Psalms 93 · ESV Study Bible

The LORD Reigns

PSALM 93 [†] c The LORD reigns; he is d robed in majesty;

the LORD is e robed; he has f put on strength as his belt.

g Yes, the world is established; h it shall never be moved.

2 i Your throne is established from of old;

j you are from everlasting.

3[†] k The floods have lifted up, O LORD,

the floods have lifted up their voice;

the floods lift up their roaring.

4[^] Mightier than the thunders of many waters,

mightier than the waves of the sea,

l the LORD m on high is mighty!

5[†] Your n decrees are very trustworthy;

o holiness befits your house,

O LORD, forevermore.

PSALM—NOTE ON 93:1–2 The Lord Reigns, and Thus the World and God’s Throne Are Stable. The Lord reigns as king; because his throne is established (v. 2) and secure, therefore the world is established (v. 1), a stable and reliable place to live. The security of God’s throne is here traced to his awesome and majestic power (he is robed, he has put on strength as his belt) and his eternity (he is from everlasting).

PSALM—NOTE ON Psalm 93. Psalms 29; 93; and 95–99 are hymns of praise for divine kingship, namely, God’s kingly rule over creation. The idea of God as universal king is of course rooted in the creation account; the specific words first appear in Ex. 15:18. When the OT speaks of the kingship of God, it can mean his kingship over all creation, or it can mean God’s acknowledged kingship over his people (1 Sam. 8:7; 12:12–15); the NT expression “kingdom of God” focuses on the way God ministers to and governs his people through the heir of David. In each case, it is important to discern which of these is primarily in view. The psalms of divine kingship especially celebrate God’s kingship over his creation. Even though it is important to distinguish these ideas, one should not separate them: it is Israel’s great privilege that the God who rules over them is the universal Creator and Lord, who one day will rule all nations. Psalm 93 ends with this experience of wonder. The conviction that God reigns is the ultimate antidote to doubt and despair (cf. 89:38–51).

PSALM—NOTE ON 93:1 the world … shall never be moved. At one time this passage (cf. 96:10; 104:5) was taken to support the picture of the universe in which the earth is stationary and everything revolves around it. However, the verse does not imply this, for the term translated “moved” simply implies some kind of instability, and “never be moved” points to God-given security. (The psalmist is not concerned with the kind of motion that physics studies.) Cf. 46:5; 125:1; note on 10:6. The expression probably means that the world’s ongoing order (and the moral principles that underlie that order) are faithful and sure, guaranteed by God’s own faithfulness.