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Psalm 98[a]

A psalm.

98 Sing to the Lord a new song,[b]
for he performs[c] amazing deeds.
His right hand and his mighty arm
accomplish deliverance.[d]
The Lord demonstrates his power to deliver;[e]
in the sight of the nations he reveals his justice.
He remains loyal and faithful to the family of Israel.[f]
All the ends of the earth see our God deliver us.[g]
Shout out praises to the Lord, all the earth.
Break out in a joyful shout and sing!
Sing to the Lord accompanied by a harp,
accompanied by a harp and the sound of music.
With trumpets and the blaring of the ram’s horn,
shout out praises before the king, the Lord.
Let the sea and everything in it shout,
along with the world and those who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands!
Let the mountains sing in unison
before the Lord.
For he comes to judge the earth.
He judges the world fairly,[h]
and the nations in a just manner.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 98:1 sn Psalm 98. The psalmist summons the whole earth to praise God because he reveals his justice and delivers Israel.
  2. Psalm 98:1 sn A new song is appropriate because the Lord is constantly intervening in the world as its just king. See Ps 96:1.
  3. Psalm 98:1 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 1-3 are understood here as describing characteristic divine activities. Another option is to translate them as present perfects, “has performed…has accomplished deliverance, etc.” referring to completed actions that have continuing results.
  4. Psalm 98:1 tn Heb “his right hand delivers for him and his holy arm.” The right hand and arm symbolize his power as a warrior-king (see Isa 52:10). His arm is “holy” in the sense that it is in a category of its own; God’s power is incomparable.
  5. Psalm 98:2 tn Heb “makes known his deliverance.”
  6. Psalm 98:3 tn Heb “he remembers his loyal love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel.”
  7. Psalm 98:3 tn Heb “the deliverance of our God,” with “God” being a subjective genitive (= God delivers).
  8. Psalm 98:9 tn The verbal forms in v. 9 probably describe God’s typical, characteristic behavior, though they may depict in dramatic fashion the outworking of divine judgment or anticipate a future judgment of worldwide proportions (“will judge…”).

Praise to Yahweh for His Salvation and Judgment

A psalm.[a]

98 Sing to[b] Yahweh a new song, for he has done wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm have secured his victory.
Yahweh has made known his salvation;[c]
to the eyes of the nations he has revealed his righteousness.
He has remembered his loyal love and his faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation[d] of our God.
Shout joyfully to Yahweh, all the earth.
Be cheerful[e] and sing for joy and sing praises.
Sing praises to Yahweh with lyre,
with lyre and melodious sound.
With trumpets and sound of horn,
shout joyfully before the king, Yahweh.
Let the sea with[f] its fullness roar,
the world and those who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands.
Let the hills sing joyfully together
before Yahweh, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with equity.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 98:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
  2. Psalm 98:1 Or “sing concerning”
  3. Psalm 98:2 Or “victory”
  4. Psalm 98:3 Or “victory”
  5. Psalm 98:4 Or “Burst forth”
  6. Psalm 98:7 Hebrew “and”