I. (99:1–5) The Lord Is a Holy and Majestic King. This first section stresses the stunning majesty of God’s kingship over all the world: he “reigns” and is “enthroned upon the cherubim” (v. 1; cf. comment on 80:1–3), he is “great” and is “exalted over all the peoples” (99:2), and he is holy (vv. 3, 5). It also emphasizes the proper human response to him: “let the peoples tremble” (v. 1)627 and let these peoples “praise your great and awesome name” (v. 3), “exalt the Lord,” and “worship” (v. 5).

The theme here is universal, as is typical in the divine kingship psalms. The “peoples” (Gentiles) appear twice explicitly (vv. 1, 2), and then as subject of the exhortation (v. 3) and probably of the invitation as well (v. 5). The “earth,” in parallel with “peoples” (v. 1), also stresses this universality.

Verses 3, 5 repeat the clause “Holy is he!”; the Lord is spotlessly pure and righteous, separate above his creation. But this universal God has made himself known in “Zion” (v. 2) and has established his just and gracious rule in “Jacob” (v. 4). Here, among his chosen people, Israel, the perfect kingship of God is supposed to be on display. The place of worship (the sanctuary) is God’s “footstool” (1 Chron. 28:2; Ps. 132:7), in keeping with the royal image, where God the universal King is the acknowledged King over his people.628 This is seen in the intensifying parallelism of Psalm 99:2: he is “great in Zion” (the sanctuary in Israel) and, what is more, “is exalted over all the peoples” (and not simply Israel).

The “King”—the Lord who “reigns” (v. 1)—“loves justice” (v. 4). The “might” this King wields is directed entirely to good and pure ends. In the true God there is absolute might combined with absolute right, and this endears him to his faithful worshipers. (On the idea of God’s just rule cf. comment on 96:10–13; cf. also 98:9.)

Therefore people—presumably the Gentile peoples who appear in this section—are urged to “exalt” the Lord (99:5). The Lord is “exalted” (v. 2), high in majesty, and the worshipers acknowledge his exaltedness, honoring him for his high majesty. This is the appropriate worship at his footstool; the Gentile peoples are to join the people of Israel.

II. (99:6–9) The Holy God Has Provided for His People to Worship Him. The first section described the holiness of the one true God exalted over all the world and hinted at the privilege of the chosen people. This section explores more of the wonder of what it means to be God’s people, those whom he actually welcomes into his presence.

In mentioning “Moses,” “Aaron,” and “Samuel” (v. 6) the psalm reminds its singers of how these men were God’s gifts to lead his people. Here they further serve as examples of those who “called to the Lord, and he answered them” (v. 6; cf. v. 8), and who “kept his testimonies” and “statute” (v. 7). The “pillar of the cloud” alludes especially to Moses (Ex. 33:9), but could be extended to include Aaron (Num. 12:5–6; in a rebuke to Aaron and Miriam!). God’s faithful can be sure that he has preserved his people through such servants as these and has called each of his people to a similar life of faith and obedience.

As the first section had done (Ps. 99:3–4), here the song turns to speak to God as “you” (v. 8). When the text refers to “them,” it apparently means the three notables, since the verb “answered” is repeated from verse 6. The accounts we have of these three figures show that they were far from perfect, and thus the Lord showed himself to be a “forgiving God to them” (cf. Ex. 34:7 for the term). Even the best of God’s people rely on this—and not their own moral excellence—as their confidence. At the same time, the Lord was an “avenger of their wrongdoings.” The grammar of this expression could mean “of the wrongs done to them,” which God surely avenges (Deut. 32:35, 41, 43), but it could also be “of the wrongs done by them,” their own misdeeds. The word rendered “wrongdoings” can be human evil deeds, although other contexts usually supply clarification (cf. Deut. 22:14, 17; Pss. 14:1; 141:4). The context of God’s forgiveness, together with the biblical record of these men’s imperfections, tends to favor the second option. In this case the Lord “avenges” the wrong committed by his people by chastising them in order to help them on to greater holiness. The God described here forgives his people not because he is indifferent to their moral condition but so that they may have the joy of ever-deepening moral excellence.

Psalm 99:9 restates and amplifies verse 5. The “footstool,” potentially ambiguous as either the sanctuary or the whole world (Isa. 66:1), is now clearly the “holy mountain,” where the sanctuary is located (Ps. 15:1). Here the addressees are especially fellow worshipers in Israel.