Psalms 96:2-13

Context

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

Announce every day how he delivers!¹

96:3 Tell the nations about his splendor!

Tell² 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.³

96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,⁴

but the Lord made the sky.

96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him;⁵

his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.⁶

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!⁷

Bring an offering and enter his courts!

96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire!⁸

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

96:13 before the Lord, for he comes!

For he comes to judge the earth!

He judges the world fairly,⁹

and the nations in accordance with his justice.¹⁰

[96:2] ¹tn Heb “announce from day to day his deliverance.”

[96:3] ²tn The verb “tell” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[96:4] ³tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.

[96:5] ⁴tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.

[96:6] ⁵tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”

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

[96:8] ⁷tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”

[96:9] ⁸tn Or “in holy splendor.”

[96:13] ⁹tn The verbal forms in v. 13 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions, in which case they could be translated “will judge the world.”

[96:13] ¹⁰tn Heb “and the nations with his integrity.”