Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
English Standard Version (ESV)
The astonishing thing here is that the psalmist isn't just calling for people to praise God, but for the entire natural world to join in. It highlights that all creation is connected to God's reign and responds to His glory in its own way, an idea that anticipates a redeemed world where even inanimate nature echoes God's praise.
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is a vibrant celebration of God's righteous reign and victorious acts, particularly his salvation and justice for all the earth. The call for the sea and the world to roar with joy builds on previous verses that summon all creation to make a joyful noise and sing praise with instruments and voices. This grand crescendo culminates in the declaration that God is coming to judge the earth with equity, prompting this universal celebration.
The psalmist calls for a worldwide celebration, but who's invited? It turns out everyone and everything is on the guest list for this divine party!
A World on its Feet
This verse isn't just asking for a polite clap; it's a thunderous command for all of creation to erupt in praise. Notice the sweeping scope: 'the sea and all that fills it,' and then 'the world and those who dwell in it.' This isn't limited to just people, or even just the land. The oceans, with all their might and mystery, are called to join in.
Why Such a Big Reaction?
This massive, all-encompassing praise is a direct response to God's actions. The surrounding verses in Psalm 98 highlight God's mighty acts: His salvation, His victory, and His coming to rule. When God acts with such power and righteousness, the entire universe is meant to respond. It’s a cosmic symphony where every instrument, from the mightiest whale to the smallest human, plays its part.
Why would the psalmist command a roaring sea or a 'fullness' to make noise? It’s a beautiful way of showing how God’s reign impacts everything, even things without a voice.
Nature's Sympathy
When the psalmist tells the sea to 'roar' and the world to make noise, he's using powerful imagery. These aren't literal commands for rocks and water to sing. Instead, it’s a poetic expression of how God's actions resonate through of creation. The inanimate parts of the world are called to respond in a way that reflects their nature – the sea with its mighty waves, the world with its vastness.
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A Cosmic Echo Chamber
This grand call to nature highlights a deep theological truth: God's reign isn't confined to the spiritual realm or human hearts. It impacts the very fabric of existence. The response of the natural world, though symbolic, underscores the magnitude of God's kingly power and the joy it brings. It’s as if creation itself is saying, 'When the King arrives, everything changes!' The human inhabitants are then specifically called to add their conscious, vocal praise to this universal celebration.
This verse is a direct parallel, also calling upon nature, specifically the sea, to rejoice, highlighting the ancient poetic tradition of personifying creation in worship.
Psalms 24:1This passage shares the phrase 'the world and those who dwell in it,' linking the idea of God's sovereignty over creation to the call for universal praise and acknowledgment.
Isaiah 55:12This prophetic passage speaks of nature's response to God's redemption, with 'the mountains and the hills breaking forth into singing' and 'the trees of the field clapping their hands,' echoing the personification of creation in Psalm 98:7.
Revelation 11:15This New Testament passage proclaims that 'the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,' fulfilling the cosmic praise called for in the psalm, where all creation rejoices in God's reign.
pulpitPsalms 98:7: "Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."
Verse 7. - Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof (see above, Psalm 96:11, where the same phrase occurs). The call on the inanimate things of nature to rejoice is grounded on man's sympathy with nature, which makes him desire, and half believe, that nature may sympathize with him. The world, and they that dwell therein (comp. Psalm 24:1).
ellicottPsalms 98:7: "Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."
(7) See Psalm 96:11 . “Listen! the mighty Being is awake And doth with His eternal motion make A sound like thunder everlastingly.” WORDSWORTH.
The astonishing thing here is that the psalmist isn't just calling for people to praise God, but for the entire natural world to join in. It highlights that all creation is connected to God's reign and responds to His glory in its own way, an idea that anticipates a redeemed world where even inanimate nature echoes God's praise.
This psalm is a vibrant celebration of God's righteous reign and victorious acts, particularly his salvation and justice for all the earth. The call for the sea and the world to roar with joy builds on previous verses that summon all creation to make a joyful noise and sing praise with instruments and voices. This grand crescendo culminates in the declaration that God is coming to judge the earth with equity, prompting this universal celebration.
This psalm is a vibrant celebration of God's righteous reign and victorious acts, particularly his salvation and justice for all the earth. The call for the sea and the world to roar with joy builds on previous verses that summon all creation to make a joyful noise and sing praise with instruments and voices. This grand crescendo culminates in the declaration that God is coming to judge the earth with equity, prompting this universal celebration.
"Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together" — The astonishing thing here is that the psalmist isn't just calling for people to praise God, but for the entire natural world to join in. It highlights that all creation is connected to God's reign…
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Last reviewed October 2026