Psalms 96:1-12

Context

Psalm 96¹

96:1 Sing to the Lord a new song!²

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

96:2 Sing to the Lord! Praise his name!

Announce every day how he delivers!³

96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!

Tell⁴ all the nations about his amazing deeds!

96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;

he is more awesome than all gods.⁵

96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,⁶

but the Lord made the sky.

96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him;⁷

his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.⁸

96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,

ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!

96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves!⁹

Bring an offering and enter his courts!

96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire!¹⁰

Tremble before him, all the earth!

96:10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!

The world is established, it cannot be moved.

He judges the nations fairly.”

96:11 Let the sky rejoice, and the earth be happy!

Let the sea and everything in it shout!

96:12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate!

Then let the trees of the forest shout with joy

[96:1] ¹sn Psalm 96. The psalmist summons everyone to praise the Lord, the sovereign creator of the world who preserves and promotes justice in the earth.

[96:1] ²sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See also Pss 33:3; 40:3; 98:1.

[96:2] ³tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”

[96:3] ⁴tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[96:4] ⁵tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.

[96:5] ⁶tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.

[96:6] ⁷tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”

[96:6] ⁸tn Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.”

[96:8] ⁹tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”

[96:9] ¹⁰tn Or “in holy splendor.”