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Book of Psalms


Psalm 98

A Psalm.

King James Version

1 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.1

Bible Commentary
1. A new song. See Ps. 33:3; 96:1. Verses 1-3 state the reasons for praising Jehovah. The psalm begins on a sublime note of praise.2
Marvellous things. General blessings and particular benefits (see Ex. 15:11, 21; Ps. 77:14).2
 Right hand, and . . . arm.  Denote power.3
Holy arm.  Or, "arm of holiness," the power of His united moral perfections (Ps 22:3;  32:11).3
Gotten him the victory. Literally, "made salvation," enabled Him to save His people.3
2. Hath made known. By acts of deliverance (see Isa. 52:10).2
Salvation. The result of His righteousness (Ps 7:17; 31:1), and both are publicly displayed.3
Righteousness. His faithfulness in accomplishing this great promise.4
Openly. Literally, "before the eyes."2
Heathen. Or, "nations" (see on Ps. 2:1). God's acts were so public that all the nations around Israel could see His power (see Ps. 97:6).2
3. His mercy and his truth.  The union of mercy and truth (Ps 57:3; 85:10) secure the blessings of the promise (Gen 12:3; 18:18) to all the world (Isa 52:10).3

4. Verses 4-6 state the manner of praising Jehovah.
All the earth. The psalm is distinguished by its universal appeal to all peoples.2
Make a loud noise. Or, "burst forth" (Isa 14:7; 44:23).3
Sing praise. Heb. zarmar, "make melody," either with voice or instruments, or both. Spiritually endowed creatures should consciously show forth the praise of God - men have voices with which to sound His praise and are gifted with the ability to make instruments with which to praise Him.2
6. A joyful noise. There are no "muted violins" here; "all the stops of the organ are pulled out in full diapason."2
Before the LORD, the King.  Hail Him as your sovereign; and while, with every aid to demonstrate zeal and joy, intelligent creatures are invited to praise, as in Ps 96:11-13, inanimate nature is also summoned to honour Him who triumphs and rules in righteousness and equity.3
7. Sea roar. See Ps. 96:11. Verses 7-9 extend an invitation to all nature to join in the praise of Jehovah.2
8. Floods clap. A personification perhaps suggested by the breaking waves on the shore.2
Hills be joyful. Compare Ps. 65:9-13 for an exquisite picture of nature in all her beauty praising God.2
9. He cometh. See on Ps. 96:13. The redeemed and all the works of nature look forward with unspeakable anticipation to the time of the redemptive judgment.2

References and notes
1. King James Authorized Version
2. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary - Vol.3 pg 853, 854
3. Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown - http:// eword. gospel com.net/ comments/ psalm/jfb/ psalm98 .htm
4. John Wesley's Notes on the Bible - http:// eword. gospelcom .net/ comments/ psalm/ wesley/ psalm98.htm
5. Spurgeon' Treasury of David - http:// eword. gospelcom .net/ comments/ psalm/ spurgeon/ psalm98.htm

TITLE

This sacred ode, which bears simply the title of "A Psalm", follows fitly upon the last, and is evidently an integral part of the series of royal psalms. 2

 

CORONATION HYMN

If Ps 97:1-12 described the publication of the gospel, and so the setting up of the kingdom of heaven, the present Psalm is a sort of Coronation Hymn, officially proclaiming the conquering Messiah as Monarch over the nations, with blast of trumpets, clapping of hands, and celebration of triumphs. It is a singularly bold and lively song. The critics have fully established the fact that similar expressions occur in Isaiah, but we see no force in the inference that therefore it was written by him; on this principle half the books in the English language might be attributed to Shakespeare. The fact is that these associated Psalms make up a mosaic, in which each one of them has an appropriate place, and is necessary to the completeness of the whole, and therefore we believe them, to be each and all the work of one and the same mind. Paul, if we understand him aright, ascribes Ps 95:1-11 to David, and as we believe that the same writer must have written the whole group, we ascribe this also to the son of Jesse. Whoever that may be, the song is worthy to rank among the most devout and soul stirring of sacred lyrics.5



ECHO OF PSALM 96

Psalm 98 is a superb call to all peoples and to all the forces of nature to praise God, the Sovereign-Judge of the universe. The psalm has been called an echo of Ps. 96, although it exhibits a more definite pattern of form than that psalm.5



DIVISION OF PSALM 98

Three stanzas of similar length, each presenting a unified idea, are clearly discernible:
reasons for praise (vs. 1-3),
manner of praising (vs. 4-6),
invitation to praise (vs. 7-9). The psalm has great freshness and spontaneity of spirit.5

INDEX TO PSALMS

The Psalms page is a great starting point for searching the psalms. This page provides an overview of the psalms and includes links to information about the psalms, psalms terminology and trivia. The page also has links to psalms song previews, cds, videos and dvds.

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