Psalms 98:1-6

A psalm.

1 Sing a new song to the Lord. He has done wonderful things. By the power of his right hand and his holy arm he has saved his people.
2 The LORD has made known his power to save. He has shown the nations that he does what is right.
3 He has shown his faithful love to the people of Israel. People from one end of the earth to the other have seen that our God has saved us.
4 Shout to the LORD with joy, everyone on earth. Burst into joyful songs and make music.
5 Make music to the LORD with the harp. Sing and make music with the harp.
6 Blow the trumpets. Give a blast on the ram's horn. Shout to the LORD with joy. He is the King.

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.''

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