Psalms 99:1-5

The Lord Our God Is Holy

1 ¹The Lord reigns; ²let the peoples tremble! He ³sits enthroned upon the cherubim; ⁴let the earth quake!

2 The Lord is ⁵great in Zion; he is ⁶exalted over all the peoples.

3 Let them praise your ⁷great and awesome name! ⁸Holy is he!

4 ⁹The King in his might ¹⁰loves justice. ^[a] You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

5 ¹¹Exalt the Lord our God; ¹²worship at his ¹³footstool! ¹⁴Holy is he!

Psalms 99:1-5 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 99

This psalm, with the foregoing from Ps 90:1 is ascribed to Moses by Jarchi and others; but cannot be his, since mention is made of Samuel in it, who lived many years after him. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, more rightly attribute it to David; the inscription of the Syriac version, after saying it is David's, subjoins,

``concerning the destruction of the Midianites, whom Moses and the people of Israel led captive;''

of which there is not the least mention in it; but it more truly adds,

``and a prophecy concerning the glory of the kingdom of the Messiah;''

as it undoubtedly is.

Cross References

• 1. 99:1 Ps. 93:1; See 1 Chr. 16:31
• 2. 99:1 [Ps. 96:9]
• 3. 99:1 See Ps. 80:1
• 4. 99:1 [Isa. 24:19, 20]
• 5. 99:2 [Isa. 24:23]
• 6. 99:2 Ps. 113:4; [Ps. 92:8; 93:4]
• 7. 99:3 [Ps. 111:9; Deut. 28:58]
• 8. 99:3 Josh. 24:19; Isa. 6:3; Rev. 15:4
• 9. 99:4 [ver. 1]
• 10. 99:4 Ps. 11:7; Isa. 61:8; [Job 36:5-7]
• 11. 99:5 Ps. 107:32; 118:28; Ex. 15:2; Isa. 25:1
• 12. 99:5 Ps. 132:7; 1 Chr. 28:2
• 13. 99:5 Isa. 60:13; Lam. 2:1; Ezek. 43:7
• 14. 99:5 [See ver. 3 above]

Footnotes

• [a] 99:4 Or 'The might of the King loves justice'