Psalms 97 — T4T — Scriptura

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97Yahweh is the king!I want everyone on the earth to be glad/happy,
and the people who live on the islands in the oceans to also rejoice about that!

^{Verse 2}There are very dark clouds around him to hide him;
he rules [MTY] righteously/justly and fairly.
^{Verse 3}He sends fire in front of him,and he completely burns all his enemies in that fire.^{Verse 4}All around the world he causes lightning to flash;people on the earth see it, and it causes them to be afraid and tremble.^{Verse 5}The mountains/hills melt like wax in front of Yahweh,the one who is the Lord, who rules over all the earth.^{Verse 6}The angels in [MTY] heaven proclaim that he acts righteously,and all the people-groups see his glory.

^{Verse 7}Everyone who worships idols should be ashamed;all those who are proud of their false gods should realize that their gods are useless,It is as though all those gods bow down to worship Yahweh.

^{Verse 8}The people [MTY] of Jerusalem hear about Yahweh and are glad/happy,and people in the other [MTY] cities in Judah also rejoice,
because Yahweh judges and punishes wicked people.^{Verse 9}Yahweh is the supreme king over all the earth;he has very great power, and all the other gods have no power at all.

^{Verse 10}Yahweh loves those who hate what people do that is evil;he protects the lives of his people,
and he rescues them when the wicked people try to harm them.^{Verse 11}His light shines on righteous people;he causes those who are righteous to rejoice.^{Verse 12}You righteous people, rejoice about what Yahweh has done,and thank him, our holy God!

Commentary

We have here nothing but echoes of the older literature: Psa 97:1, cf. Isa 42:10-12; Isa 51:5; Psa 97:2, cf. Psa 18:10, Psa 18:12; Psa 97:2 = Psa 89:15; Psa 97:3, cf. Psa 50:3; Psa 18:9; Psa 97:3, cf. Isa 42:25. Beginning with the visible coming of the kingdom of God in the present, with מלך ה the poet takes his stand upon the standpoint of the kingdom which is come. With it also comes rich material for universal joy. תּגל is indicative, as in Psa 96:11 and frequently. רבּים are all, for all of them are in fact many (cf. Isa 52:15). The description of the theophany, for which the way is preparing in Psa 97:2, also reminds one of Hab. 3. God's enshrouding Himself in darkness bears witness to His judicial earnestness. Because He comes as Judge, the basis of His royal throne and of His judgment-seat is also called to mind. His harbinger is fire, which consumes His adversaries on every side, as that which broke forth out of the pillar of cloud once consumed the Egyptians.

Again we have nothing but echoes of the older literature: Psa 97:4 = Psa 77:19; Psa 97:4, cf. Psa 77:17; Psa 97:5, cf. Mic 1:4; Psa 97:5, cf. Mic 4:13; Psa 97:6 = Psa 50:6; Psa 97:6, cf. Isa 35:2; Isa 40:5; Isa 52:10; Isa 66:18. The poet goes on to describe that which is future with historical certainty. That which Psa 77:19 says of the manifestation of God in the earlier times he transfers to the revelation of God in the last time. The earth sees it, and begins to tremble in consequence of it. The reading ותּחל, according to Hitzig (cf. Ew. ֗232, b) traditional, is, however, only an error of pointing that has been propagated; the correct reading is the reading of Heidenheim and Baer, restored according to MSS, ותּחל (cf. Sa1 31:3), like ותּבן, ותּקם, ותּרם, and ותּשׂם. The figure of the wax is found even in Psa 68:3; and Jahve is also called "Lord of the whole earth" in Zac 4:14; Zac 6:5. The proclamation of the heavens is an expression of joy, Psa 96:11. They proclaim the judicial strictness with which Jahve, in accordance with His promises, carries out His plan of salvation, the realization of which has reached its goal in the fact that all men see the glory of God.

When the glory of Jahve becomes manifest, everything that is opposed to it will be punished and consumed by its light. Those who serve idols will become conscious of their delusion with shame and terror, Isa 42:17; Jer 10:14. The superhuman powers (lxx ἄγγελοι), deified by the heathen, then bow down to Him who alone is Elohim in absolute personality. השׁתּחווּ is not imperative (lxx, Syriac), for as a command this clause would be abrupt and inconsequential, but the perfect of that which actually takes place. The quotation in Heb 1:6 is taken from Deu 32:43, lxx. In Psa 97:8 (after Psa 48:12) the survey of the poet again comes back to his own nation. When Zion hears that Jahve has appeared, and all the world and all the powers bow down to Him, she rejoices; for it is in fact her God whose kingship has come to the acknowledge. And all the daughter-churches of the Jewish land exult together with the mother-church over the salvation which dawns through judgments.

This distichic epiphonema (Psa 97:9 = Ps 83:19; Psa 97:9, cf. Psa 47:3, 10) might close the Psalm; there follows still, however, a hortatory strophe (which was perhaps not added till later on).

It is true Psa 97:12 is = Psa 32:11, Psa 97:12 = Psa 30:5, and the promise in Psa 97:10 is the same as in Psa 37:28; Psa 34:21; but as to the rest, particularly Psa 97:11, this strophe is original. It is an encouraging admonition to fidelity in an age in which an effeminate spirit of looking longingly towards lit. ogling heathenism was rife, and stedfast adherence to Jahve was threatened with loss of life. Those who are faithful in their confession, as in the Maccabaean age (Ἀσιδαῖοι), are called חסדיו. The beautiful figure in Psa 97:11 is misapprehended by the ancient versions, inasmuch as they read זרח (Psa 112:4) instead of זרע. זרע does not here signify sown = strewn into the earth, but strewn along his life's way, so that he, the righteous one, advances step by step in the light. Hitzig rightly compares ki'dnatai ski'dnatai, used of the dawn and of the sun. Of the former Virgil also says, Et jam prima novo spargebat lumine terras.

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