King James Version
Psalms 97
12 verses with commentary
The Lord Reigns, Let the Earth Rejoice
The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. multitude: Heb. many, or, great isles
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KJV Study Commentary
This enthronement psalm begins with the proclamation 'The LORD reigneth' (Yahweh malak), establishing divine sovereignty as the foundation for all that follows. The call for the earth to rejoice (samach) and the 'multitude of isles' (coastlands—representing distant nations) to be glad demonstrates that God's reign is universal, not merely local. This cosmic perspective anticipates the Great Commis...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **The Lord reigneth.**—For the thought and imagery comp. Psalm 96:10-11.
**Multitude of the isles**.—Literally, *isles many. *This wide glance to the westward embracing the isles and coasts of the Mediterranean (Psalm 72:10), possibly even more distant ones still, is characteristic of *the *literature of post-exile times. (Comp. Isaiah 42:10-11; Isaiah 51:15.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. Kings of armies--**that is, with their armies.
**she that ... at home--**Mostly women so remained, and the ease of victory appears in that such, without danger, quietly enjoyed the spoils.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 97
Chapter Outline
The Lord Jesus reigns in power that cannot be resisted.(1-7)
His care of his people, and his provision for them.(8-12)
**Verses 1-7**
Though many have been made happy in Christ, still there is room. And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government. There is a depth in his counsels, which we must not pretend to fathom; but still righteousness and ju...
Read full commentary →Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. habitation: or, establishment
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KJV Study Commentary
The imagery of clouds and darkness surrounding God echoes Exodus 19-20 (Sinai theophany) and emphasizes divine mystery and transcendence. Yet this obscurity doesn't indicate capriciousness—rather, 'righteousness and judgment' (tsedeq u-mishpat) are His throne's foundation. This paradox teaches that while God's ways may be beyond our comprehension, His character is absolutely trustworthy. Reformed ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Clouds and darkness.**—Comp. Psalm 18:10-12. The imagery in the first instance is borrowed from the Theophany at Sinai. (Exodus 19:9; Exodus 19:16; Exodus 20:21; Deuteronomy 4:11; Deuteronomy 5:22-23.)
**Are the habitation.**—Better, *are the foundation, *or *pillars. *(See margin.) This reappears from Psalm 89:14, but the connection with “clouds and darkness” is peculiar to this poet, and i...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. Some translate this, "When ye shall lie between the borders, ye shall," &c., comparing the peaceful rest in the borders or limits of the promised land to the proverbial beauty of a gentle dove. Others understand by the word rendered "pots," the smoked sides of caves, in which the Israelites took refuge from enemies in the times of the judges; or, taking the whole figuratively, the rows of ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 97
Chapter Outline
The Lord Jesus reigns in power that cannot be resisted.(1-7)
His care of his people, and his provision for them.(8-12)
**Verses 1-7**
Though many have been made happy in Christ, still there is room. And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government. There is a depth in his counsels, which we must not pretend to fathom; but still righteousness and ju...
Read full commentary →A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
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KJV Study Commentary
Fire going before God symbolizes His holiness consuming impurity and His judgment against sin. The verb 'burneth up' (lahat) indicates complete consumption. This imagery recalls the pillar of fire, Elijah's altar, and anticipates eschatological judgment. God's enemies being consumed demonstrates that opposition to Him is futile. The fire represents both God's zeal for His own glory and His active ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) This is an echo of Psalm 1:3. (Comp. also Psalm 18:8; Habakkuk 3:4-5.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
14. Their enemies dispersed, the contrast of their prosperity with their former distress is represented by that of the snow with the dark and somber shades of Salmon.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 97
Chapter Outline
The Lord Jesus reigns in power that cannot be resisted.(1-7)
His care of his people, and his provision for them.(8-12)
**Verses 1-7**
Though many have been made happy in Christ, still there is room. And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government. There is a depth in his counsels, which we must not pretend to fathom; but still righteousness and ju...
Read full commentary →His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.
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KJV Study Commentary
Divine lightning illuminating the world (tevel) represents God's revelation breaking through darkness. The earth seeing and trembling (chul—writhing, travailing) depicts creation's response to its Creator's unveiled presence. This isn't mere natural phenomenon but theophanic manifestation—God making His power visible. The universal scope ('world... earth') emphasizes that all creation witnesses an...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) See Psalm 77:17-18, from which this is taken.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15-16. Mountains are often symbols of nations (Psa 46:2; 65:6). That of Bashan, northeast of Palestine, denotes a heathen nation, which is described as a "hill of God," or a great hill. Such are represented as envious of the hill (Zion) on which God resides;
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 97
Chapter Outline
The Lord Jesus reigns in power that cannot be resisted.(1-7)
His care of his people, and his provision for them.(8-12)
**Verses 1-7**
Though many have been made happy in Christ, still there is room. And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government. There is a depth in his counsels, which we must not pretend to fathom; but still righteousness and ju...
Read full commentary →The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
Mountains, representing the most stable and permanent features of creation, melting like wax before God demonstrates His absolute power over nature. The phrase 'at the presence of the LORD' (mipne Yahweh) indicates that His mere presence, not exerted effort, causes this melting. The designation 'Lord of the whole earth' (adon kol-ha'arets) asserts universal sovereignty. If mountains cannot stand b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **The hills melted.**—Comp. Psalm 68:8, Note: Micah 1:4.
**The Lord of the whole earth.**—An expression first met with exactly in Joshua 3:11-13, though Abraham speaks of God as judge of the whole earth (Genesis 18:25). (Comp. Micah 4:13; Zechariah 4:10; Zechariah 6:5.) Though Jehovah was the tribal God, yet in marked distinction to surrounding tribes Israel regarded Him as having universal do...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
15-16. Mountains are often symbols of nations (Psa 46:2; 65:6). That of Bashan, northeast of Palestine, denotes a heathen nation, which is described as a "hill of God," or a great hill. Such are represented as envious of the hill (Zion) on which God resides;
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 97
Chapter Outline
The Lord Jesus reigns in power that cannot be resisted.(1-7)
His care of his people, and his provision for them.(8-12)
**Verses 1-7**
Though many have been made happy in Christ, still there is room. And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government. There is a depth in his counsels, which we must not pretend to fathom; but still righteousness and ju...
Read full commentary →The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
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KJV Study Commentary
The heavens declaring God's righteousness (tsedeq) parallels Psalm 19's 'heavens declare the glory of God,' establishing creation's testimony to its Creator. This natural revelation is universal—'all the people see his glory'—leaving humanity without excuse (Romans 1:20). The Hebrew kavod (glory) encompasses weightiness, significance, and visible manifestation of God's presence. Creation itself se...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **All the people.**—Rather, *all the peoples. *At length the world at large is convinced, by visible manifestations, of what Israel had recognised through the veil of darkness and cloud,—the eternal righteousness of which all the splendours of the storm have been a witness. (See Note, Psalm 89:6.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. and, to the assertion of God's purpose to make it His dwelling, is added evidence of His protecting care. He is described as in the midst of His heavenly armies--**
**thousands of angels--**literally, "thousands of repetitions," or, "thousands of thousands"--that is, of chariots. The word "angels" was perhaps introduced in our version, from De 33:2, and Ga 3:19. They are, of course, impli...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 97
Chapter Outline
The Lord Jesus reigns in power that cannot be resisted.(1-7)
His care of his people, and his provision for them.(8-12)
**Verses 1-7**
Though many have been made happy in Christ, still there is room. And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government. There is a depth in his counsels, which we must not pretend to fathom; but still righteousness and ju...
Read full commentary →Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.
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KJV Study Commentary
The shame (bosh) of idol worshipers stems from trusting in powerless objects rather than the living God. 'Graven images' (pesel) are carved representations devoid of life, power, or reality. The command for 'all gods' (elohim) to worship Yahweh may refer to angelic beings (as in Hebrews 1:6, which quotes this verse regarding Christ) or sarcastically to false gods bowing before the true God. This v...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Confounded**—*i.e.*, ashamed (Isaiah 42:17; Jeremiah 10:14). The same idea is conveyed by the very word “idols” in Hebrew—empty, worthless things, *shaming *those who worship them.
It is doubtful whether the verbs here are to be taken as imperatives. So LXX., Vulgate, and Authorised Version. Probably a fact is stated.
**All ye gods.**—Not “angels,” as in LXX. (See Note, Psalm 8:5.) Here, how...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. From the scene of conquest He ascends to His throne, leading--**
**captivity captive--**or, "many captives captive" (Jud 5:12).
**received gifts for men--**accepting their homage, even when forced, as that of rebels.
**that the Lord God might dwell--**or literally, "to dwell, O Lord God" (compare Psa 68:16)--that is, to make this hill, His people or Church, His dwelling. This Psalm ty...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 97
Chapter Outline
The Lord Jesus reigns in power that cannot be resisted.(1-7)
His care of his people, and his provision for them.(8-12)
**Verses 1-7**
Though many have been made happy in Christ, still there is room. And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government. There is a depth in his counsels, which we must not pretend to fathom; but still righteousness and ju...
Read full commentary →Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
Zion (representing God's people) hearing and rejoicing (samach) connects God's judgments with corporate worship. 'Judah' rejoicing 'because of thy judgments' (mishpatim) demonstrates that God's justice delights His people—we should celebrate when evil is defeated and righteousness vindicated. This communal joy in God's justice creates solidarity among believers and contrasts with worldly sorrow ov...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Zion heard.**—See Psalm 48:11, Note.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-21. God daily and fully supplies us. The issues or escapes from death are under His control, who is the God that saves us, and destroys His and our enemies.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The faithful servants of God may well rejoice and be glad, because he is glorified; and whatever tends to his honour, is his people's pleasure. Care is taken for their safety. But something more is meant than their lives. The Lord will preserve the souls of his saints from sin, from apostacy, and despair, under their greatest trials. He will deliver them out of the hands of the...
Read full commentary →For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
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KJV Study Commentary
The phrase 'high above all the earth' (al-kol-ha'arets) establishes God's transcendent position. Being 'exalted far above all gods' doesn't concede other gods' existence but uses polemical language to assert Yahweh's incomparability. The Hebrew ma'od (exceedingly, very) intensifies the exaltation. This verse's absolute claims refute both polytheism and religious pluralism—there is no pantheon, onl...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) For the first clause see Psalm 83:18; for the second Psalm 47:2-9.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-21. God daily and fully supplies us. The issues or escapes from death are under His control, who is the God that saves us, and destroys His and our enemies.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The faithful servants of God may well rejoice and be glad, because he is glorified; and whatever tends to his honour, is his people's pleasure. Care is taken for their safety. But something more is meant than their lives. The Lord will preserve the souls of his saints from sin, from apostacy, and despair, under their greatest trials. He will deliver them out of the hands of the...
Read full commentary →Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
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KJV Study Commentary
The command to 'hate evil' (sane' ra) isn't mere disapproval but active opposition to wickedness. This hatred flows from loving God—you cannot love God while being indifferent to what He hates. 'Preserveth the souls of his saints' (shamar—guards, keeps) promises divine protection for the righteous. Deliverance from 'the wicked' demonstrates that God actively intervenes on behalf of His people. Thi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Ye that love the Lord.**—Notwithstanding certain points of similarity between this verse and Psalm 34:10-20; Psalm 37:28, and between Psalm 97:12 and Psalm 32:11, the psalmist shows himself at the close more than a compiler—a true poet.
**Hate evil.**—It is better to point for the indicative, *They who love Jehovah, hate evil, *in order to avoid the awkward transition in the next clause. Th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-21. God daily and fully supplies us. The issues or escapes from death are under His control, who is the God that saves us, and destroys His and our enemies.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The faithful servants of God may well rejoice and be glad, because he is glorified; and whatever tends to his honour, is his people's pleasure. Care is taken for their safety. But something more is meant than their lives. The Lord will preserve the souls of his saints from sin, from apostacy, and despair, under their greatest trials. He will deliver them out of the hands of the...
Read full commentary →Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
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KJV Study Commentary
Light being 'sown' (zara) for the righteous uses agricultural imagery suggesting both God's initiative and future harvest. Light symbolizes joy, clarity, truth, and blessing—all aspects of salvation. Gladness for the 'upright in heart' (yashar lev) emphasizes internal righteousness, not mere external conformity. The sowing metaphor indicates that blessing may not be immediate but is certain to com...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Light is sown**—*i.e.*, scattered. The metaphor must not be pressed so as to think of a harvest to come. The image is an obvious and common one.
“Sol etiam summo de vertice dissipat omnes
Ardorem in partes, et lumine consent arva.”
LUCRETIUS.
And Milton, while enriching its metaphor, doubless had the psalm in his mind:—
“Now morn, her rosy steps in the Eastern clime
Advancing, sow’d the ear...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
22. Former examples of God's deliverance are generalized: as He has done, so He will do.
**from Bashan--**the farthest region; and--
**depths of the sea--**the severest afflictions. Out of all, God will bring them. The figures of Psa 68:23 denote the completeness of the conquest, not implying any savage cruelty (compare 2Ki 9:36; Is 63:1-6; Jr 15:3).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The faithful servants of God may well rejoice and be glad, because he is glorified; and whatever tends to his honour, is his people's pleasure. Care is taken for their safety. But something more is meant than their lives. The Lord will preserve the souls of his saints from sin, from apostacy, and despair, under their greatest trials. He will deliver them out of the hands of the...
Read full commentary →Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. at: or, to the memorial
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KJV Study Commentary
The command to 'rejoice in the LORD' (samach ba-Yahweh) grounds joy in God Himself, not circumstances. Giving thanks 'at the remembrance of his holiness' (zecher qodsho) indicates that recalling God's holy character produces gratitude. Holiness here encompasses God's transcendent otherness and moral perfection. The psalm concludes where it began (v. 1)—with rejoicing—creating an inclusio that fram...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-12**
The faithful servants of God may well rejoice and be glad, because he is glorified; and whatever tends to his honour, is his people's pleasure. Care is taken for their safety. But something more is meant than their lives. The Lord will preserve the souls of his saints from sin, from apostacy, and despair, under their greatest trials. He will deliver them out of the hands of the...
Read full commentary →