Discovery BoxPsalms 96:4-13
Context96:4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods. 1
96:5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless, 2
but the Lord made the sky.
96:6 Majestic splendor emanates from him; 3
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful. 4
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! 5
Bring an offering and enter his courts!
96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! 6
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, 7
and the nations in accordance with his justice. 8
[96:4] 1 tn Or perhaps “and feared by all gods.” See Ps 89:7.
[96:5] 2 tn The Hebrew term אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless”) sounds like אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “gods”). The sound play draws attention to the statement.
[96:6] 3 tn Heb “majesty and splendor [are] before him.”
[96:6] 4 tn Heb “strength and beauty [are] in his sanctuary.”
[96:8] 4 tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”
[96:9] 5 tn Or “in holy splendor.”
[96:13] 6 tn 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.”
