Psalms 149:1-6

1 Hallelujah! Sing unto Jehovah a new song; [sing] his praise in the congregation of the godly.

2 Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the sons of Zion be joyful in their King.

3 Let them praise his name in the dance; let them sing psalms unto him with the tambour and harp.

4 For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people; he beautifieth the meek with salvation.

5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them shout for joy upon their beds.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand:

Psalms 149:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 149

This psalm is thought by Calvin and others to have been written for the sake of the Jews that returned from the Babylonish captivity; and is a prediction of great and famous things done in the times of the Maccabees to Heathens and their princes, so Theodoret; the Syriac version entitles it,

``concerning the new temple;''

that is, the second temple, built by Zerubbabel, and the things done under that; but it rather seems to have been written by David in the beginning of his reign, when he obtained victories over the Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Syrians; and refers to the times of the Messiah, as Kimchi, R. Obadiah Gaon, and others think; not of the Jews' vainly expected Messiah, but of the true Messiah, who is come, and will come again, spiritually and personally; and there are many things in it applicable both to the first and latter part of his days.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or 'godly,' chasid: see Ps. 30.4.
• [b]. As Ex. 12.6.
• [c]. The Hebrew word for 'Maker' is plural.
• [d]. Am (singular of Ammim, Ps. 7.8). It generally signifies Israel.
• [e]. Lit. 'throat,' as Ps. 5.9; Isa. 58.1.