lives. Because He is holy, our worship should cultivate in us a desire for personal holiness, prompting us to pursue purity, justice, and righteousness in our daily lives. Our adoration should transform us, shaping us into people who increasingly reflect the character of the One we worship, living set apart for His purposes and glory, and striving to embody His holiness in our actions and attitudes.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "worship at his footstool" mean?
Answer: "Worship at his footstool" signifies a posture of profound humility and submission before God. The "footstool" is a metaphorical reference, often understood to represent the Ark of the Covenant, which was considered the earthly throne or dwelling place of God's manifest presence in the Temple (1 Chronicles 28:2). More broadly, it can also refer to the entire earth, which is God's creation and under His sovereign dominion (Isaiah 66:1). Therefore, to worship at His footstool means to approach God with deep awe, reverence, and a recognition of His supreme authority and our humble place before Him, often implying prostration or bowing down in adoration. It emphasizes that all creation is subject to His rule and that our worship must reflect this reality.
Why is God's holiness the reason for worship?
Answer: God's holiness (qâdôwsh in Hebrew) is His intrinsic attribute of absolute moral perfection, purity, and His complete distinctness and transcendence from all creation. It is the very essence of His being that sets Him apart as unique and infinitely worthy of all praise, adoration, and reverent submission. Unlike human beings, God is utterly without blemish or sin. His holiness demands a response of worship from His creatures because it signifies His unapproachable glory, perfect righteousness, and the unchangeable purity that makes Him the ultimate standard of all that is good and true. We worship Him because of who He is—the Holy One—and His holiness is the ultimate ground for His rightful claim to our adoration and obedience, as seen in passages like 1 Peter 1:15-16.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 99:5, with its urgent call to "Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy," finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. While the Old Testament commanded worship of a holy God through ritual and sacrifice, Christ Himself is the perfect embodiment of God's holiness, "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26). He is the one through whom we are now able to truly approach the "footstool" of God, which is no longer a physical Ark or Temple, but the very throne of grace in heaven, where we can "draw near with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16). In Christ, God's holiness is not a barrier that keeps us distant, but an invitation to draw near, for He has consecrated a new and living way through His flesh, tearing the veil that separated humanity from God (Hebrews 10:19-20). Our worship of the Holy God is perfected in our worship of Christ, who is God incarnate, in whom "all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9). He is the one who makes us holy, enabling us to truly "exalt the LORD our God" with pure hearts and to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Him (Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Peter 2:5). Thus, the ancient call to worship a holy God finds its supreme response and enablement in the person and work of Jesus, who makes us a holy priesthood to declare His praises (1 Peter 2:9).