Text -- Psalms 33:1-6 (NET)

Psalm 33

33:1 You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord! It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise. 33:2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp! Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument! 33:3 Sing to him a new song! Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him! 33:4 For the Lord’s decrees are just, and everything he does is fair. 33:5 The Lord promotes equity and justice; the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth. 33:6 By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made; by a mere word from his mouth all the stars in the sky were created.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 33:1

¹ sn Psalm 33. In this hymn the psalmist praises the Lord as the sovereign creator and just ruler of the world who protects and vindicates those who fear him.

NET Notes: Psa 33:3

¹ sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the lives of his people in fresh and exciting ways.

² tn Heb “play skillfully with a loud shout.”

NET Notes: Psa 33:4

¹ sn For the Lord’s decrees are just… After the call to praise (vv. 1-3), the psalmist now gives a series of reasons why the Lord is worthy of praise.

² tn Heb “word.” In this context, which depicts the Lord as the sovereign creator and ruler of the world, the Lord’s “word” refers to the decrees whereby he governs his dominion.

³ tn Or “upright.”

⁴ tn Heb “and all his work [is] in faithfulness.”

NET Notes: Psa 33:5

¹ tn Heb “loves.” The verb “loves” is here metonymic; the Lord’s commitment to principles of equity and justice causes him to actively promote these principles as he governs the world.

² tn Heb “fills the earth.”

NET Notes: Psa 33:6

¹ tn Heb “word.”

² tn Heb “and by the breath of his mouth all their host.” The words “were created” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons; they are understood by ellipsis (note “were made” in the preceding line). The description is consistent with Gen 1:16, which indicates that God spoke the heavenly luminaries into existence.