PSALM 96 COMMETARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE ITRODUCTIO SPURGEO, "SUBJECT. —This Psalm is evidently taken from that sacred song which was composed by David at the time when "the ark of God was set in the midst of the tent which David had prepared for it, and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God." See the sixteenth chapter of the first book of the Chronicles. The former part of that sacred song was probably omitted in this place because it referred to Israel, and the design of the Holy Ghost in this psalm was to give forth a song for the Gentiles, a triumphant hymn wherewith to celebrate the conversion of the nations to Jehovah in gospel times. It follows fitly upon the last Psalm, which describes the obstinacy of Israel, and the consequent taking of the gospel from them that it might be preached among the nations who would receive it, and in due time be fully won to Christ by its power. It thus makes a pair with the inety-fifth Psalm. It is a grand MISSIOARY HYM, and it is a wonder that Jeers can read it and yet remain exclusive. If blindness in part had not happened unto Israel, they might have seen long ago, and would now see, that their God always had designs of love for all the families of men, and never intended that his grace and his covenant should relate only to the seed of Abraham after the flesh. We do not wonder that the large hearted David rejoiced and danced before the ark, while he saw in vision all the earth turning from idols to the one living and true God. Had Michal, Saul's daughter, only been able to enter into his delight, she would not have reproached him, and if the Jews at this day could only be enlarged in heart to feel sympathy with all mankind, they also would sing for joy at the great prophecy that all the earth shall be fitted with the glory of the Lord. DIVISIOS. —We will make none, for the song is one and indivisible, a garment of praise without seam, woven from the top throughout. COKE, "THIS psalm is attributed to David in the Greek copies. It was composed by him upon the translation of the ark from the house of Obed-edom to the place that he had prepared for it on mount Sion: and it is extant in 1 Chronicles 16 only differing in some particulars, which are supposed to have been added by Ezra upon rebuilding the temple after the captivity. But, says Bishop Patrick, it never had a full completion till the time of the Messiah, who was indeed the temple of God, which came to dwell among us. Several of the Jewish Rabbis acknowledge that it belongs to his times, and the Syriac title informs us, that it was a prophesy of the coming of Christ, and the calling of the Gentiles.
1. PSALM 96 COMME TARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE I TRODUCTIO SPURGEO
, "SUBJECT. This Psalm is evidently taken from that sacred song
which was composed by David at the time when "the ark of God was
set in the midst of the tent which David had prepared for it, and
they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God." See
the sixteenth chapter of the first book of the Chronicles. The
former part of that sacred song was probably omitted in this place
because it referred to Israel, and the design of the Holy Ghost in
this psalm was to give forth a song for the Gentiles, a triumphant
hymn wherewith to celebrate the conversion of the nations to
Jehovah in gospel times. It follows fitly upon the last Psalm,
which describes the obstinacy of Israel, and the consequent taking
of the gospel from them that it might be preached among the nations
who would receive it, and in due time be fully won to Christ by its
power. It thus makes a pair with the inety-fifth Psalm. It is a
grand MISSIO ARY HYM , and it is a wonder that Jeers can read it
and yet remain exclusive. If blindness in part had not happened
unto Israel, they might have seen long ago, and would now see, that
their God always had designs of love for all the families of men,
and never intended that his grace and his covenant should relate
only to the seed of Abraham after the flesh. We do not wonder that
the large hearted David rejoiced and danced before the ark, while
he saw in vision all the earth turning from idols to the one living
and true God. Had Michal, Saul's daughter, only been able to enter
into his delight, she would not have reproached him, and if the
Jews at this day could only be enlarged in heart to feel sympathy
with all mankind, they also would sing for joy at the great
prophecy that all the earth shall be fitted with the glory of the
Lord. DIVISIO S. We will make none, for the song is one and
indivisible, a garment of praise without seam, woven from the top
throughout. COKE, "THIS psalm is attributed to David in the Greek
copies. It was composed by him upon the translation of the ark from
the house of Obed-edom to the place that he had prepared for it on
mount Sion: and it is extant in 1 Chronicles 16 only differing in
some particulars, which are supposed to have been added by Ezra
upon rebuilding the temple after the captivity. But, says Bishop
Patrick, it never had a full completion till the time of the
Messiah, who was indeed the temple of God, which came to dwell
among us. Several of the Jewish Rabbis acknowledge that it belongs
to his times, and the Syriac title informs us, that it was a
prophesy of the coming of Christ, and the calling of the
Gentiles.
2. 1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the
earth. BAR ES, "O sing unto the Lord a new song - See the notes at
Psa_33:3. This is the only addition made to the original form of
the psalm. The word new here implies that there was some fresh
occasion for celebrating the praises of God; that some event had
occurred, or that some truth relating to the divine character had
now been made known, which could not well be expressed in any psalm
or hymn then in use. It is a call on all to celebrate the praises
of the Lord in a new song - new, particularly, as it calls on all
the earth to join in it; and possibly this was designed to suggest
the idea that while that temple stood, a dispensation would
commence, under which the distinction between the Jews and the
Gentiles would be broken down, and all mankind would unite in the
praise of God. Sing unto the Lord, all the earth - All nations. All
people had occasion to bless his name; to praise him. What he had
done, what he was still doing, was of interest to all lands, and
made an appeal to all people to praise him. The psalm is
constructed on this supposition, that the occasion for praise
referred to was one in which all people were interested; or, in
other words, that Yahweh was the true God over all the nations, and
that all people should acknowledge him. CLARKE, "Sing unto the Lord
a new song - A song of peculiar excellence, for in this sense the
term new is repeatedly taken in the Scriptures. He has done
extraordinary things for us, and we should excel in praise and
thanksgiving. GILL, "O sing unto the Lord a new song,.... A famous
excellent one, suited to Gospel times, on account of the new
benefit and blessing of redemption and salvation lately obtained by
the Messiah; which should be sung to him, who is the Lord or
Jehovah here designed, by all the redeemed ones, Rev_5:9; see Gill
on Psa_33:3, the Targum adds, "sing, ye angels on high:'' sing unto
the Lord all the earth: not the whole land of Israel only, as Aben
Ezra interprets it; though here the Saviour first appeared, taught
his doctrines, wrought his
3. miracles, suffered, and died for the salvation of his
people; here the angels first begun the new song; and here those
that believed in him first expressed that spiritual joy which
afterwards spread through the whole world, and who are here called
upon to sing; namely, all those that are redeemed from among men,
throughout all the earth: believing Gentiles are here intended: the
Targum is, "sing before the Lord, all ye righteous of the earth.''
HE RY, "These verses will be best expounded by pious and devout
affections working in our souls towards God, with a high veneration
for his majesty and transcendent excellency. The call here given us
to praise God is very lively, the expressions are raised and
repeated, to all which the echo of a thankful heart should make
agreeable returns. I. We are here required to honour God, 1. With
songs, Psa_96:1, Psa_96:2. Three times we are here called to sing
unto the Lord; sing to the Father, to the Son, to the Holy Ghost,
as it was in the beginning, when the morning stars sang together,
is now, in the church militant, and ever shall be, in the church
triumphant. We have reason to do it often, and we have need to be
often reminded of it, and stirred up to it. Sing unto the Lord,
that is, Bless his name, speak well of him, that you may bring
others to think well of him. (1.) Sing a new song, an excellent
song, the product of new affections, clothed with new expressions.
We speak of nothing more despicable than an old song, but the
newness of a song recommends it; for there we expect something
surprising. A new song is a song for new favours, for those
compassions which are new every morning. A new song is New
Testament song, a song of praise for the new covenant and the
precious privileges of that covenant. A new song is a song that
shall be ever new, and shall never wax old nor vanish away; it is
an everlasting song, that shall never be antiquated or out of date.
(2.) Let all the earth sing this song, not the Jews only, to whom
hitherto the service of God had been appropriated, who could not
sing the Lord's song in (would not sing it to) a strange land; but
let all the earth, all that are redeemed from the earth, learn and
sing this new song, Rev_14:3. This is a prophecy of the calling of
the Gentiles; all the earth shall have this new song put into their
mouths, shall have both cause and call to sing it. (3.) Let the
subject- matter of this song be his salvation, the great salvation
which was to be wrought out by the Lord Jesus; that must be shown
forth as the cause of this joy and praise. (4.) Let this song be
sung constantly, not only in the times appointed for the solemn
feasts, but from day to day; it is a subject that can never be
exhausted. Let day unto day utter this speech, that, under the
influence of gospel devotions, we may daily exemplify a gospel
conversation. JAMISO 1-3, "Psa_96:1-13. The substance of this
Psalm, and portions of the ninety-seventh, ninety-eighth, and
hundredth, are found in 1Ch_16:7-36, which was used by Davids
directions in the dedication of the tabernacle on Mount Zion. The
dispensation of the Messiah was typified by that event, involving,
as it did, a more permanent seat of worship, and the introduction
of additional and more spiritual services. Hence the language of
these Psalms may be regarded as having a higher import than that
pertinent to the occasion on which it was thus publicly used. All
nations are invited to unite in this most joyful praise. new song
literally, fresh, or new mercies (Psa_33:3; Psa_40:3).
4. K&D 1-3, "Call to the nation of Jahve to sing praise to
its God and to evangelize the heathen. is repeated three times. The
new song assumes a new form of things, and the call thereto, a
present which appeared to be a beginning that furnished a guarantee
of this new state of things, a beginning viz., of the recognition
of Jahve throughout the whole world of nations, and of His
accession to the lordship over the whole earth. The new song is an
echo of the approaching revelation of salvation and of glory, and
this is also the inexhaustible material of the joyful tidings that
go forth from day to day ( as in Est_3:7, whereas in the Chronicles
it is as in Num_30:15). We read Psa_96:1 verbally the same in
Isa_42:10; Psa_96:2 calls to mind Isa_52:7; Isa_60:6; and Psa_96:3,
Isa_66:19. CALVI , "1Sing unto Jehovah a new song This commencement
shows that, as I have already observed, the Psalmist is exhorting
the whole world, and not the Israelites merely, to the exercise of
devotion. or could this be done, unless the gospel were universally
diffused as the means of conveying the knowledge of God. The saying
of Paul must necessarily hold true, How shall they call upon him in
whom they have not believed? (Romans 10:14.) The same Apostle
proves the calling of the Gentiles, by adducing in testimony of it,
Praise the Lord, ye Gentiles, with his people from which it
follows, that fellowship in the faith stands connected with the
joint celebration of praise, (Romans 15:11.) Besides, the Psalmist
requires a new song, (75) not one which was common, and had
formerly been raised. He must therefore refer to some unusual and
extraordinary display of the Divine goodness. Thus, when Isaiah
speaks of the restoration of the Church, which was wonderful and
incredible, he says, Sing unto the Lord a new song, (Isaiah 42:10.)
The Psalmist intimates accordingly, that the time was come when God
would erect his kingdom in the world in a manner altogether
unlooked for. He intimates still more clearly as he proceeds, that
all nations would share in the favor of God. He calls upon them
everywhere to show forth his salvation, and, in desiring that they
should celebrate it from day to day, would denote that it was not
of a fading or evanescent nature, but such as should endure for
ever. SPURGEO , "Ver. 1. O sing unto the Lord a new song. ew joys
are filling the hearts of men, for the glad tidings of blessing to
all people are proclaimed, therefore let them sing a new song.
Angels inaugurated the new dispensation with new songs, and shall
not we take up the strain? The song is for Jehovah alone, the hymns
which chanted the praises of Jupiter and eptune, Vishnoo and Siva
are hushed for ever; Bacchanalian shouts are silenced, lascivious
sonnets are no more. Unto the one only God all music is to be
dedicated. Mourning is over, and the time of singing of hearts has
come. o dismal rites are celebrated, no bloody sacrifices of human
beings are presented, no cutting with knives, and outcries of
lamentation are presented by deluded votaries. Joy is in the
ascendant, and singing has become the universal expression of love,
the fitting voice of reverent adoration. Men are made new
creatures, and their song is new also. The names of Baalim are no
more on their lips,
5. the wanton music of Ashtaroth ceaseth; the foolish ditty and
the cruel war song are alike forgotten; the song is holy, heavenly,
pure, and pleasant. The psalmist speaks as if he would lead the
strain and be the chief musician, he invites, he incites, he
persuades to sacred worship, and cries with all his heart, "O sing
unto Jehovah a new song." Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
ational jealousies are dead; a Jew invites the Gentiles to adore,
and joins with them, so that all the earth may lift up one common
psalm as with one heart and voice unto Jehovah, who hath visited it
with his salvation. o corner of the world is to be discordant, no
race of heathen to be dumb. All the earth Jehovah made, and all the
earth must sing to him. As the sun shines on all lands, so are all
lands to delight in the light of the Sun of Righteousness. E
Pluribus Unum, out of many one song shall come forth. The
multitudinous languages of the sons of Adam, who were scattered at
Babel, will blend in the same song when the people are gathered at
Zion. or men alone, but the earth itself is to praise its Maker.
Made subject to vanity for a while by a sad necessity, the creation
itself also is to be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and
brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God, so that
sea and forest, field and flood, are to be joyful before the Lord.
Is this a dream? then let us dream again. Blessed are the eyes
which shall see the kingdom, and the ears which shall hear its
songs. Hasten thine advent, good Lord! Yea, send forth speedily the
rod of thy strength out of Zion, that the nations may bow before
the Lord and his Anointed. EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS.
Whole Psalm. What has been said of Psalms 67:1-7 may be fitly
applied to the present psalm. We need not hesitate to add that it
is a millennial anthem. It accords with the condition of the world
when Christ shall sit enthroned in the willing loyalty of our race.
The nations join in an acclaim of praise to him as their rightful
Judge and King. There is a unanimity in the song, as if it ascended
from a world purged into a temple of holiness, and whose
inhabitants were indeed a royal priesthood, with one heart to make
Jesus king, with one voice to sound forth one peal of melody in
praise of the name above every name. Fix the eye for a moment on
the precious vision of which we thus catch a glimpse. It holds true
to the deepest principles of our nature, that what we contemplate
as possible, much more what we anticipate as ceertain, lends us the
very hope and energy conducive to its realisation. On the contrary,
despair paralyses effort. Is it on this account that everywhere in
prophecy, old and new, there floats before us the ideal of a
recovered and rejoicing world, at times transfigured into a loftier
scene, the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness? So largely did this thought imbue the prophetic
mind, that the language of Paul warms into the animation of poetry,
when even "the creature itself, "according to his own vivid
personification, like some noble bird, drooping under the weight of
its chain, with neck outstretched and eyeball distended, is
described as looking down into the vista of coming time for its
deliverance from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the sons of God (Romans 8:19). He hastens to add, that
"we are saved by hope." It is true of the soul individually, we are
saved by hope. It is true of our race collectively, if ever a
millennium is to dawn upon it, we are saved by such a hope. Our
earth may be in ruins meanwhile, blackness on the sky, barrenness
on the soil, because sin is everywhere; but a change is promised.
What we hope for, we labour
6. for all the more that our hope is no dream of fancy, but has
its basis in the science and certainty of absolute truth. "For as
the earth hinges forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the
things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will
cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the
nations." (Isaiah 61:11) The tuning of the instrument is sometimes
heard before the music comes. The mother teaches her child to lisp
a hymn before he comprehends its full scope and meaning. And so
here, in this holy psalm, the Jerusalem from above, the mother of
us all, trains us to the utterance of a song suitable to seasons of
millennial glory, when the Moloch of oppression, the Mammon of our
avarice, the Ashtaroth of fiery lust, every erring creed, every
false religion, shall have given place to the worship of the one
true and living Godto the faith and love of Christ. "Let the
peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee." W.H.
Gould, in "The Mission Hymn of the Hebrew Church: a Sermon." 1865.
Whole Psalm. This psalm is entitled in the Septuagint, "A Hymn of
David; when the Temple was rebuilt after the Captivity, " and this
appears to be a true description of it; for the substance of it is
found in 1 Chronicles 16:23-33, where it is described as having
been delivered by David into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to
thank the Lord when the Ark was brought up to Zion. David's Psalm
here receives a new name, and is called a new song (sir chadash),
because new mercies of God were now to be celebrated; mercies
greater than David had ever received, even when he brought the Ark
to Zion. They who now sang the old song, which had thus become a
new song, identified themselves with David, and identified him with
themselves. Chr. Wordsworth. Whole Psalm. Subject. Call to praise,
in view of Christ's second advent and glorious reign. To apply it.
Look forward to the glorious day of the Lord's coming; and realize
its approach that you may prepare for it. A. R. C. Dallas. Ver. 1.
0 sing unto the LORD a new song, etc. "A new song, " unknown to you
before. Come, all ye nations of the wide earth, who, up to this
hour, have been giving your worship to dead gods that were no gods
at all; come and give your hearts to the true and only God in this
new song! Henry Cowles. Ver. 1. A new song. It must be "a new
canticle, "a beautiful canticle, and elegantly composed; also a
canticle for fresh favours: in like manner, a canticle befitting
men who have been regenerated, in whom avarice has been supplanted
by charity; and finally, a canticle not like that of Moses, or
Deborah, or any of the old canticles that could not be sung outside
the land of promise, according to Psalms 137:4; "How shall we sing
the LORD'S song in a strange land?" but a new canticle that may be
sung all over the world; and he, therefore, adds, Sing unto the
LORD, all the earth, not only Judea, but the whole world.
Bellarmine. Ver. 1. ew. The word is used to describe that which is
delightful, exquisite, precious, etc. Martin Geier. Ver. 1. ew. ew
things are generally most approved, and especially in songs; for
Pindar praises old wine and new songs. John Cocceius, 1603-1669.
Ver. 1. A new song. Our old songs were those of pride, of gluttony,
of luxury, in hope of gain, prosperity, or harm to others; our "new
song" is of praise, reverence, and obedience, and love to God, in
newness of life, in the Spirit that quickeneth, no longer in the
letter that killeth, but keepeth that new commandment, that we love
one another, not with the narrow patriotism and fellow feeling of a
small tribe, or a
7. mere national church, but with a citizenship which embraces
all the whole earth. eale and Littledale. Ver. 1. Sing unto the
LORD. We find it thrice said, sing unto the Lord, that we may
understand that we are to sing unto Him with mind, and tongue, and
deed. For all these things must be joined together, and the life
ought to correspond with the mouth and mind. As Abbot Absalom says,
When the speech does not jar with the life, there is sweet harmony.
Le Blanc. Ver. 1. All the earth. It is a missionary hymn for all
ages of the church; and it becomes more and more appropriate to our
times in proportion as the heathen begin to respond to the call,
"Sing unto the Lord a new song, "and in proportion as we find in
the melancholy condition of the church at home occasion to look
with a hopeful eye towards the heathen world. E. W. Hengstenberg.
COFFMA , "Verse 1 PSALM 96 CALLI G FOR THE GE TILES TO WORSHIP THE
RIGHTEOUS GOD "This psalm develops a larger view that is not
restricted to Israel. Israel is not even mentioned, and the call to
worship is addressed to `all nations and all creatures.'"[1]
Whereas, in Psalms 95, Israel appears as the "sheep of the Good
Shepherd's pasture," that viewpoint is replaced here with, "The
more general knowledge that God is the Creator of the heavens and
the source of all righteousness and truth."[2] The Septuagint (LXX)
ascribes this psalm to David; and "Significantly, Psalms 95 is
written again, with very little change, in 1 Chronicles
16:23-33."[3] In the Chronicles rendition of Psalms 96, not only is
David declared as the author, but the very time of his writing it
was given as the occasion, namely, when David appointed Asaph and
his brethren for certain musical responsibilities in the tabernacle
(1 Chronicles 16:7). We must inquire, therefore, what basis is it
upon which scholars boldly declare the psalm to have been written
"in the times of the later Hebrew?" Rawlinson identified that basis
as, "The style, phraseology and iteration, especially of Psalms
96:1,2,7,8, and 13."[4] To us this is simply ridiculous. In the
first place, modern scholars simply do not know that much about the
linguistic abilities of King David; and secondly their `conclusion'
based upon what they claim to know, is a very poor basis indeed for
contradicting a plain statement in the Word of God. We may be
absolutely certain that David wrote the psalm, and that he did so
upon the occasion outlined in God's Word. ow, it might be true of
course, that later copyists, translators, or compilers of the
psalms might have reworked it to produce changes which have led to
some false scholarly conclusions, but it is still true that David
wrote it. How do the radical critics get around their contradiction
of the Old Testament in their denials of Davidic authorship? A good
example of how they do it is provided in the opinion of Addis,
"This psalm was inserted in Chronicles, not by the Chronicler
8. himself, but by a later hand."[5] This, of course, appeals
to an "interpolator," and degrades almost an entire chapter of
1Chronicles to an interpolation. Where is the evidence of any such
thing? What manuscripts or versions omit that part of Chronicles? o
evidence is cited; none exists. A mere man's allegation is supposed
to nullify a chapter of the word of God. I TERPOLATIO S, ETC. There
are indeed examples in the Bible of interpolations, as in the
instance of Acts 8:37, which is properly omitted in the ASV and
subsequent versions. Even in that instance of it, however, the
interpolation is absolutely the truth. Any thoughtful person is
appreciative of the scholarship which strives to delete genuine
interpolations, etc. from the Bible. However, we shall express a
word of caution about the blind acceptance of the claims and
allegations of certain schools of interpreters whose a priori
disbelief of the Bible and their evident purpose of destroying
every word of it as a genuine revelation from Almighty God cast
grave doubt upon many of their assertions. Given the unbelief of
many writers and their avowed enmity against the Bible, the careful
student should always remember that there are a host of weapons in
the arsenal of Biblical enemies. These are copyists, redactors,
editors, compilers, interpolators, translators, glossaters,
revisionists, arrangers, etc. ow our word of caution is simply
this. Can we depend upon men whose purposes and intentions toward
the Bible are enemical and destructive - can we depend upon them
always to employ such devices as we have mentioned in honesty and
fairness? Psalms 96:1-3 THE WORSHIP OF GOD TO BE U IVERSAL "O sing
unto Jehovah a new song: Sing unto Jehovah all the earth. Sing unto
Jehovah, bless his name; Show forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all
the peoples." "All the earth ... among the nations ... all the
peoples" (Psalms 96:1-3). It would be difficult to find a paragraph
with any greater stress of the truth that God's "salvation" was
never intended for Jews only, but for "all the earth." The call of
the
9. Gentiles into God's service is absolutely declared here as a
commandment of God. "Sing... sing ... sing" (Psalms 96:1-2).
Singing is the invariable earmark of the redeemed. The worship of
God always abounds with singing. " othing, listless, boring, or
stale befits God's worship; not merely a song is required, but a
new song! [6] BI 1-13, "O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto
the Lord, all the earth. A supreme existence and a supreme service
I. A supreme existence. 1. Great in His naturein power, intellect,
heart. 2. Great in His work. Made the heavens. 3. Great in His
character. 4. Great in His government. II. A supreme service. 1.
Joyous. 2. Fresh. A new song. The song of yesterday will not do for
to-day, for there are fresh motives, fresh mercies, fresh needs. 3.
Constant. Worship as an occasional service is worthless, it is only
worship as it becomes an all-pervading spirit, a permeating,
dominating inspiration. From day to day. 4. Universal. All the
earth. Ye kindreds of the people. This service is confined to no
tribe or class of men, all sustain the same relation to the Supreme
Existence, and out of the same relationship the same common
obligations spring. 5. Practical. (1) Acknowledgment of Gods
claims. (2) Proclamation of Gods glory to the world. (Homilist.)
The new song and the old story There are mighty passions of the
human soul which seek vent, and can get no relief until they find
it in expression. Grief, acute, but silent, has often destroyed the
mind, because it has not been able to weep itself away in tears.
The glow of passion, fond of enterprise and full of enthusiasm, has
often seemed to rend the very fabric of manhood when unable either
to attain its end or to utter its strong desires. So it is in true
religion. It not only lays hold upon our intellectual nature with
appeals to our judgment and our understanding, but at the same time
it engages our affections, brings our passions into play, and fires
them with a holy zeal, producing a mighty furore; so that when this
spell is on a man, and the Spirit of God thoroughly possesses him,
he must express his vehement emotions. Our purpose is to suggest
two modes of expressing your
10. consecration to God and your devotion to the Lord Jesus
Christ. These two methods are to sing about and to talk about the
good things the Lord has done for you, and the great things He has
made known to you. Let song take the leadO sing unto the Lord a new
song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless
His name. Then let discourse engage you; be it in public sermons or
in private conversationsShow forth His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people.
We begin with the voice of melody. All ye that love the Lord, give
vent to your hearts emotion by song, and take care that it be sung
to the Lord alone. As ye stand up to sing, there should be a fixed
intent of the soul, a positive volition of the mind, an absolute
determination of the heart, that all the flame which kindles in thy
breast, and all the melody that breaks from thy tongue, and all the
sacred swell of grateful song shall be unto the Lord, and unto the
Lord alone. And if you would sing unto the Lord, let me recommend
you to flavour your mouth with the Gospel doctrines which savour
most of grace unmerited and free. Praise the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath begotten us again unto a lively hope,
who provides for us, educates us, instructs us, leads and guides
us, and will bring us by and by to the many mansions in His own
house. Sing ye also unto the Son. Adore the Lamb slain. Kneel at
the Cross foot, and praise each wound, and magnify the immortal who
became mortal for our sakes. And, then, sing ye to the Holy Spirit.
Oh, how our hearts are bound reverently to worship the Divine
Indweller who, according to His abundant mercy, hath made our
bodies to be His temples wherein He deigns to dwell. Sing unto the
Lord a new song. Let the freshness of your joy and the fulness of
your thanks be perennial as the days of heaven. This song,
according to our text, is designed to be universal. Sing unto the
Lord, all the earth. Let sires and sons mingle in its strains.
There is not one of us but has cause for song, and certainly not
one saint but ought especially to praise Him. In three ways,
methinks, it becomes us to sing Gods praises. We ought to sing with
the voice. Angel harp and human voice! If the angel harp be more
skilful, surely the human voice is more grateful. We are like a
bird that has only one wing. There is much prayer, but there is
little praise. Sing unto the Lord. To sing with the heart is the
very essence of song. Though the tongue may not be able to express
the language of the soul, the heart is glad. Oh, to have a cheerful
spiritnot the levity of the thoughtless, nor the gaiety of the
foolish, nor even the mirth of the healthythere is a cheerful
spirit which is the gift of grace, that can and does rejoice
evermore. Then when troubles come we bear them cheerfully; let
fortune smile, we receive it with equanimity; or let losses befall
us, we endure them with resignation, being willing, so long as God
is glorified, to accept anything at His hands. These are the people
to recommend Christianity. Their cheerful conversation attracts
others to Christ. In the second place, then, let me stir you up to
such daily conversation and such habitual discourse as shall be
fitted to spread the Gospel which you love. Our text admonishes you
to show forth His salvation. You believe in the salvation of God a
salvation of grace from first to last. You have seen it; you have
received it; you have experienced it. Well, now, show it forth.
Declare His glory among the heathen. Show them the justice of the
great substitution, and the mercy of it. Show them the wisdom which
devised the plan whereby, without a violation of the law, God could
yet pardon rebellious sinners. Impress upon those that you talk
with that the Gospel you have to tell them of is no commonplace
system of expediency, but really it is a glorious revelation of
divinity. A third expression is used here. Declare His wonders
among all people. Our Gospel is a Gospel of wonders. It deals with
wonderful sin in a wonderful way. It presents to us a wonderful
Saviour, and tells us of His wonderful complex person. It points us
to His wonderful atonement, and it takes the blackest sinner and
makes him wonderfully clean. The wonders of grace far exceed the
wonders of nature; there are no miracles so matchless in wonder as
the miracles of grace in the heart of man. (C. H.
11. Spurgeon.) EXPOSITOR'S DICTIONARY, "A New Song Psalm 96:1
What does a "new song" mean? I. A living experience. There never
has been an age of great poetry which was not first an age of great
action, great thought, great living. We shall never sing a new song
till we have lived a real, pulsing, genuine new life of our own,
not the pale shadow of other and greater lives. Whatever songs and
Psalm come echoing down the ages, we must hear God"s voice with our
own ears. II. A bright outlook and bold spirit. The faith that has
no future has no song on its lips, for there is no hope in its
heart. History never "repeats" itself; every nation has a new role
to fill, a new destiny to attain, a future of its own to mould and
conquer. God has given us a new time and a glowing future, and He
looks that we should sound out of this new time a new song. III.
What shall be the keynote of our new song to God in this
generation? Shall it not still be Jesus? The highest genius may
well lay its brightest tribute of rhythm and melody at His feet,
and the lowliest voice may acceptably sing it. A songless faith is
a dying faith. A faith that has a true song in it has the future
before it, and heaven at last, where the multitude who no man can
number will sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, ancient as time,
yet new as the morning. W. R. Inge, Christian World Pulpit, p290.
EBC, "THE praise of Jehovah as King has, in the preceding psalms,
chiefly celebrated His reign over Israel. But this grand coronation
anthem takes a wider sweep, and hymns that kingdom as extending to
all nations, and as reaching beyond men, for the joy and blessing
of a renovated earth. It fails into four strophes, of which the
first three contain three verses each, while the last extends to
four. These strophes are like concentric circles, drawn round that
eternal throne. The first summons Israel to its high vocation of
Jehovahs evangelist, the herald who proclaims the enthronement of
the King. The second sets Him above all the "Nothings" which usurp
the name of gods, and thus prepares the way for His sole monarchy.
The third summons outlying nations to bring their homage, and
flings open the Temple gates to all men, inviting them to put on
priestly robes, and do priestly acts there. The fourth calls on
Nature in its heights and depths, heaven and earth, sea, plain, and
forest, to add their acclaim to the shouts which hall the
establishment of Jehovahs visible dominion.
12. The song is to be new, because a new manifestation of
Jehovahs Kinghood has wakened once more the long-silent harps,
which had been hung on the willows of Babylon. The psalm is
probably a lyric echo of the Restoration, in which the prophet
singer sees the beginning of Jehovahs world wide display of His
dominion. He knew not how many weary years were to pass in a weary
and God-defying world, before his raptures became facts. But though
His vision tarries, His song is no over-heated imagining, which has
been chilled down for succeeding generations into a baseless hope.
The perspective of the worlds chronology hid from him the deep
valley between His standpoint and the fulfilment of his glowing
words. Mankind still marches burdened, down among the mists, but it
marches towards the sunlit heights. The call to sing a new song is
quoted from Isaiah 42:10.The word in Psalms 96:2 b rendered
"publish glad tidings" is also a favourite word with Isaiah II.
(Isaiah 40:9, Isaiah 52:7, etc.). Psalms 96:3 a closely resembles
Isaiah 66:19. The second strophe is full of allusions to earlier
psalms and prophets. The new manifestation of Jehovahs power has
vindicated His supremacy above the vanities which the peoples call
gods, and has thereby given new force to old triumphant words which
magnified His exalted name. Long ago a psalmist had sung, after a
signal defeat of assailants of Jerusalem, that God was "great and
greatly to be praised," [Psalms 48:1] and this psalmist makes the
old words new. "Dread" reminds us of Psalms 47:2. The contemptuous
name of the nations gods as "Nothings" is frequent in Isaiah. The
heavens, which roof over all the earth, declare to every land
Jehovahs creative power, and His supremacy above all gods. But the
singers eye pierces their abysses, and sees some gleams of that
higher sanctuary of which they are but the floor. There stand
Honour and Majesty, Strength and Beauty. The psalmist does not
speak of "attributes." His vivid imagination conceives of these as
servants, attending on Jehovahs royal state. Whatsoever things are
lovely, and whatsoever are august, are at home in that sanctuary.
Strength and beauty are often separated in a disordered world, and
each is maimed thereby, but, in their perfection, they are
indissolubly blended. Men call many things strong and fair which
have no affinity with holiness; but the archetypes of both
excellences are in the Holy Place, and any strength which has not
its roots there is weakness, and any beauty which is not a
reflection from "the beauty of the Lord our God" is but a mask
concealing ugliness. The third strophe builds on this supremacy of
Jehovah, whose dwelling place is the seat of all things worthy to
be admired, the summons to all nations to render praise to Him. It
is mainly a variation of Psalms 29:1-2, where the summons is
addressed to angels. Here "the families of the peoples" are called
on to ascribe to Jehovah "glory and strength," or "the glory of His
name," (i.e. of His character as revealed). The call presupposes a
new manifestation of His Kingship as conspicuous and earth shaking
as the thunderstorm of the original psalm. As in it the "sons of
God" were called to worship in priestly garb, so here still more
emphatically, Gentile nations are invited to assume the priestly
office, to "take an offering and come into His courts." The issue
of Jehovahs manifestation of kingly sway will be that Israels
prerogative of priestly access to Him will be extended to all men,
and that the lowly worship of earth will have characteristics which
assimilate it to that of the elder brethren who ever stand before
Him, and also characteristics which distinguish it from that, and
are necessary while the worshippers are housed in flesh. Material
offerings and places consecrated to worship belong to
13. earth. The "sons of God" above have them not, for they need
them not. The last strophe has four verses, instead of the normal
three. The psalmists chief purpose in it is to extend his summons
for praise to the whole creation; but he cannot refrain from once
more ringing out the glad tidings for which praise is to be
rendered. He falls back in Psalms 96:10 on Psalms 93:1 and Psalms
9:8. In his quotation from the former psalm, he brings more closely
together the thoughts of Jehovahs reign and the fixity of the
world, whether that is taken with a material reference, or as
predicting the calm perpetuity of the moral order established by
His merciful rule and equitable judgment. The thought that
inanimate nature will share in the joy of renovated humanity
inspires many glowing prophetic utterances, eminently those of
Isaiah-as e.g., Isaiah 35:1-10. The converse thought, that it
shared in the consequences of mans sin, is deeply stamped on the
Genesis narrative. The same note is struck with unhesitating force
in Romans 8:1-39, and elsewhere in the New Testament. A poet
invests Nature with the hues of his own emotions, but this summons
of the psalmist is more than poetry. How the transformation is to
be effected is not revealed, but the consuming fires will refine,
and at last man will have a dwelling place where environment will
correspond to character, where the external will image the inward
state, where a new form of the material will be the perpetual ally
of the spiritual, and perfected manhood will walk in a "new heaven
and new earth, where dwelleth righteousness." In the last verse of
the psalm, the singer appears to extend his prophetic gaze from the
immediate redeeming act by which Jehovah assumes royal majesty, to
a still future "coming," in which He will judge the earth. "The
accession is a single act; the judging is a continual process. Note
that judging has no terrible sound to a Hebrew" (Cheyne, in loc.).
Psalms 96:13 c is again a verbatim quotation from Psalms 9:8.
SIMEON, "THE DUTY OF MAKING CHRIST KNOWN TO THE HEATHEN Psalms
96:1-3. O sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord all the
earth. Sing unto the Lord; bless his name: shew forth his salvation
from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders
among all people. TO any one who looks even in the most superficial
manner into the Holy Scriptures, there must appear a very wide
difference between the experience of the saints recorded there, and
that which is found amongst persons reputed saints in the present
day. The Saviour himself is not so much the object of holy
glorying, as he was amongst some, who looked forward to him at the
distance of a thousand years; nor are the same elevated affections
towards him brought into exercise, as were displayed by them. A man
who should now exclaim, as David did, O sing unto the Lord a new
song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth: sing unto the Lord; bless
his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day! he, I say,
would be accounted an enthusiast at least; and it would be well if
he were not characterized by a yet harsher term. But religion is,
or ought to be, the same in all ages; except indeed that our views
of Christ should be more elevated, and our delight in him be more
ardent, in proportion as our means of knowing him are more ample,
and our motives to love him more enlarged. The psalm before us
undoubtedly refers to him;
14. for it speaks expressly of the publication of his Gospel to
the Gentile world. It is indeed only a part of a psalm written
originally by David at the time of his bringing up the ark to Mount
Zion from the house of Obed-edom [Note: 1 Chronicles 16:7-36.]: and
this part was selected afterwards for the constant use of the
Church, as being calculated to keep up in the minds of men an
expectation of the Messiah, and to prepare their hearts for the
reception of him. In discoursing on that portion of it which we
have read, we shall, I. Point out your duty to the Lord Jesus
Christ In speaking to persons who profess to derive all their hopes
of salvation from the Lord Jesus, methinks it is scarcely necessary
to say, that, 1. We should praise him ourselves [We should not be
content to acknowledge him in words; we should feel towards him in
deed, as our All in all [Note: 1 John 3:18.]. These feelings we
should express in songs of praise: or if we be silent as to our
voice, we should at least make melody to him in ourhearts; blessing
and adoring him from our inmost souls. We should sing to him a new
song. It was so called by David, because it was a song that was to
be sung especially at the introduction of the Christian
dispensation, the events predicted and shadowed forth being then
fulfilled. But it is still a new song to all who sing it; because
in their unconverted state they have no disposition, no ability to
sing it: they cannot, in that sense, say that Jesus is the Lord,
but by the Holy Ghost [Note: 1 Corinthians 12:3.]. Moreover, it
will to all eternity continue new; fresh discoveries of his glory
being ever manifested to the soul, and fresh energies supplied for
the celebration of his praise. Hence in heaven itself the songs of
all the glorified saints are thus designated: they sing unto the
Lord a new song [Note: Revelation 5:9; Revelation 14:3.]. Thus from
day to day our harps should be tuned afresh, and our praises ascend
to heaven with every breath we draw.] 2. We should make him known
to others [Who that had ever tasted of the blessings of salvation
would eat his morsel alone? who would not wish all the world to
partake with him? Yes surely, we should declare his glory among the
heathen, and his wonders among all people. O what wonders of love
and mercy have we to proclaim! Who can reflect on the person of our
Emmanuel, who is God with us, leaving the bosom of his Father,
taking our nature, bearing our sins, and effecting by his obedience
unto death our reconciliation with God; who, I say, can reflect on
this, and not desire to make it known to all the sinners of
mankind? In a word, who can have beheld the glory of God shining in
the face of Jesus Christ, and not desire to
15. reflect the light of it on all who are sitting in darkness
and the shadow of death? This ##undoubtedly our duty: we are not to
put our light under a ##ushel, but to set it on a candlestick, that
all the world, if ##ossible, may see the light.] This then being
our duty to the Lord Jesus Christ, we will proceed to, II. Call you
to the performance of it Consider, 1. Your obligations to the Lord
Jesus Christ [How inconceivably great are these! If we attempt to
estimate them, where shall we begin? or, having begun, where shall
we end? If you have not yet experienced his converting grace, the
very provision of a salvation for you, a salvation so dearly
bought, and so freely offered, demands from you every tribute of
love and gratitude that you can ever pay. But if you have reason to
think yourselves partakers of this salvation, and are enabled with
appropriating faith to say, He has loved me, and given himself for
me, there should be no bounds to your zeal and diligence in his
service. Time, talents, property, yea life itself, should be
esteemed by you as of no value, any farther than they may enable
you to glorify his name. Enter then minutely into the consideration
of this subject, and say, Whether, if you hold your peace, the very
stones will not cry out against you?] 2. The necessities of the
heathen world [The whole Scriptures speak of the heathen world as
perishing for lack of knowledge: and though we will not presume to
say, that none of them shall be made partakers of Gods mercy for
Christs sake; yet we are sure, that, as a body, they are under a
sentence of guilt and condemnation. Can we then know the remedy
which God has provided for them, and not feel ourselves bound to
reveal it to them, and to labour, as far as possible, to extend to
them its saving benefits? Can we reflect on the unhappy state of
the Jews, and not pity them; blinded as they are by prejudice, and
bent as they are on their own destruction? Can we look on all the
different classes of the Gentile world, and see what penances they
endure to pacify the supposed wrath of their senseless idols, and
not feel a desire to proclaim to them the glad tidings of the
Gospel? If it would be our duty to stretch out our hand to one
sinking in the waters, and to rescue him from destruction, much
more is it our duty to exert ourselves to the utmost of our power
for the preservation of a ruined world.] Address
16. 1. Those who are lukewarm in the cause of Christ [Many are
so afraid of enthusiasm, that they banish from their minds all that
may subject them to such an imputation. Hence, whilst they are
correct and accurate in their principles, they are grievously
defective in the sublimer parts of practical religion: they have a
form of godliness, but no experience of its power. But let such
persons know that the Lord Jesus Christ is more displeased with the
lukewarmness of those who profess themselves his friends, than he
is with the neglect of his avowed enemies [Note: Revelation
3:15-16.]. If from our inmost souls we love him not, he denounces a
solemn curse against us [Note: 1 Corinthians 16:22.]: and if we
serve him not with the talents entrusted to our care, he will
require them at our hands, and punish us severely for our abuse of
them. [Note: Matthew 26:20.]] 2. Those who are active in his
service [God forbid that we should ever speak a word to discourage
activity in the service of our Lord. But it is certain that many
are diligent in doing what they suppose to be his will, who yet are
far from cultivating that spirit which he will approve. Pride,
ostentation, and a variety of other corrupt motives, may stimulate
men to exertion; whilst humility and modesty, and all the lovelier
graces of the Spirit, are wanting in them. Look to it then, that
your love and zeal be duly tempered with reverence and godly fear.
At the same time, take care that you do not become weary in
well-doing. Be on your guard that your love to the Saviour languish
not, and that your endeavours to convert others to the knowledge of
him be not relaxed. Try amongst your friends and neighbours to
interest them in his salvation. Then extend your efforts to all,
whether Jews or Gentiles: and count not even life itself dear to
you, if that you may but glorify him, and save the souls of your
perishing fellow-creatures.] PULPIT, "THIS psalm occurs, with very
little change, in 1 Chronicles 16:23-33, and is there (1 Chronicles
16:7) ascribed to David. It is also entitled, "A Psalm of David,"
in the Septuagint. But the phraseology and the style, especially
the frequent iteration (1 Chronicles 16:1, 1 Chronicles 16:2, 1
Chronicles 16:7, 1 Chronicles 16:8, 1 Chronicles 16:13), belong to
the later Hebrew. If David, therefore, was the original author, we
must suppose a reconstruction of the composition at a later period.
The psalm is one entirely devoted to praise. It sets forth Jehovah,
first, as the Creator and Wonder worker of old (1 Chronicles
16:1-6); secondly, as the present Ruler of the earth and its
inhabitants (1 Chronicles 16:7-10); and, thirdly, as the coming
Judge of all men (1 Chronicles 16:10-13). Metrically, the psalm
consists of four stanzas, the first three of three verses each, and
the last of four. Psalms 96:1 O sing unto the Lord a new song
(comp. Psalms 33:3; Psalms 98:1; Psalms 144:9; Psalms
17. 149:1; Isaiah 42:10). This clause does not occur in 1
Chronicles 16:1-43. It seems to belong to the second recension of
the psalm, when it was recast to suit some "new" occasion. Sing
unto the Lord, all the earth. So in Isaiah 42:10, "Sing unto the
Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth." The
psalmist at once makes known his "universalism" by calling on the
whole earth to join in his song of praise (comp. Psalms 66:1,
Psalms 66:4). This psalm has been well called "a missionary hymn
for all ages." 2 Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his
salvation day after day. BAR ES, "Sing unto the Lord, bless his
name - This verse is substantially the same as 1Ch_16:23; Sing unto
the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation.
Show forth his salvation - His interposition; the fact that he has
saved or delivered us. This may have referred originally in
particular to what he had done to save the people in time of
danger, but the language is such also as to express salvation in a
higher sense - salvation from sin and death. As such it may be
employed to express what God has done for mankind - for all people,
Jews and Gentiles - in providing a way of salvation, and making it
possible that they should reach heaven. For this all people have
occasion for praise. From day to day - Continually; always. It is a
fit subject for unceasing praise. Every man should praise God every
day - on each returning morning, and on every evening - for the
assurance that there is a way of salvation provided for him, and
that he may be happy forever. If we had right feelings, this would
be the first thought which would burst upon the mind each morning,
irradiating, as with sunbeams, all around us; and it would be the
last thought which would linger in the soul as we lie down at
night, and close our eyes in slumber - making us grateful, calm,
happy, as we sink to rest, for whether we wake or not in this world
we may be forever happy. CLARKE, "Show forth his salvation from day
to day - The original is very emphatic, basseru miyom leyom
yeshuatho Preach the Gospel of his salvation from day to day. To
the same effect the Septuagint, , Evangelize his salvation from day
to day. GILL, "Sing unto the Lord,.... Which is repeated to show
the vehemency of the
18. speaker, and the importance of the work exhorted to: this
being the third time that the word Lord or Jehovah is mentioned,
have led some to think of the trinity of Persons, Father, Son, and
Spirit, the one only Jehovah, to whom the new song of salvation is
to be sung, because of their joyful concern in it; the Father has
contrived it, the Son has effected it, and the Spirit applies it:
bless his name: speak well of him, whose name is excellent and
glorious, sweet and precious; even every name of his, Jesus,
Immanuel, &c. proclaim him the ever blessed God, as he is, as
comes before with the blessings of goodness, and made most blessed
for ever; as Mediator, ascribe all spiritual blessings to him, and
bless him for them, and give him the glory and honour of them: show
forth his salvation from day today; the salvation of his people he
undertook, and has completed; publish that as a piece of good news,
as glad tidings; so the word (n) used signifies; even evangelizing,
or preaching the Gospel; for this is the Gospel, the sum and
substance of it, salvation by Jesus Christ: this may be considered
as directed to ministers of the Gospel, whose work it is, more
peculiarly, to show forth the salvation of Christ; to point him out
as a Saviour to sensible sinners; to declare that this salvation is
done, is wrought out for sinners, is full and complete; is to be
had freely, and to be had now; and this is to be done from day
today, one Lord's day after another, frequently and constantly,
when opportunity serves. JAMISO , "show forth literally, declare
joyful tidings. salvation illustrates His glory in its wonders of
love and mercy. SPURGEO , "Ver. 2. Sing unto the Lord, bless his
name. Thrice is the name of the Lord repeated, and not without
meaning. Is it not unto the Three One Lord that the enlightened
nations will sing? Unitarianism is the religion of units; it is too
cold to warm the world to worship; the sacred fire of adoration
only burns with vehement flame where the Trinity is believed in and
beloved. In other ways beside singing, the blessed Lord is to be
blessed. His name, his fame, his character, his revealed word and
will are to be delighted in, and remembered with perpetual
thanksgiving. We may well bless him who so divinely blesses us. At
the very mention of his name it is meet to say, "Let him be blessed
for ever." Shew forth his salvation from day to day. The gospel is
the clearest revelation of himself, salvation, outshines creation
and providence; therefore let our praises overflow in that
direction. Let us proclaim the glad tidings, and do so continually,
never ceasing the blissful testimony. It is ever new, ever
suitable, ever sure, ever perfect; therefore let us show it forth
continually until he come, both by words and deeds, by songs and
sermons, by sacred Baptism and by the Holy Supper, by books and by
speech, by Sabbath services and weekday worship. Each day brings us
deeper experience of our saving God, each day shows us anew how
deeply men need his salvation, each day reveals the power of the
gospel, each day the Spirit strives with the sons of men;
therefore, never pausing, be it ours to tell out the glorious
message of free grace. Let those do this who know for themselves
what his salvation
19. means; they can bear witness that there is salvation in
none other, and that in him salvation to the uttermost is to be
found. Let them show it forth till the echo flies around the
spacious earth, and all the armies of the sky unite to magnify the
God who hath displayed his saving health among all people. EXPLA
ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS. Ver. 2. From day to day.
Continually; always. It is a fit subject for unceasing praise.
Every man should praise God every dayon each returning morning, and
on every eveningfor the assurance that there is a way of salvation
provided for him, and that he may be happy for ever. If we had
right feelings, this would be the first thought which would burst
upon the mind each morning, irradiating, as with sunbeams, all
around us; and it would be the last thought which would linger in
the soul as we lie down at night, and close our eyes in slumber
making us grateful, calm, happy, as we sink to rest, for whether we
wake or not in this world, we may be for ever happy. Albert Barnes.
Ver. 2. From day to day. Other news delights us only at first
hearing; but the good news of our redemption is sweet from day to
day, ac si in codera die redemptio fuisset opereta, saith Kimchi
here, as if it were done but today. Tam recens mihi nunc Christus
est, saith Luther, ac si hac hora fudisset sanguinem, Christ is now
as fresh unto me as if he had shed his blood but this very hour.
John Trapp. Psalms 96:3* 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his
marvelous deeds among all peoples. BAR ES, "Declare his glory among
the heathen - Among the nations; the people who are not Hebrews.
The meaning is, Let it be proclaimed in all lands, among all
people. Let it not be confined to those who are professedly his
people, but let it be announced everywhere. This is copied
literally from 1Ch_16:24. His wonders among all people - His
marvelous works; those things which are suited to produce
astonishment in the mind. The reference is to those works and
doings of God which lie so far beyond the power of any created
being, and which by their vastness, their wisdom, and their
benevolence, are suited to produce a deep impression on the human
mind. CLARKE, "Declare his glory among the heathen - The heathen do
not know the true God: as his being and attributes are at the
foundation of all religion, these are
20. the first subjects of instruction for the Gentile world.
Declare, sapperu, detail, number out his glory, kebodo, his
splendor and excellence. His wonders among all people - Declare
also to the Jews his wonders, niphleothaiv, his miracles. Dwell on
the works which he shall perform in Judea. The miracles which
Christ wrought among the Jews were full proof that he was not only
the Messiah, but the mighty power of God. GILL, "Declare his glory
among the Heathen,.... What a glorious Person the Messiah is; the
brightness of his Father's glory; having all the perfections of
deity in him; how the glory of God appears in him, and in all that
he has done; and especially in the work of redemption, in which the
glory of divine wisdom, power, justice, truth, and faithfulness,
love, grace, and mercy, is richly displayed; say what glory he is
advanced unto, having done his work, being highly exalted, set at
the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and honour; and what
a fulness of grace there is in him, for the supply of his people;
and what a glory is on him, which they shall behold to all
eternity: his wonders among all people: what a wonderful person he
is, God manifest in the flesh; what wonderful love he has shown in
his incarnation, obedience, sufferings, and death; what amazing
miracles he wrought, and what a wonderful work he performed; the
work of our redemption, the wonder of men and angels; declare his
wonderful resurrection from the dead, his ascension to heaven,
sitting at the right hand of God, and intercession for his people;
the wonderful effusion of his Spirit, and the conquests of his
grace, and the enlargement of his kingdom in the world; as also
what wonders will be wrought by him when he appears a second time;
how the dead will be raised and all will be judged. HE RY, "2. With
sermons (Psa_96:3): Declare his glory among the heathen, even his
wonders among all people. (1.) Salvation by Christ is here spoken
of as a work of wonder, and that in which the glory of God shines
very brightly; in showing forth that salvation we declare God's
glory as it shines in the face of Christ. (2.) This salvation was,
in the Old Testament times, as heaven's happiness is now, a glory
to be revealed; but in the fulness of time it was declared, and a
full discovery made of that, even to babes, which prophets and
kings desired and wished to see and might not. (3.) What was then
discovered was declared only among the Jews, but it is now declared
among the heathen, among all people; the nations which long sat in
darkness now see this great light. The apostles' commission to
preach the gospel to every creature is copied from this: Declare
his glory among the heathen. CALVI , "3Declare his glory among the
heathen Additional terms are adduced to commend the salvation
spoken of. It is called his glory and his wonders; which is
equivalent to saying that it was glorious and admirable. By such
titles the Psalmist would distinguish it from any deliverances
which had formerly been granted, as indeed there can be but one
opinion, that when God appeared as Redeemer of all the world, he
gave a display of his mercy and of his favor, such as he never
vouchsafed before. This salvation it was impossible, as I have
said, that the Gentile nations could have celebrated, had they been
left without it. The words teach us that we can
21. never be said to have rightly apprehended the redemption
wrought out by Christ, unless our minds have been raised to the
discovery of something incomparably wonderful about it. SPURGEO ,
"Ver. 3. Declare his glory among the heathen. His salvation is his
glory, the word of the gospel glorifies him; and this should be
published far and wide, till the remotest nations of the earth have
known it. England has spent much blood and treasure to keep up her
own prestige among barbarians; when will she be equally anxious to
maintain the honour of her religion, the glory of her Lord? It is
to be feared that too often the name of the Lord Jesus has been
dishonoured among the heathen by the vices and cruelties of those
who call themselves Christians; may this fact excite true believers
to greater diligence in causing the gospel to be proclaimed as with
a trumpet in all quarters of the habitable globe. His wonders among
all people. The gospel is a mass of wonders, its history is full of
wonders, and it is in itself far more marvellous than miracles
themselves. In the person of his Son the Lord has displayed wonders
of love, wisdom, grace, and power. All glory be unto his name; who
can refuse to tell out the story of redeeming grace and dying love?
All the nations need to hear of God's marvellous works; and a
really living, self denying church would solemnly resolve that
right speedily they fill shall hear thereof. The tribes which are
dying out are not to be excluded from gospel teaching any more than
the great growing families which, like the fat kine of Pharaoh, are
eating up other races: Red Indians as well as Anglo Saxons are to
hear of the wonders of redeeming love. one are too degraded, none
too cultured, none too savage, and none too refined. EXPLA ATORY
OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS. Ver. 3. Declare. The corresponding word is
a book;and the participle is often rendered a scribe, a writer.
Psalms 45:1. The verb is rendered, tell, show forth, declare. The
variety of verbs used in Psalms 96:1-3, proves that we are to
employ all proper means for making known the Saviour. One of these
methods is by writing. W. S. Plumer. Ver. 3. Declare his glory what
a glorious person the Messiah is; the brightness of his Father's
glory; having all the perfections of Deity in him; how the glory of
God appears in him, and in all that he has done; and especially in
the work of redemption, in which the glory of divine wisdom, power,
justice, truth, and faithfulness, love, grace, and mercy, is richly
displayed; say what glory he is advanced unto, having done his
work, being highly exalted, set at the right hand of God, and
crowned with glory and honour, and what a fulness of grace there is
in him, for the supply of his people; and what a glory is on him,
which they shall behold to all eternity. John Gill. Ver. 3. His
glory shines from every ray of light that reaches us from a
thousand stars; it sparkles from the mountain tops that reflect the
earliest and retain the last rays of the rising and the setting
sun; it spreads over the expanse of the sea, and speaks in the
murmur of its restless waves; it girdles the earth with a zone of
light, and flings over it an aureole of beauty. In the varied forms
of animal tribes; in the relations of our world to other worlds, in
the revolutions of planets, in the springing of flowers, in the
fall of waters, and in the flight of birds; in the sea, the rivers,
and the air; in heights and depths, in wonders and mysteries,
Christ wears the
22. crown, sways the sceptre, and receives from all a tribute
to his sovereignty. We cannot augment it; we cannot add one ray of
light to the faintness of a distant star nor give wings to an
apterous insect, nor change a white hair into black. We can unfold,
but not create; we can adore, but not increase; we can recognise
the footprints of Deity, but not add to them. John Cumming in "From
Patmos to Paradise, "1873. Ver. 3. Declare his glory among the
heathen, etc. It is a part of the commission given to the ministers
of the gospel, not only to teach their congregations concerning
Christ, but also to have a care that they who never did hear of
him, may know what he is, what he hath done and suffered, and what
good may be had by his mediation. othing so glorious to God,
nothing so wonderful in itself, as is the salvation of man by
Christ; to behold God saving his enemies by the incarnation,
sufferings, and obedience of Christ the eternal Son of God: Declare
his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. David
Dickson. Ver. 3. Declare his glory. It is his glory which should be
proclaimed, not the learning, ability, and eloquence of the orator
who professes to speak for Him; it is his glory, the loving beauty,
the attractiveness of his gospel, the lavish promises to repentant
sinners, the blessedness of heaven, which should be the chief
themes of discourse; not threats, menaces, sermons on hell or
torment to affright men, and at best make them God's trembling
slaves, not his loving friends. The preaching is to be unto all
people, in obscure country districts, amongst unpolished and
illiterate congregations, and not to be confined, as fashionable
preachers like to confine it, to the cultivated and critical
audiences of the capital. Hugo, quoted by eale and Littledale. Ver.
3. His glory. What he had before called salvation, he now names
glory, and afterwards wonders. And since this salvation, whereby
the human race is redeemed from eternal death and damnation, is
glorious and full of wonders, it is therefore worthy of admiration
and praise. Mollerus. Ver. 3. His wonders. What a wonderful person
he is, for he is God manifest in the flesh; what wonderful love he
has shown in his incarnation, obedience, sufferings, and death;
what amazing miracles he wrought, and what a wonderful work he
performed; the work of our redemption, the wonder of men and
angels; declare his wonderful resurrection from the dead, his
ascension to heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, and
intercession for his people; the wonderful effusion of his Spirit,
and the conquests of his grace, and the enlargement of his kingdom
in the world; as also what wonders will be wrought by him when he
appears a second time; how the dead will be raised and all will be
judged. John Gill. 4 For great is the Lord and most worthy of
praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
23. BAR ES, "For the Lord is great - Yahweh is great. See the
notes at Psa_77:13. This verse is taken literally from 1Ch_16:25.
And greatly to be praised - Worthy of exalted praise and adoration.
He is to be feared above all gods - He is to be reverenced and
adored above all that are called gods. Higher honor is to be given
him; more lofty praise is to be ascribed to him. He is Ruler over
all the earth, and has a claim to universal praise. Even if it were
admitted that they were real gods, yet it would still be true that
they were local and inferior divinities; that they ruled only over
the particular countries where they were worshipped and
acknowledged as gods, and that they had no claim to universal
adoration as Yahweh has. CLARKE, "He is to be feared above all gods
- I think the two clauses of this verse should be read thus: -
Jehovah is great, and greatly to be praised. Elohim is to be feared
above all. I doubt whether the word Elohim is ever, by fair
construction, applied to false gods or idols. The contracted form
in the following verse appears to have this meaning. GILL, "For the
Lord is great,.... In the perfections of his nature; in the works
of his hands, of creation, providence, and redemption; and in the
several offices he bears and executes: and greatly to be praised;
because of his greatness and glory; See Gill on Psa_48:1, he is to
be feared above all gods; the angels by whom he is worshipped;
civil magistrates, among whom he presides, and judges; and all the
fictitious deities of the Gentiles, who are not to be named with
him, and to whom no fear, reverence, and worship, are due. HE RY
4-6, ". In the midst of these calls to praise God and give glory to
him glorious things are here said of him, both as motives to praise
and matter of praise: The Lord is great, and therefore greatly to
be praised (Psa_96:4) and to be feared, great and honourable to his
attendants, great and terrible to his adversaries. Even the new
song proclaims God great as well as good; for his goodness is his
glory; and, when the everlasting gospel is preached, it is this,
Fear God, and give glory to him, Rev_14:6, Rev_14:7. 1. He is great
in his sovereignty over all that pretend to be deities; none dare
vie with him: He is to be feared above all gods - all princes, who
were often deified after their deaths, and even while they lived
were adored as petty gods - or rather all idols, the gods of the
nations Psa_96:5. All the earth being called to sing the new song,
they must be convinced that the Lord Jehovah, to whose honour they
must sing it, is the one only living and true God, infinitely above
all rivals and pretenders; he is great, and they are
24. little; he is all, and they are nothing; so the word used
for idols signifies, for we know that an idol is nothing in the
world, 1Co_8:4. 2. He is great in his right, even to the noblest
part of the creation; for it is his own work and derives its being
from him: The Lord made the heavens and all their hosts; they are
the work of his fingers (Psa_8:3), so nicely, so curiously, are
they made. The gods of the nations were all made - gods, the
creatures of men's fancies; but our God is the Creator of the sun,
moon, and stars, those lights of heaven, which they imagined to be
gods and worshipped as such. 3. He is great in the manifestation of
his glory both in the upper and lower world, among his angels in
heaven and his saints on earth (Psa_96:6): Splendour and majesty
are before him, in his immediate presence above, where the angels
cover their faces, as unable to bear the dazzling lustre of his
glory. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary, both that above
and this below. In God there is every thing that is awful and yet
every thing that is amiable. If we attend him in his sanctuary, we
shall behold his beauty, for God is love, and experience his
strength, for he is our rock. Let us therefore go forth in his
strength, enamoured with his beauty. JAMISO , "For He is not a
local God, but of universal agency, while idols are nothing. CALVI
, "4.For Jehovah is great, and greatly to be praised. He
particularly describes that God, whom he would have men to
celebrate, and this because the Gentile nations were prone to merge
into error upon this subject. That the whole world might abjure its
superstitions, and unite in the true religion, he points out the
one only God who is worthy of universal praise. This is a point of
the greatest importance. Unless men are restrained by a due respect
to it, they can only dishonor him the more that they attempt to
worship him. We must observe this order if we would not profane the
name of God, and rank ourselves amongst unbelieving men, who set
forth gods of their own invention. By gods in the verse may be
meant, as I observed already, (Psalms 95:3,) either angels or
idols. I would still be of opinion that the term comprehends
whatever is, or is accounted deity. As God, so to speak, sends rays
of himself through all the world by his angels, these reflect some
sparks of his Divinity. (78) Men, again, in framing idols, fashion
gods to themselves which have no existence. The Psalmist would
convince them of its being a gross error to ascribe undue honor
either to the angels or to idols, thus detracting from the glory of
the one true God. He convicts the heathen nations of manifest
infatuation, upon the ground that their gods are vanity and nought,
for such is the meaning of the Hebrew word , elilim, (79) which is
here applied to idols in contempt. The Psalmists great point is to
show, that as the Godhead is really and truly to be found in none
but the one Maker of the world, those religions are vain and
contemptible which corrupt the pure worship of him. Some may ask,
Are angels then to be accounted nothing and vanity, merely because
many have been deceived in thinking them gods? I would reply, that
we do injury to the angels when we give them that honor which is
due to God only; and, while we are not on this account to hold that
they are nothing in themselves, yet whatever imaginary glory has
been attached to them must go for nothing. (80) But the Psalmist
has in his eye the gross delusions of the heathen, who impiously
fashioned gods to themselves. Before refuting their absurd notions,
he very properly remarks of God that he is
25. great, and greatly to be praised insinuating that his glory
as the infinite One far excels any which they dreamt of as
attaching to their idols. We cannot but notice the confidence with
which the Psalmist asserts the glory of the true God, in opposition
to the universal opinion which men might entertain. The people of
God were at that time called to maintain a conflict of no
inconsiderable or common description with the hosts and prodigious
mass of superstitions which then filled the whole world. The true
God might be said to be confined within the obscure corner of
Judea. Jupiter was the god every where received and adored
throughout the whole of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Every country had
its own gods peculiar to itself, but these were not unknown in
other parts, and it was the true God only who was robbed of that
glory which belonged to him. All the world had conspired to believe
a lie. Yet the Psalmist, sensible that the vain delusions of men
could derogate nothing from the glory of the one God, (81) looks
down with indifference upon the opinion and universal suffrage of
mankind. The inference is plain, that we must not conclude that to
be necessarily the true religion which meets with the approbation
of the multitude; for the judgment formed by the Psalmist must have
fallen to the ground at once, if religion were a thing to be
determined by the suffrages of men, and his worship depended upon
their caprice. Be it then that ever so many agree in error, we
shall insist after the Holy Ghost that they cannot take from Gods
glory; for man is vanity himself, and all that comes of him is to
be mistrusted. (82) Having asserted the greatness of God, he proves
it by reference to the formation of the world, which reflects his
perfections. (83) God must necessarily exist of himself, and be
self-sufficient, which shows the vanity of all gods who made not
the world. The heavens are mentioned a part for the whole as the
power of God is principally apparent in them, when we consider
their beauty and adornment. , . One God our hearts confess: whoeer
beside Aspires with Him our homage to divide, A world as beauteous
let him first design, And say, its fabric finished, This is mine.
Merricks Annotations. SPURGEO , "Ver. 4. For the LORD is great and
greatly to be praised. He is no petty deity, presiding, as the
heathen imagined their gods to do, over some one nation, or one
department of nature. Jehovah is great in power and dominion, great
in mind and act; nothing mean or narrow can be found in him or his
acts, in all things he is infinite. Praise should be proportionate
to its object, therefore let it be infinite when rendered unto the
Lord. We cannot praise him too much, too often, too zealously, too
carefully, too joyfully. He deserves that nothing in his worship
should be little, but all the honour rendered unto him should be
given in largeness of heart, with the utmost zeal for his glory. He
is to be feared above all gods. Other gods have been worshipped at
great cost, and with much fervour, by their blinded rotaries, but
Jehovah should be adored with far greater reverence. Even if the
graven images had been gods they could not
26. have borne comparison for an instant with the God of
Israel, and therefore his worship, should be far more zealous than
any which has been rendered to them. He is to be feared, for there
is cause to fear. Dread of other gods is mere superstition, awe of
the Lord is pure religion. Holy fear is the beginning of the
graces, and yet it is the accompaniment of their highest range.
Fear of God is the blush upon the face of holiness enhancing its
beauty. COFFMA , "Verse 4 U REALITY OF THE IDOL GODS OF THE GE
TILES "For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He is to be
feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols;
But Jehovah made the heavens." The major prophets, especially,
exposed the futility of the worthless gods of the Gentiles. Isaiah
especially excelled in doing so. See Isaiah 2,8,18,20; 40:19ff;
41:21- 24; and 44:12ff. Contrasted with the feeble, helpless gods
of the pagan Gentiles is the majestic power and holiness of the
true God, Creator of the heavens and everything else in the
universe. The galaxies themselves unfurled as a banner in the night
sky proclaim God's glory. "The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament showeth his handiwork" (Psalms 19:1). "To be
feared above all gods" (Psalms 96:4). Leupold remarked that, "If
any of the entities commonly called gods produced fear in the minds
and hearts of their worshippers, how much more would the knowledge
of God Most High do so? This naturally implies that the fear which
the knowledge of Almighty God evokes is wholesome and true; it is a
godly reverence."[7] "All the gods of the peoples are idols"
(Psalms 96:5). And what is an idol? It is a man-made device
resembling some human being or some allegedly mythical character,
and it supposedly represents a "god." An idol cannot see, cannot
hear, cannot move itself, is utterly helpless, having no abilities
whatever. This writer once visited the temple of the Diabhutsu in
Japan, and a number of the niches surrounding the great idol were
adorned in posters, printed with red and black letters, carrying
the message, "THESE GODS ARE OUT OF REPAIR!" The near- insanity of
idol-worship is surely indicated by this.
27. 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord
made the heavens. BAR ES, "For all the gods of the nations are
idols - All the gods worshipped by the people of other lands are
mere idols. None of them can claim to have a real existence as
gods. The word here rendered idols is translated by the Septuagint,
daimonia, demons. So the Latin Vulgate daemonia. The Hebrew word -
'lyl - means properly of nothing, nought, empty, vain. See
Job_13:4. The meaning here is, that they were mere nothings; they
had no real existence; they were the creations of the imagination;
they could not in any sense be regarded as what it was pretended
they were; they had no claim to reverence and worship as gods. Of
most of them it was a fact that they had no existence at all, but
were mere creatures of fancy. Of those that did really exist, as
the sun, moon, stars, animals, or the spirits of departed people,
though it was true that they had an actual existence, yet it was
also true that they had no existence as gods, or as entitled to
worship; and hence, it was also true that the worship offered to
them was as vain as that which was offered to mere beings of the
imagination. This verse is extracted literally from 1Ch_16:26. The
Hebrew is the same. But the Lord made the heavens - Yahweh created
the heavenly hosts, and therefore he is the true God, and is
entitled to worship. The power of creation - of causing anything to
exist where there was nothing before - must pertain to God alone,
and is the highest act of Divinity. No pretended pagan god has that
power; no man has that power. The true God has reserved the
exercise of that power to himself, and has never, in any instance,
imparted it to a created being. CLARKE, "All the gods of the
nations are idols - elohey. All those reputed or worshipped as gods
among the heathens are elilim, vanities, emptinesses, things of
nought. Instead of being Elohim, they are elilim; they are not only
not God, but they are nothing. Jehovah made the heavens. He who is
the creator is alone worthy of adoration. GILL, "For all the gods
of the nations are idols,.... Or are "nothings" (o), nonentities;
such as have not, and never had, any being, at least many of them,
but in the fancies of men; and all of them such as have no divinity
in them; an idol is nothing in the world, 1Co_8:4, but the Lord
made the heavens; and all the hosts of them, the sun, moon, and
stars; these are the curious workmanship of his fingers, and which
declare his glory, and show him to be truly and properly God, who
is to be feared and worshipped; see Heb_1:10.
28. HE RY, "He is great in his sovereignty over all that
pretend to be deities; none dare vie with him: He is to be feared
above all gods - all princes, who were often deified after their
deaths, and even while they lived were adored as petty gods - or
rather all idols, the gods of the nations Psa_96:5. All the earth
being called to sing the new song, they must be convinced that the
Lord Jehovah, to whose honour they must sing it, is the one only
living and true God, infinitely above all rivals and pretenders; he
is great, and they are little; he is all, and they are nothing; so
the word used for idols signifies, for we know that an idol is
nothing in the world, 1Co_8:4. SPURGEO , "Ver. 5. For all the gods
of the nations are idols. Mere images of wood and stone, vanities,
nothings. But the Lord made the heavens. The reality of his Godhead
is proved by his works, and foremost among these the psalmist
mentions that matchless piece of architecture which casts its arch
over every man's head, whose lamps are the light of all mankind,
whose rains and dew fall upon the fields of every people, and
whence the Lord in voice of thunder is heard speaking to every
creature. The idol gods have no existence, but our God is the
author of all existences; they are mere earthly vanities, while he
is not only heavenly, but made the heavens. This is mentioned as an
argument for Jehovah's universal praise. Who can be worshipped but
he? Since none can rival him, let him be adored alone. EXPLA ATORY
OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS. Ver. 5. For all the gods of the nations
are idols. othings, nonentities, a favourite description of idols
in Isaiah's later prophecies. See eg Isaiah 41:24, and compare Le
19:4 26:1, 1Co 8:4-6 10:19. A less probable etymology of the Hebrew
word makes it a diminutive of (la) El, analogous to godlings as an
expression of contempt. J. A. Alexander. Ver. 5. The gods of the
nations are idols. Their Elohim are elilim. See 1 Chronicles 16:26.
The word elilim occurs in two places in the Psalms, here and Psalms
97:7. It is used most frequently by Isaiah, and properly signifies
nothings, as St. Paul says, "an idol is nothing." (1 Corinthians
8:4.) Chr. Wordsworth. Ver. 5. The Lord made the heavens., Psalms
96:5 is a notandum. What a tribute to astronomy is it that the Lord
is so often done homage to as having made the heavens! Let the
theology of nature be blended with the theology of consciencea full
recognition of the strength and the glory which shine palpably
forth in the wonders of creation, with the spiritual offerings of
holy worship and holy service. Thomas Chalmers. 6 Splendor and
majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his
sanctuary.
29. BAR ES, "Honour and majesty are before him - This part of
the verse is taken literally from 1Ch_16:27. The meaning is, that
that which constitutes honor, glory, majesty, is in his presence,
or wherever he is. Whereever he manifests himself, there are the
exhibitions of honor and majesty. They are always the
accompaniments of his presence. Strength and beauty are in his
sanctuary - This is slightly varied from the parallel passage in
1Ch_16:27. The word rendered strength is in both places the same.
The word rendered beauty here - tiph'ereth - is in 1Ch_16:27 chedvh
- joy or gladness. The word here rendered sanctuary - miqdsh - is
in 1Ch_16:27 - mqm - place. These variations are such as to show
that the psalm is not a mere extract, but that it was altered of
design, and adapted to the occasion on which it was to be employed
- confirming the supposition that it may have been used in the re-
dedication of the temple after the return from the captivity. The
word sanctuary refers to the holy place where God dwells; his
sacred abode, whether his residence in heaven, or the temple on
earth as the place of his earthly habitation. When it is said that
strength is there, it means that the dwelling-place of God is the
source of power, or that power emanates from thence; that is, from
God himself. When it is said that beauty is there, the meaning is,
that whatever is suited to charm by loveliness; whatever is a real
ornament; whatever makes the world attractive; whatever beautifies
and adorns creation, has its home in God; it proceeds from him. It
may be added that whatever there is of power to reform the world,
and convert sinners; whatever there is to turn people from their
vicious and abandoned course of life; whatever there is to make the
world better and happier, proceeds from the sanctuary - the church
of God. Whatever there is that truly adorns society, and makes it
more lovely and attractive; whatever there is that diffuses a charm
over domestic and social life; whatever there is that makes the
world more lovely or more desirable to live in - more courteous,
more gentle, more humane, more kind, more forgiving - has its home
in the sanctuary, or emanates from the church of God. CLARKE,
"Honour and majesty are before him - Does this refer to the cloud
of his glory that preceded the ark in their journeying through the
wilderness? The words strength and beauty, and glory and strength,
Psa_96:7, are those by which the ark is described, Psa_78:61. GILL,
"Honour and majesty are before him,.... He being set down at the
right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, and having
honour and majesty laid upon him; being arrayed in robes of
majesty, crowned with glory and honour, sitting on the same throne
of glory with his Father, and having a sceptre of righteousness in
his hand, and all the forms and ensigns of royalty and majesty
about him; rays of light and glory darting from him; as well as
those glorious and bright forms before him; the holy
30. angels continually praising him; which is a much more noble
sense than that of Kimchi's, who interprets them of the stars:
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary; the Targum is, "the house
of his sanctuary,'' the temple; the Gospel church, of which the
temple or sanctuary was a figure: the strength of Christ is seen
here, in the conversion of sinners by his Gospel, which is the rod
of his strength, the power of God unto salvation, when it comes not
in word only; and by which he also strengthens his people to the
more vigorous exercise of grace and discharge of duty; here they go
from strength to strength: the "beauty" of Christ is seen here; the
King is held in the galleries of Gospel ordinances, and is beheld
in his beauty; his people appear here in the beauties of holiness,
and as a perfection of beauty, through the righteousness of Christ
upon them; and as they observe the order of the Gospel, and do all
things decently, and with a good decorum: or else, as Kimchi
interprets it, heaven may be meant by the sanctuary, of which the
holy place, made with hands, was a figure; here Christ reigns,
girded with "strength"; here he rules as the Lord God omnipotent,
having all power in heaven, and in earth, and doing according to
his will in both; and from hence he shows himself strong on the
behalf of his people; here. He, who is beauty itself, fairer than
the children of men, dwells; here those beauteous forms of light
and glory, the holy angels, are; and here the spirits of just men
made perfect, who are without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing,
have their abode: in 1Ch_16:27, it is, strength and gladness are in
his place; among his people and worshippers there. HE RY, "He is
great in the manifestation of his glory both in the upper and lower
world, among his angels in heaven and his saints on earth
(Psa_96:6): Splendour and majesty are before him, in his immediate
presence above, where the angels cover their faces, as unable to
bear the dazzling lustre of his glory. Strength and beauty are in
his sanctuary, both that above and this below. In God there is
every thing that is awful and yet every thing that is amiable. If
we attend him in his sanctuary, we shall behold his beauty, for God
is love, and experience his strength, for he is our rock. Let us
therefore go forth in his strength, enamoured with his beauty.
JAMISO , "Honour and majesty are His attendants, declared in His
mighty works, while power and grace are specially seen in His
spiritual relations to His people. CALVI , "6Strength and honor are
before him I translate the Hebrew word , hod, by strength, and
think those interpreters who render it glory have not duly
considered the context. It is evident that the next member of the
verse is a repetition, and there it reads, Power and Glory are in
his sanctuary. The Psalmist means that we cannot be said to know
God if we have not discovered that there is in him an incomparable
glory and majesty. He first takes notice of his power and strength,
as that in which his glory consists. There, as God is invisible, he
directs the thoughts of his people to the sanctuary, which we have
already seen to be the symbol of his presence. Such is the weakness
of our minds that we rise with difficulty to the contemplation of
his glory in the heavens. The Psalmist reminds us that we have
no
31. reason to say that his glory is obscure, since there were
emblems of his presence in the temple, the sacrifices, and the ark
of the covenant.