Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 96:7
Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
7. O ye kindreds of the people ] Ye families of the peoples. Cp. Psa 22:27; Amo 3:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7 9. An appeal to the nations to acknowledge Jehovah. These verses are a free imitation of Psa 29:1-2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Give unto the Lord – Ascribe unto the Lord – to Yahweh. This is extracted literally from 1Ch 16:28.
O ye kindreds of the people – Hebrew, Families of the people: people, as united by family ties. The idea is that of worship not merely as individuals, nor as a mere aggregate of individuals united by no common bonds, but as those united by strong ties; bound by blood and affection; constituted into communities. It is a call on such to worship God in their capacity as thus bound together; to come as families and to worship God. In other words, it is a call on families as such to acknowledge God. A family is a proper place where to honor God. When the same joy pervades all hearts in prosperity, and when all are alike made sorrowful in adversity, there is an evident fitness that all should unite in the same worship of God; and that, as in all other things they have common interests, sympathies, and affections, so they should have in religion – in the service of their Creator.
Give unto the Lord glory and strength – That is, Proclaim that these belong to God; or, worship him as a God of glory and power.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. Ye kindreds of the people] Ye families, all the tribes of Israel in your respective divisions.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
O ye kindreds of the people; or, O ye families of the people of the world. And the word families may be understood either,
1. Strictly and properly; and so it may be intimated that this great blessing of salvation by Christ should not be imparted to whole nations, but only to some persons taken out of every people and nation, as it is expressed, Rev 5:9. Or,
2. More largely for nations, as it is taken, Gen 12:3; Jer 25:9; Zec 14:18; and so it may be implied that not only some few of the heathen people should be brought to the acknowledgment and worship of the true God, as was usual in the times of the Old Testament, but that whole nations should come in to the church of God together.
Give unto the Lord; ascribe to him, or acknowledge to be in him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7-9. Giveor, “ascribe”(Ps 29:1) due honor to Him, byacts of appointed and solemn worship in His house.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people,…. Or families p: the Targum is,
“give unto the Lord a song, ye families of the people;”
by whom are meant not the tribes and families of the people of Israel, but the Gentiles, the nations of the world, who were to be blessed in the seed of Abraham, the family of Egypt, and others; see Am 3:2
Zec 14:17, even such as were chosen of them, taken out from among them for a people to his name; who were redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation; and were taken, one of a city, and two of a family, and brought to Zion: give unto the Lord glory and strength; [See comments on Ps 29:1].
p “familiae”, Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, &c.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Call to the families of the peoples to worship God, the One, living, and glorious God. is repeated three times here as Psa 29:1-11, of which the whole strophe is an echo. Isaiah (ch. 60) sees them coming in with the gifts which they are admonished to bring with them into the courts of Jahve (in Chr. only: ). Instead of here and in the chronicler, the lxx brings the courts ( ) in once more; but the dependence of the strophe upon Psa 29:1-11 furnishes a guarantee for the “holy attire,” similar to the wedding garment in the New Testament parable. Instead of , Psa 96:9, the chronicler has , just as he also alternates with both forms, 2Ch 32:7, cf. 1Ch 19:18.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
7 Give to Jehovah, etc. Since praise waited for God in Zion, (Psa 65:1,) and that was the place devoted to the celebration of his worship, and the posterity of Abraham were alone invested with the privilege of priesthood, we cannot doubt that the Psalmist refers here to that great change which was to take place in the Church upon the advent of Christ. An opposition or distinction is intended between God’s ancient people and the Gentile tribes, which were to be afterwards adopted into the same fellowship. To declare his glory and strength, is the same with declaring the glory of his strength And to show that man can boast nothing of his own, and in refusing to celebrate God, impiously despoils him of his just honors, he subjoins, Give unto the Lord the glory of his name; an expression which denotes that God borrows nothing from without, but comprehends all that is worthy of praise in himself. He calls upon the Gentile nations in so many words to render unto God the same worship which the Jews did; not that we must worship God now according to the outward ritual which was prescribed under the Law, but he signifies that there would be one rule and form of religion in which all nations should accord. Now, unless the middle wall of partition had been broken down, the Gentiles could not have entered along with God’s children into the courts of the sanctuary. So that we have here a clear prediction of the calling of the Gentiles, who needed to have their uncleanness taken away before they could be brought into the holy assembly. The mincha, or oblation, was only one kind of sacrifice, but it is here taken to denote the whole worship of God, because it was a part of divine service more ordinarily practiced. We see from this, and other passages, that the inspired penmen describe the inward worship of God under symbols common in the age when they lived. God would not have meat-offerings presented to him after Christ had come; but the words which the Psalmist employs intimate that the doors of the temple, once shut, were now to be opened for the admission of the Gentiles. The Apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, (Heb 13:15) tells us what are those sacrifices with which God will now be worshipped. Hence the absurdity of the Papists, who would adduce such passages in support of the mass and their other fooleries. We may very properly learn from the words, however, that we ought not to come empty-handed into the presence of God, enjoined as we are to present ourselves and all that we have as a reasonable service unto Him, (Rom 12:1; 1Pe 2:5.)
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7-9) These verses are a relic of Psa. 29:1-2, where see Notes, but instead of being addressed to the angels it is, in accordance with the world of new ideas and feelings in which Israel lived after the Captivity, addressed to all the people of the world. A truly Messianic character is thus impressed on the psalm.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Give ye The “give,” or ascribe, is uttered thrice, corresponding to “sing,” thrice repeated, (Psa 96:1-2,) expressive of the earnestness of the speaker. See Psa 29:1-2. The Chaldee has it, “Bring a new song to God.”
Kindreds of the people Hebrew, Families of the nations. This accords with the breadth of the covenant. Compare “families of the earth,” (Gen 12:3; Gen 28:14,) which is the basis of the New Testament Church, as the family organization is also of the nation. The tendency of modern civilization and nationality is to restore the nations, according to the most ancient law, on the line of language and blood, see Gen 10:5; Gen 10:20; Gen 10:31-32, against the arbitrary combinations of ambition and conquest. Europe gives an example of this.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
It is impossible sufficiently to celebrate the glories of Christ in his kingdom. All divine perfections are his; all spiritual, temporal, eternal dominion belongs to him, both by virtue of his Father’s gift, his own right of purchase , and the conquests of his Spirit. Therefore (saith the Psalmist) tell it out at large who Jesus is, how sure, how certain, how durable and eternal, his kingdom. As I live, saith the Lord, I have strove by myself; the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return; that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Isa 45:23 . Hence the earnest exhortation of the Psalmist, Psa 2:12 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 96:7 Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Ver. 7. Give unto the Lord ] See Psa 29:1-2 . One rendereth it, Tribuite ponderose, unde onus pondus portate; to show that our praises of God should be ponderous and substantial.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 96:7-10
7Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name;
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
9Worship the Lord in holy attire;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10Say among the nations, The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity.
Psa 96:7 Ascribe This threefold repetition (three Qal imperatives, BDB 396, KB 393) reflects Psa 29:1-2, where angels praise YHWH. Here it is all the people of the earth. The implications of monotheism (see SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM ) are universal, not national. See Special Topic: YHWH’s Eternal Redemptive Plan.
Psa 96:8 the glory of His name The name represents the person (cf. Isa 42:8, see Special Topic: Shadow as a Metaphor for Protection and Care ). He is worthy of glory and honor (for the connotation of glory in this text cf. Mal 1:6). This concept is a recurrent theme (cf. 1Ch 16:29; Psa 29:2; Psa 66:2; Psa 79:9).
The second line of this verse has two more Qal imperatives.
1. bring an offering – BDB 669, KB 724
2. come into His courts – BDB 97, KB 112
Like the first strophe (Psa 96:1-6), this refers to temple worship.
Psa 96:9 Worship. . .Tremble These are two imperatives related to temple activities.
1. worship (lit. bow down) – BDB 1005, KB 295, Hithpael or Hishtaphel), cf. Psa 29:2
2. tremble – BDB 296, KB 297, Qal, the term can denote
a. writhing in pain
b. dancing in worship (cf. Psa 96:8, cf. NEB and Jdg 21:21)
c. whirling, as in combat, with a sword
d. tremble of
(1) the earth, Psa 97:4; Psa 104:32; Psa 114:7
(2) human worshipers, Psa 96:9 (i.e., awe and respect)
in holy attire This phrase (BDB 214 construct BDB 871) is uncertain in Hebrew. It can mean (1) clothing appropriate for worship (cf. 1Ch 16:29; 2Ch 20:21; Psa 29:2; Psa 110:3) or (2) a reference to the Lord’s coming (cf. Psa 96:13, TEV).
Just a possible clarification to the first option (i.e., appropriate clothing for worship). The term elilm (BDB 43) is a rare Hebrew word. AB thinks it may be related to the Ugaritic term for rage (pp. 356, 358). If so, then there is a contrast set up between how YHWH’s worshipers are dressed (Psa 96:9) and the dreadful way the pagan idols are dressed (Psa 96:5) and worshiped.
Psa 96:10 The Lord reigns This is a common affirmation in the Psalms (cf. Psa 93:1; Psa 97:1; Psa 99:1). It refers to YHWH as king over all creation (cf. Psa 95:3-5). He reigns now (cf. Isa 52:7) but the reign is contested. One day His kingship will be clearly manifested (cf. Psa 96:13; Zec 14:9; Mat 6:10; 1Co 15:25-28).
Psa 96:10 the world is firmly established, it will not be moved In this strophe this phrase does not refer to initial creation (Genesis 1-2) but the new creation (Revelation 21-22; 2Pe 3:4-7; 2Pe 3:10-13). This world has been damaged by sin and rebellion. It will last a long time but not permanently. This is a violent universe. Unless God acts, this planet cannot survive.
He will judge the peoples There is but one God. He is a righteous, ethical, covenant-making God! All flesh will give an account to Him (cf. Gen 18:25; Psa 9:8; Psa 58:11; Psa 67:4; Psa 94:2; Psa 98:9; Mat 25:31-46; Rev 20:11-15)!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Psa 96:7-9
Psa 96:7-9
FELLOWSHIP IN GOD’S FAMILY OPEN TO ALL
“Ascribe unto Jehovah, ye kindreds of the peoples,
Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength.
Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name:
Bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Oh worship Jehovah in holy array:
Tremble before him, all the earth.”
Whereas, in the first three verses, Israel might have been able to interpret the message there as meaning that the Israelites alone would be the ones to proclaim the glory of God among all nations; but here, there is no room for such a misunderstanding. It is clear enough that the Gentiles will be accepted into the fellowship of God upon the basis of their honoring the True God and bringing a sacrifice into his courts.
Just as the opening lines of this psalm featured the triple call to “sing,” we have another triple call here.
“Ascribe … ascribe … ascribe” (Psa 96:7-8). In the KJV, these words are translated “give.”
“Ye kindreds of the peoples” (Psa 96:7). These can be none other than the Gentiles of all the earth. The prophet Malachi prophesied the acceptance of the Gentile world into fellowship with God, as follows.
“From the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the Gentiles” (Mal 1:11).
“Bring an offering and come into his courts” (Psa 96:8). It is well to remember that the tabernacle of David’s day had “courts,” no less than the more elaborate installations of the temple after Solomon’s building of it.
“An offering.” “This word is the one commonly used to denote a `bloodless’ offering such as a thank-offering. This surely indicates that “the offerings” which the Gentiles are here invited to bring are not the same as the bloody sacrifices of the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant, God’s family of worshippers are called by the apostle Peter, “A spiritual house … to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1Pe 2:5). “Through him (Christ) let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips which make confession to his name” (Heb 13:15). Also, in the quotation from Mal 1:11, it is a “pure” offering that is to be required, which is not a reference to the bloody sacrifices of the Old Testament.
“Oh worship Jehovah in holy array” (Psa 96:9). “The New English Bible renders the last phrase here, `in the splendour of holiness’. Here it becomes clear that the Gentiles are to be accepted into God’s fellowship, not upon the basis of some merely formal sacrifice, but, at least partially, upon the basis of “holiness” (Heb 12:14). Delitzsch also referred students to Jesus’ parable of “The Marriage of the King’s Son (Mat 22:1-14), in which the man who dared to attend without wearing a wedding garment was ejected in disgrace from the feast (Mat 22:11 f).
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 96:7. Man cannot actually contribute strength to the Lord. But he can give his acknowledgment that strength and glory belong to Him. The Psalmist bids all kindreds or groups of people to make such acknowledgment.
Psa 96:8. Actions speak louder than words. It is not enough to speak of the devotion due to the Lord. The proper way to exhibit that feeling for the Lord is to contribute something of value to the divine service.
Psa 96:9. Beauty is defined in Strong’s lexicon as “decoration,” and holiness is defined as “sanctity.” The thought is that sanctity or righteous conduct is a genuine ornament. The Psalmist would have his people worship the Lord under such an attitude. All people of the earth are told to fear or respect the Lord of the Israelites.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Give: Psa 29:1, Psa 29:2, Psa 68:32-34, Luk 2:14, Jud 1:25
O ye kindreds: Psa 22:27, Psa 66:1, Psa 66:2, Psa 67:3, Psa 67:4, Rom 15:9, Rom 15:10, Rev 5:9, Rev 19:6
glory: 1Ch 29:11-13, Mat 6:13, 1Pe 5:11, Jud 1:24, Jud 1:25, Rev 5:13, Rev 7:12, Rev 14:7, Rev 19:1
Reciprocal: Psa 31:6 – lying Isa 60:5 – abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee Jer 13:16 – Give Dan 3:27 – the princes Act 3:25 – all Rom 11:36 – to whom Rev 4:11 – to receive
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 96:7-9. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people O ye people, from whatsoever family ye come, or, O ye nations of the world, Give unto the Lord glory and strength Ascribe to Jehovah that incomparable majesty, and supreme dominion and authority, which you have been wont to give to your imaginary gods. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name Renouncing all your idols, acknowledge Jehovah alone to be the omnipotent king of all the world, and do him honour suitable to the excellence of his majesty. Bring an offering, and come into his courts The courts of his house. Bring him an oblation, in token of your subjection to him; and humbly worship him in his temple. He speaks of the worship of the New Testament under the expressions of the Jewish worship, as the prophets elsewhere do: see Mal 1:11. O worship the Lord O come and cast yourselves down before the Lord, in the beauty of holiness In his sanctuary, where he hath fixed his glorious residence among us; or, rather, being clothed with all those holy ornaments, those gifts and graces, which are necessary and required in Gods worship. Fear before him, all the earth Let all the people approach his presence with a holy fear and sacred reverence, standing in awe of, and dreading to offend, their sovereign Lord and King.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
96:7 Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and {e} strength.
(e) As by experience you see that it is only due to him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. An invitation to all groups of people to honor Yahweh 96:7-10
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
"Families" is literally "tribes." The Israelites invited all the Gentile groups to honor the true God. They invited them to bring offerings of worship to Him at the temple. There was a "court of the Gentiles" where non-Jews could worship Him. Contrast this attitude toward the Gentiles with that of Jonah or the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. The psalmist invited non-Jews to submit to Yahweh and become His worshippers. Many did become proselytes over the years.
"Praise takes the form of concrete expressions of submission to Yahweh." [Note: Ibid., p. 622.]