Psalms 98:1-6

A psalm.

1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
5 make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the LORD, 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.''

Cross References 19

  • 1. Psalms 30:4
  • 2. S Psalms 96:1
  • 3. Exodus 15:1; Psalms 96:3; Isaiah 12:5; Luke 1:51
  • 4. S Exodus 15:6
  • 5. S Joshua 4:24; Job 40:9; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 52:10; Isaiah 53:1; Isaiah 63:5
  • 6. S Psalms 44:3; Isaiah 59:16
  • 7. Isaiah 52:10; Luke 3:6
  • 8. S Psalms 97:6
  • 9. S Psalms 67:2
  • 10. S 1 Chronicles 16:15; Luke 1:54
  • 11. S Genesis 49:10; S Psalms 48:10
  • 12. S Psalms 50:23
  • 13. Psalms 20:5; Isaiah 12:6; Isaiah 44:23; Isaiah 52:9; Isaiah 54:1; Isaiah 55:12
  • 14. Psalms 33:2; Psalms 92:3; Psalms 147:7
  • 15. Isaiah 51:3
  • 16. S Numbers 10:2; S 2 Samuel 6:15; Numbers 10:10
  • 17. S Exodus 19:13
  • 18. Psalms 20:5; Psalms 100:1; Isaiah 12:6
  • 19. Psalms 2:6; Psalms 47:7
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