Psalms 97 · ESV Study Bible

The LORD Reigns

PSALM 97 [†] x The LORD reigns, y let the earth rejoice;

let the many z coastlands be glad!

2[^] a Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;

b righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

3 c Fire goes before him

and burns up his adversaries all around.

4 His d lightnings light up the world;

the earth sees and e trembles.

5 The mountains f melt like g wax before the LORD,

before h the Lord of all the earth.

6[†] i The heavens proclaim his righteousness,

and all j the peoples see his glory.

7[†] All worshipers of images are k put to shame,

who make their boast in l worthless idols;

m worship him, all you gods!

8[^] Zion hears and n is glad,

and the daughters of Judah rejoice,

because of your judgments, O LORD.

9 For you, O LORD, are o most high over all the earth;

you are exalted far above p all gods.

10[†] O you who love the LORD, q hate evil!

He r preserves the lives of his s saints;

he t delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11[†] u Light v is sown [1] for the righteous,

and joy for the upright in heart.

12 w Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,

and x give thanks to his holy name!

A Psalm.

PSALM—NOTE ON 97:7 worship him, all you gods! The Septuagint translators rendered this phrase into Greek as “worship him, all you his angels,” and this may be the OT text quoted in Heb. 1:6. The author of Hebrews, like other NT authors, is willing to apply OT texts about the Lord (Yahweh) to Jesus (cf. Heb. 1:10–12, using Ps. 102:25–27); these authors were not saying that the OT texts were directly messianic, but they were certainly recognizing that if Jesus was in fact the God of Israel in human flesh (cf. John 1:14), then these texts apply to him.

PSALM—NOTE ON Psalm 97. This is a hymn celebrating God’s kingship over all his creation (see note on Psalm 93), particularly focusing on how God’s universal rule assures the faithful of his final victory over evil and idolatry. This victory involves God’s protection of his faithful ones from evildoers (97:10), the vindication of Zion as God’s chosen place for revealing himself (vv. 8–9), and the Gentiles ultimately coming to know the true God (vv. 6–7). Such assurance does not come from observing the course of events in the world, as God’s universal kingship is often invisible; it is an affirmation of biblical faith that produces profound joy in those who embrace it (vv. 11–12). The psalm has a number of echoes of the Pentateuch, especially Exodus: e.g., Ps. 97:1 (“the LORD reigns”) and Ex. 15:18; Ps. 97:2–5 and Ex. 19:9, 16, 18 (God’s appearance at Sinai); Ps. 97:6 and Ex. 16:7 (“see his glory”) and Num. 14:21 (all the earth shall be filled with the Lord’s glory); and Ps. 97:9 and Ex. 15:11 (the Lord far above all other gods). The reference to Zion hearing and being glad in Ps. 97:8 indicates that the psalm arose from some great deliverance of the city, although the particular deliverance in view is not clear.

PSALM—NOTE ON 97:1 many coastlands. The biblical authors commonly used the nations around the Mediterranean Sea as representatives of all nations everywhere (cf. Isa. 42:4).

PSALM—NOTE ON 97:11 Light is sown. The image would be that God’s “light” (i.e., guidance for a life that is good and healthy, cf. 118:27; 119:130) and joy are scattered along their path like seed, ready to sprout. The image of “sowing” is unusual, and some have preferred the reading of one Hebrew manuscript and some ancient versions (see esv footnote) that gives “light dawns,” as found in 112:4 (the difference is slight: z–r–kh, “dawns”; in place of z–r–‘, “sown”). However, in the second line “joy” is also “sown” or “dawns,” and the esv text makes more sense of this.

PSALM—NOTE ON 97:1–5 The Glorious Presence of the Lord. In words that echo the appearance of God’s glory on Sinai (Ex. 19:16–18; cf. Deut. 4:11; 5:22), the psalm describes the magnificence of God’s presence. The clouds and thick darkness (Ps. 97:2) convey the mystery of God’s unapproachable majesty, while righteousness and justice as the foundation of his throne show that the mysterious majesty is not that of an arbitrary despot but of one who can be trusted. The expressions burns up his adversaries all around (v. 3), the earth sees and trembles (v. 4), and melt like wax (v. 5; cf. 68:2; Mic. 1:4) direct the singers’ attention to how the universal kingship of God means that he is completely able to clear away all opposition. Although the psalms can certainly describe God’s coming judgment on those who disbelieve him (whether in Israel or among the nations), that is not the focus here: this psalm looks forward to the Gentiles coming to know the magnificent Creator and Ruler of all; and thus, let the earth (and its inhabitants) rejoice (Ps. 97:1).