Psalms 98:1-6

1 Oh sing to the LORD 1a new song, for he has done 2marvelous things! His 3right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has 4made known his salvation; he has 5revealed his righteousness in 6the sight of the nations.
3 He has 7remembered his 8steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All 9the ends of the earth have seen 10the salvation of our God.
4 11Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; 12break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the 13sound of melody!
6 With 14trumpets and the sound of 15the horn 16make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

Psalms 98:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 98

\\<>\\. This is the only psalm throughout the whole book which is so called, without any other additional word, epithet, or inscription. The Targum calls it a psalm of prophecy, or a prophetic psalm, as indeed it is; for it respects time to come, as Jarchi observes, even the Gospel dispensation. Aben Ezra says, perhaps this psalm is concerning the coming of the Redeemer; a doubt need not be made of it, it certainly is. Abendana, a later writer among the Jews, says of the latter part of the psalm, that it figuratively expresses the greatness of the joy that shall be in the days of the Messiah. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, ascribe it unto David; but it was not penned by him on account of any victory obtained by him, but as a prophecy of the victories and salvation of the Messiah; nor is it of the same argument with, or a compendium of, the song of Moses at the Red sea, as Grotius thinks; though the inscription of the Syriac version begins thus, ``a Psalm of David, concerning the redemption of the people out of Egypt, when they conquered and triumphed;'' yet it more rightly adds, ``but spiritually a prophecy concerning the coming of Christ, and the calling of the Gentiles unto the faith.''

Cross References 16

  • 1. See Psalms 33:3
  • 2. [Psalms 96:3]; Psalms 72:18
  • 3. [Exodus 15:6; Luke 1:51]; See Job 40:14
  • 4. Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 52:10; Luke 2:30, 31; [Isaiah 59:16; Isaiah 63:5]
  • 5. Isaiah 62:2; Romans 3:25, 26
  • 6. Psalms 96:2, 3
  • 7. Luke 1:54, 72
  • 8. See Psalms 36:5
  • 9. Psalms 22:27
  • 10. ver. 2
  • 11. See Psalms 66:1
  • 12. Isaiah 44:23
  • 13. Isaiah 51:3
  • 14. Numbers 10:10; 1 Chronicles 15:24
  • 15. 2 Chronicles 15:14
  • 16. [See ver. 4 above]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.