
Text -- Psalms 97:9-12 (NET)




Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics



collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Joy and happiness.
JFB: Psa 97:8-9 - -- The exaltation of Zion's king is joy to the righteous and sorrow to the wicked.
The exaltation of Zion's king is joy to the righteous and sorrow to the wicked.

JFB: Psa 97:10-12 - -- Let gratitude for the blessings of providence and grace incite saints (Psa 4:3) to holy living. Spiritual blessings are in store, represented by light...

JFB: Psa 97:11 - -- To spring forth abundantly for such, who alone can and well may rejoice in the holy government of their sovereign Lord (compare Psa 30:4; Psa 32:11).
For thou, Lord, art high - Thou art infinitely exalted above men and angels.

Clarke: Psa 97:10 - -- Ye that love the Lord hate evil - Because it is inconsistent with his love to you, as well as your love to him
Ye that love the Lord hate evil - Because it is inconsistent with his love to you, as well as your love to him

Clarke: Psa 97:10 - -- He preserveth the souls of his saints - The saints, חסידיו chasidaiv , his merciful people: their souls - lives, are precious in his sight. H...
He preserveth the souls of his saints - The saints,

Out of the hand of the wicked - From his power and influence.

Clarke: Psa 97:11 - -- Light is sown for the righteous - The Divine light in the soul of man is a seed which takes root, and springs up and increases thirty, sixty, and a ...
Light is sown for the righteous - The Divine light in the soul of man is a seed which takes root, and springs up and increases thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold. Gladness is also a seed: it is sown, and, if carefully improved and cultivated, will also multiply itself into thousands. Every grace of God is a seed which he intends should produce a thousand fold in the hearts of genuine believers. We do not so much require more grace from God, as the cultivation of what we have received. God will not give more, unless we improve what we have got. Remember the parable of the talents. Let the light and gladness be faithfully cultivated, and they will multiply themselves till the whole body shall be full of light, and the whole soul full of happiness. But it is the righteous only for whom the light is sown; and the upright in heart alone for whom the gladness is sown
The words may also signify that, however distressed or persecuted the righteous and the upright may be, it shall not be always so. As surely as the grain that is sown in the earth shall vegetate, and bring forth its proper fruit in its season, so surely shall light - prosperity, and gladness - comfort and peace, be communicated to them. They also will spring up in due time.

Clarke: Psa 97:12 - -- Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - It is your privilege to be happy. Exult in him through whom ye have received the atonement. Rejoice; but let it ...
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - It is your privilege to be happy. Exult in him through whom ye have received the atonement. Rejoice; but let it be in the Lord. All other joy is the mirth of fools, which is as the crackling of thorns under a pot - it is a luminous blaze for a moment, and leaves nothing but smoke and ashes behind

Clarke: Psa 97:12 - -- At the remembrance of his holiness - But why should you give thanks at the remembrance that God is holy? Because he has said, Be ye holy; for I am h...
At the remembrance of his holiness - But why should you give thanks at the remembrance that God is holy? Because he has said, Be ye holy; for I am holy: and in holiness alone true happiness is to be found. As he, therefore, who hath called you is holy; so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. False Christians hate the doctrine of Christian holiness; they are willing to be holy in another, but not holy in themselves. There is too much cross-bearing and self-denial in the doctrine of holiness for them. A perfect heart they neither expect nor wish
The analysis considers the whole Psalm as relating to Jesus Christ and the last judgment: so it was understood by several of the ancient fathers. The reader may take it in either sense
Calvin: Psa 97:9 - -- 9.For thou, Jehovah, art high above all the earth Having already, in another place, explained these words, I shall not say more at present upon them....
9.For thou, Jehovah, art high above all the earth Having already, in another place, explained these words, I shall not say more at present upon them. Only it is to be noticed, that there is a comparison drawn between God and the angels, and whatever has any claim to eminence. The Psalmist limits all other excellency in such a manner, as to leave no room for questioning that all majesty is comprehended in God only. This was the case more eminently when God manifested himself in his only-begotten Son, who is the express image of himself. Before that period his greatness was less apparent, because he was less known.

Calvin: Psa 97:10 - -- 10.Ye that love Jehovah, hate evil Those that fear God are here enjoined to practice righteousness, as Paul says, “Let every one that nameth the n...
10.Ye that love Jehovah, hate evil Those that fear God are here enjoined to practice righteousness, as Paul says,
“Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity,”
(2Ti 2:19)
He shows from the very nature of God, that we cannot be judged and acknowledged to be his servants unless we depart from sin, and practice holiness. God is in himself the fountain of righteousness, and he must necessarily hate all iniquity, unless we could suppose that he should deny himself; and we have fellowship with him only on the terms of separation from unrighteousness. As the persecution of the wicked is apt to provoke us to seek revenge, and unwarrantable methods of escape, the Psalmist guards us against this temptation, by asserting that God is the keeper and protector of his people. If persuaded of being under the Divine guardianship, we will not strive with the wicked, nor retaliate injury upon those who have wronged us, but commit our safety to him who will faithfully defend it. This gracious act of condescension, by which God takes us under his care, should serve as a check to any impatience we might feel in abstaining from what is evil, 103 and preserving the course of integrity under provocation.

Calvin: Psa 97:11 - -- 11.Light has been sown for the righteous He confirms the truth just advanced, and anticipates an objection which might be brought against it. We have...
11.Light has been sown for the righteous He confirms the truth just advanced, and anticipates an objection which might be brought against it. We have seen that the Lord’s people are often treated with the utmost cruelty and injustice, and would seem to be abandoned to the fury of their enemies. The Psalmist reminds us for our encouragement that God, even when he does not immediately deliver his children, upholds them by his secret power. 104 In the first clause of the verse there is a double metaphor. By light is meant joy, or a prosperous issue, (according to a phraseology which is common in Scripture,) as darkness denotes adversity. The latter metaphor of sowing is rather more difficult to understand. 105 Some think that gladness is sown for the just, as seed which, when cast into the ground, dies or lies buried in the earth a considerable time before it germinates. This idea may be a good one; but, perhaps, the simplest meaning of the words is the following, that though the righteous may be almost banished out of the world, and unable to venture themselves forth in public, and hidden from view, God will spread abroad their joy like seed, or bring forth to notice the light of their joy which had been shut up. The second clause of the verse is an exegesis of the first — light being interpreted to mean joy, and the righteous such as are upright in heart This definition of righteousness is worthy of notice, That it does not consist in a mere outward appearance, but comprehends integrity of heart, more being required to constitute us righteous in God’s sight than that we simply keep our tongue, hands, or feet, from wickedness. In the concluding verse he exhorts the Lord’s people to gratitude, that looking upon God as their Redeemer, they should lead a life corresponding to the mercy they have received, and rest contented under all the evils they encounter, with the consciousness that they enjoy his protection.
TSK: Psa 97:9 - -- high : Psa 83:18; Eph 1:21; Phi 2:9-11
far : Psa 95:3, Psa 96:4, Psa 115:3-8, Psa 135:5; Exo 18:11; Jer 10:8, Jer 10:10
high : Psa 83:18; Eph 1:21; Phi 2:9-11
far : Psa 95:3, Psa 96:4, Psa 115:3-8, Psa 135:5; Exo 18:11; Jer 10:8, Jer 10:10

TSK: Psa 97:10 - -- Ye that : Psa 91:14; Rom 8:28; 1Co 8:3; Jam 1:12, Jam 2:5; 1Pe 1:8; 1Jo 4:19, 1Jo 5:2, 1Jo 5:3
hate : Psa 34:14, Psa 36:4, Psa 37:27, Psa 101:3, Psa 1...
Ye that : Psa 91:14; Rom 8:28; 1Co 8:3; Jam 1:12, Jam 2:5; 1Pe 1:8; 1Jo 4:19, 1Jo 5:2, 1Jo 5:3
hate : Psa 34:14, Psa 36:4, Psa 37:27, Psa 101:3, Psa 119:104, Psa 119:163; Pro 3:7, Pro 8:13; Amo 5:15; Rom 7:15, Rom 7:24, Rom 12:9
preserveth : Psa 31:23, Psa 37:28, Psa 37:39, Psa 37:40, Psa 145:20; Pro 2:8; Isa 45:17; Joh 20:28-30; Rom 8:28-30; 1Pe 1:5
delivereth : Psa 125:3; Jer 15:21; Dan 3:28, Dan 6:22, Dan 6:27; 2Th 2:8-12, 2Th 3:2; 1Jo 5:18; Rev 13:8

TSK: Psa 97:11 - -- Light : Psa 18:28, Psa 112:4; Est 8:16; Job 22:28; Pro 4:18; Isa 60:1, Isa 60:2, Isa 62:1; Mic 7:9; Joh 12:46; Rev 21:23, Rev 22:5
sown : Psa 126:5, P...

TSK: Psa 97:12 - -- Rejoice : Psa 32:11, Psa 33:1; Hab 3:17, Hab 3:18; Zep 3:14-17; Phi 4:4
give thanks : Psa 30:4, Psa 60:6; Hab 1:12, Hab 1:13; Heb 12:10
at the remembr...

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes: Psa 97:9 - -- For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth - See the notes at Psa 83:18. Thou art exalted far above all gods - See the notes at Psa 95:...

Barnes: Psa 97:10 - -- Ye that love the Lord, hate evil - Show your love for the Lord "by"hating all that is evil; that is, all that he hates, or that is evil in his ...
Ye that love the Lord, hate evil - Show your love for the Lord "by"hating all that is evil; that is, all that he hates, or that is evil in his sight. There can be no true love for God where evil is not hated in all its forms, since it is the object of the divine abhorrence. We cannot be like God unless we love what he loves, and hate what he hates. There is nothing more clearly affirmed in the Scriptures than that in order to the love of God there must be the hatred of all that is wrong, and that where there is the love of sin in the heart, there can be no true religion. Compare the notes at Isa 1:16-20.
He preserveth the souls of his saints - The lives of his saints, or his holy ones. That is, he guards them from danger, and watches over them with a careful eye. See Psa 3:8; Psa 37:39.
He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked - That is, he often does this; they may expect that he will do it. He does not, indeed, always deliver them from the temporal calamities which wicked people bring upon them - for they are not unfrequently persecuted and wronged; but ultimately he will deliver them altogether from the power of the wicked. In heaven none of the machinations of wicked people can reach them. At the same time it is also true that God often interposes in behalf of his people, and delivers them as such from the designs of the wicked: that is, he delivers them because they are righteous, or because they are his friends. Compare the notes at Dan 3:16-17, notes at Dan 3:24-25; notes at Dan 6:18-23.

Barnes: Psa 97:11 - -- Light is sown for the righteous - That is, There is light for the righteous; or, they shall be brought into light, though they may be for a tim...
Light is sown for the righteous - That is, There is light for the righteous; or, they shall be brought into light, though they may be for a time in darkness. The word rendered "sown"-
And gladness for the upright in heart - The word gladness here - joy, or rejoicing - is parallel to the word light. Joy or gladness is sown for the righteous; that is, arrangements are made for producing joy, as preparations are made by sowing seed for a harvest. The world is full of arrangements for conferring happiness on the righteous.

Barnes: Psa 97:12 - -- Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - See the notes at Psa 33:1. And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness - Margin, "to the memor...
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - See the notes at Psa 33:1.
And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness - Margin, "to the memorial"(compare Psa 30:4). The idea is, "to the memory of his holiness;"that is, when his holiness comes before the mind; when it is remembered; when it is thought of. Give thanks or rejoice,
(a) that God is holy; that he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; that there is One eternally pure who presides over the universe; that there is One who will always do what is right;
(b) that such a Being is our God - our covenant-keeping God; that we may look to him, trust in him, enjoy him.
Wicked people do not rejoice that there is a God at all, and especially that God is a "holy God;"but it is one of the characteristics of true piety to rejoice in the thought that there is a God, and that he is perfectly holy, and hence, to feel conscious happiness whenever his name is mentioned, and whenever his attributes are referred to. The highest source of joy for man is that there is a God, and that God is exactly what he is, pure and holy. It would be a source of deepest sorrow if there were no God, or if God were in any respect, even the slightest, a different being from what he is.
Poole: Psa 97:9 - -- As thou always wert so in truth, so thou hast now proved and declared thyself to be such in the eyes of the whole world, by subduing them under thy ...
As thou always wert so in truth, so thou hast now proved and declared thyself to be such in the eyes of the whole world, by subduing them under thy feet.

Poole: Psa 97:10 - -- Ye that love the Lord O all you who love and worship the true God and his anointed, and rejoice in the establishment of his kingdom.
Hate evil show...
Ye that love the Lord O all you who love and worship the true God and his anointed, and rejoice in the establishment of his kingdom.
Hate evil show your love to him by your abhorrency of all idolatry, which is sometimes called evil or sin by way of eminency, and of all other wickedness. And although you that love the Lord Christ and his kingdom will meet with many troubles and persecutions, yet be not discouraged, for he will preserve you in troubles, and in his time deliver you out of them all.

Poole: Psa 97:11 - -- Light i.e. joy and felicity, as this word is used, Est 8:16 Psa 112:4 , and oft elsewhere.
Is sown is prepared or laid up for them, and shall in du...
Light i.e. joy and felicity, as this word is used, Est 8:16 Psa 112:4 , and oft elsewhere.
Is sown is prepared or laid up for them, and shall in due time be reaped by them, possibly in this life, but undoubtedly in the next. And therefore bear your afflictions for Christ with patience and cheerfulness.

Poole: Psa 97:12 - -- In consideration of his holy and righteous nature and government, or of his faithfulness in making good that great promise of sending the Messias in...
In consideration of his holy and righteous nature and government, or of his faithfulness in making good that great promise of sending the Messias into the world; for holiness is sometimes taken for faithfulness, which is one part or branch of it.
Gill: Psa 97:9 - -- For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth,.... Above all the inhabitants of the earth, as the Targum; he is highly exalted above every name, men of...
For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth,.... Above all the inhabitants of the earth, as the Targum; he is highly exalted above every name, men of the greatest name that is named in the world; he is made higher than the heavens, and the inhabitants of it; and has all power in heaven and earth, as Mediator; and, as a divine Person, he is the most high God, as the word "Elion", here used, signifies; and all this lays a foundation for joy and gladness in the saints; even the dignity of Christ's person, and the exaltation of him in the human nature:
thou art exalted far above all gods: not only the fictitious deities of the Gentiles, or the greatest potentates upon earth, being made higher than the kings of the earth, who are called gods; but also than the angels in heaven; he is set down at the right hand of God, where they are not, and never were, nor shall be; angels, authorities, and powers, being subject to him, Heb 1:13.

Gill: Psa 97:10 - -- Ye that love the Lord, hate evil,.... The evil of sin, which is to be hated, because of the evil nature of it, it being exceeding sinful; and because ...
Ye that love the Lord, hate evil,.... The evil of sin, which is to be hated, because of the evil nature of it, it being exceeding sinful; and because of its evil consequences, bringing death, ruin, and destruction with it to the souls of men, unless grace prevents; and disquietude, distress, and trouble to the saints themselves; and because it is hateful to God, being contrary to his nature, will, and law, and is hated by Christ; and therefore those that love him should hate that, shun it, avoid it, depart from it, and abstain from all appearance of it; as all such will that love him in sincerity above all persons and things; and all of him, and that belong to him, his people, ways, worship, truths, and ordinances: and such are they that have seen the loveliness of him, and know his love, and have had it shed abroad in their hearts; and these will not only hate the evil of sin, but evil men; not their persons, but their actions and conversations; and will avoid them, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness:
he preserveth the souls of his saints; that are set apart by him, and chosen in him to be holy; that are sanctified by his blood, and by his Spirit and grace, and to whom he is made sanctification: the "souls" of these, their better and more noble part, which are dear to him, and he has redeemed by his blood, and whose salvation he has obtained, and they still receive, he "preserves" from the evil of sin, from its governing and damning power, from a final and total apostasy by it, from ruin and destruction through it, from being hurt by the second death; and he preserves them from all their enemies, sin, Satan, and the world, from being destroyed by them, safe to his kingdom and glory; therefore he is to be loved, and sin to be hated by them:
he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked; of wicked and unreasonable men, into whose hands they sometimes fall, cruel and bloodthirsty persecutors; as he is able to deliver them, so oftentimes he does; and will, ere long, put them entirely out of their reach. Kimchi interprets this of the deliverance of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon, Media, and Persia.

Gill: Psa 97:11 - -- Light is sown for the righteous,.... Who are made righteous by the obedience of Christ, and live soberly and righteously; the light of joy and gladnes...
Light is sown for the righteous,.... Who are made righteous by the obedience of Christ, and live soberly and righteously; the light of joy and gladness, as it is explained in the next clause; see Est 8:16 so,
"light is risen and prepared for the righteous;''
Christ, the light of the world, the sun of righteousness, is risen for them, and upon them, with healing in his wings, which bring joy and comfort to them:
and gladness for the upright in heart; such as have new hearts and right spirits formed in them, and are Israelites indeed, that have the truth of grace and the root of the matter in them: gladness is prepared, provided, and promised to them, and sooner or later they shall have it; the seed of it is sown, and it will spring up, and a large crop shall be enjoyed. Kimchi's note is,
"light is sown for the righteous in this world, and they shall reap light and joy in time to come, in the days of the Messiah.''

Gill: Psa 97:12 - -- Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous,.... In the word of the Lord, as the Targum; in Christ, the essential Word, in his person, the greatness, glory, and...
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous,.... In the word of the Lord, as the Targum; in Christ, the essential Word, in his person, the greatness, glory, and fulness of it; in his righteousness, and in salvation by him, and that always; see Phi 4:4,
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness; of his essential holiness, as a divine Person, in which he is glorious, and which appears in all that he has done; and of the holiness of his nature and life, as man and Mediator, which are imputed to his people for their justification; and at the remembrance of that holiness which they have from him, and are made partakers of in sanctification: and at the remembrance of that perfect holiness which they shall have with him in heaven to all eternity. Holiness may also signify his faithfulness in the discharge of his work and office as Mediator, and in the fulfilment of his promises to his people; See Gill on Psa 30:4.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes


NET Notes: Psa 97:11 Heb “Light is planted for the godly, and for the upright of heart joy.” The translation assumes an emendation of זָר...

NET Notes: Psa 97:12 Heb “to his holy remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זָכַר (zakhar, “remembrance”) here refers to the ...
Geneva Bible: Psa 97:10 Ye that ( h ) love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
( h ) He requires tw...

Geneva Bible: Psa 97:11 ( i ) Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
( i ) Though God's deliverance does not appear suddenly, yet it is sown...

Geneva Bible: Psa 97:12 Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the ( k ) remembrance of his holiness.
( k ) Be mindful of his benefits and only trust in his d...

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Psa 97:1-12
TSK Synopsis: Psa 97:1-12 - --1 The majesty of God's kingdom.7 The church rejoices at God's judgments upon idolaters.10 An exhortation to godliness and gladness.
MHCC -> Psa 97:8-12
MHCC: Psa 97:8-12 - --The faithful servants of God may well rejoice and be glad, because he is glorified; and whatever tends to his honour, is his people's pleasure. Care i...
Matthew Henry -> Psa 97:8-12
Matthew Henry: Psa 97:8-12 - -- The kingdom of the Messiah, like the pillar of cloud and fire, as it has a dark side towards the Egyptians, so it has a bright side towards the Isra...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Psa 97:9; Psa 97:10-12
Keil-Delitzsch: Psa 97:9 - --
This distichic epiphonema ( Psa 97:9 = Ps 83:19; Psa 97:9 , cf. Psa 47:3, 10) might close the Psalm; there follows still, however, a hortatory stro...

Keil-Delitzsch: Psa 97:10-12 - --
It is true Psa 97:12 is = Psa 32:11, Psa 97:12 = Psa 30:5, and the promise in Psa 97:10 is the same as in Psa 37:28; Psa 34:21; but as to the rest...
Constable: Psa 90:1--106:48 - --IV. Book 4: chs. 90--106
Moses composed one of the psalms in this section of the Psalter (Ps. 90). David wrote t...

Constable: Psa 97:1-12 - --Psalm 97
The writer of this psalm saw the Lord coming to rule and reign on the earth. He exhorted his re...

Constable: Psa 97:2-9 - --2. The appearance of the King 97:2-9
97:2-5 These verses reveal the appearance of the Lord in terms similar to other visions God gave His prophets (cf...
