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Psalm 97[a]

The Divine Ruler of All

I

The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice;
    let the many islands be glad.(A)
Cloud and darkness surround him;
    justice and right are the foundation of his throne.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 97 The hymn begins with God appearing in a storm, a traditional picture of some ancient Near Eastern gods (Ps 97:1–6); cf. Ps 18:8–16; Mi 1:3–4; Hb 3:3–15. Israel rejoices in the overthrowing of idol worshipers and their gods (Ps 97:7–9) and the rewarding of the faithful righteous (Ps 97:10–12).

The heavens proclaim his justice;
    all peoples see his glory.(A)

II

All who serve idols are put to shame,
    who glory in worthless things;
    all gods[a] bow down before him.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 97:7 All gods: divine beings thoroughly subordinate to Israel’s God. The Greek translates “angels,” an interpretation adopted by Hb 1:6.

For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth,(A)
    exalted far above all gods.

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