Psalms 98:1-8

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, because he has done miracles. By his right hand and holy arm he has won the victory.
2 The Lord has made known his power to save; he has shown the other nations his victory for his people.
3 He has remembered his love and his loyalty to the people of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen God's power to save.
4 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth; burst into songs and make music.
5 Make music to the Lord with harps, with harps and the sound of singing.
6 Blow the trumpets and the sheep's horns; shout for joy to the Lord the King.
7 Let the sea and everything in it shout; let the world and everyone in it sing.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing together for joy.

Psalms 98:1-8 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.''

Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.