Psalms 96 · ESV Study Bible

Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

PSALM 96 [†] a Oh sing to the LORD b a new song;

sing to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name;

c tell of his salvation from day to day.

3[^] Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples!

4[†] For d great is the LORD, and e greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above f all gods.

5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the LORD g made the heavens.

6[†] Splendor and majesty are before him;

h strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7[†] Ascribe to the LORD, O i families of the peoples,

j ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!

8 Ascribe to the LORD k the glory due his name;

bring l an offering, and m come into his courts!

9 Worship the LORD in n the splendor of holiness; [1]

o tremble before him, all the earth!

10[†] Say among the nations, p “The LORD reigns!

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

he will q judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let r the heavens be glad, and let s the earth rejoice;

let t the sea roar, and all that fills it;

12 let u the field exult, and everything in it!

Then shall all v the trees of the forest sing for joy

13 before the LORD, for he comes,

for he comes w to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness,

and the peoples in his faithfulness.

PSALM—NOTE ON 96:4–5 These verses explain to the Gentiles that there is only one God truly worthy of worship. He is to be feared above all gods (because he made the heavens, while they are powerless, indeed unreal). The words gods (Hb. ’elohim) and worthless idols (Hb. ’elilim) sound alike, providing a play on words; in English this would be close to “these mighty beings are mighty useless!”

PSALM—NOTE ON Psalm 96. This is a hymn celebrating how God’s kingship over all creation (see note on Psalm 93) means that all kinds of people should love and worship him. The psalm has three sections, each beginning with a command (“sing,” 96:1; “ascribe,” v. 7; “say,” v. 10), and each mentioning the Gentiles (“all the earth,” “the nations,” and “the peoples” in vv. 1–6; “families of the peoples” and “all the earth” in vv. 7–9; and “the nations,” “the peoples,” and “the world” in vv. 10–13). God called Israel to be a vehicle of blessing for all mankind, bringing them knowledge of the true God for whom all human beings yearn, and this psalm keeps this mission prominent in the Israelites’ view of the world and their role in it. Verses 8–9 even call the Gentiles to join Israel in their worship in God’s courts. The psalm looks forward to a time when the Lord will come and judge all peoples with equity, without specifying how this will take place. The term “judge” is probably not limited to sifting between the righteous and the unrighteous; the wider sense of “execute justice, rule justly” fits the context better (cf. Isa. 2:4; 11:3–4). Thus the psalm is more focused on a time in which Gentiles acknowledge the true God, and the benefits that will bring to all the earth, than it is on the final judgment. Christians sing this, knowing that God has ushered in this long-awaited epoch with the resurrection of Jesus (see note on Isa. 11:3–4). This psalm appears in 1 Chron. 16:23–33, indicating that the people sang an adaptation (or perhaps an early edition) of it when David brought the ark to Jerusalem.

PSALM—NOTE ON 96:6 Splendor and majesty describe royal magnificence (21:5; 45:3), which is suited to the theme of divine kingship (cf. 104:1; 111:3; 145:3; Job 40:10). These, along with strength and beauty, are attributes of God, into whose presence people come in his sanctuary.

PSALM—NOTE ON 96:1 new song. See note on 33:1–3.

PSALM—NOTE ON 96:1–6 Sing to the Lord All the Earth, for He Is Great! The psalm begins by calling the inhabitants of all the earth to sing to the LORD. The activities (sing to the LORD, bless his name, tell of his salvation; cf. praised and feared) all describe the privilege of Israelite worship in God’s sanctuary; here the Gentiles are invited to join in (see also vv. 8–9).