Every verse here opens — tap a number for what that one means.
1Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand and holy arm have gained Him the victory.
2The LORD has proclaimed His salvation and revealed His righteousness to the nations.
3He has remembered His love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth—let your cry ring out, and sing praises!
5Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, in melodious song with the harp.
6With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
7Let the sea resound, and all that fills it, the world, and all who dwell in it.
8Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy
9before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Commentary
Psalm 98, explained
What Psalm 98 is saying
A jubilant new song psalm closely paralleling Psalm 96, Psalm 98 celebrates God's salvation as a public, cosmic event. His right hand and holy arm have won the victory; He has revealed His righteousness before the nations. The psalm summons an ever-expanding orchestra of praise—singing, harp, trumpets, horns—before the rivers clap their hands and mountains sing together. God comes to judge the earth with equity.
The background behind it
The psalm's salvation language echoes Second Isaiah (Isaiah 52:10—'The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all nations'). This connection suggests either post-exilic composition celebrating the return from Babylon or the use of exodus-redemption language for ongoing liturgical celebration.
Themes running underneath
The psalm's theology insists that God's saving acts are inherently public—He has 'made His salvation known' and 'revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations.' Divine faithfulness to Israel becomes universal testimony. The personification of rivers and mountains praising God envisions cosmic worship that transcends human limits.
Why it still matters
Psalm 98 challenges privatized faith by declaring that God's saving work demands public celebration. It also affirms that the natural world participates in worship, grounding environmental care in theological conviction.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.