Psalms 98:7-8
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)
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This verse isn't just asking the sea to make noise; it's personifying the entire creation, calling even the vast, untamed ocean and all its inhabitants to join in a celebration of God's reign. It highlights that God's kingship is so immense, it demands a response not just from people, but from the very fabric of the universe itself.
This Psalm is a powerful call to worship, celebrating God's righteous acts and His coming reign as King. Following an exhortation for all the earth to make a joyful noise, the psalm expands this call to creation itself, urging the sea, the world, and everyone within it to join in the celebration. This grand chorus of praise is building towards God's imminent arrival to judge the earth with justice.
When the Bible calls on the sea to roar and the world to sing, what does that really mean for us?
This verse is a beautiful example of personification, where inanimate parts of creation are described as if they have human emotions and actions. It's not that the sea literally roars with joy in the way a person does, but the psalmist uses vivid imagery to show how the entirety of God's creation is meant to participate in celebrating Him.
Think of it like this: when something amazing happens on earth, the weather might change, the sky might clear, or a storm might brew. The psalmist is saying that these natural phenomena, the powerful forces of the ocean and the vastness of the world, are all part of God's grand design and should join in the worship.
It paints a picture of a universe utterly captivated by God's power and goodness, a symphony where every single part, from the smallest creature to the grandest ocean, has its voice in praise.
Why does the psalmist include both the sea and the land in this call to praise?
This verse isn't just about Israel or even just about humanity; it's about the entirety of the created order. By calling on 'the sea and all that fills it' and 'the world and those who dwell in it,' the psalmist emphasizes that God's kingship is universal.
It's a declaration that God reigns over every corner of His creation. The vast, powerful oceans and the teeming life within them are under His dominion, just as much as the lands where people live. This isn't a regional deity; this is the sovereign Lord of all existence.
This inclusiveness is a powerful reminder that God's purposes and His praise extend far beyond human understanding or our immediate experience. Everything that exists, exists because He made it and sustains it, and therefore, all should acknowledge Him.
This passage is directly referenced and shares the same poetic imagery of nature responding to God's presence and kingship.
Psalms 24:1The phrase 'the world and those who dwell in it' is quoted from this Psalm, linking the idea of God's ownership of creation with the call for it to celebrate Him.
Isaiah 55:12This verse also uses vivid personification of nature, calling the mountains and hills to break forth into singing, paralleling the grand, all-encompassing praise called for in Psalms 98:7.
Revelation 11:15This New Testament passage echoes the theme of God's kingship being proclaimed by heavenly voices, 'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forevermore,' providing a theological fulfillment to the praise called for in the Old Testament.
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.
This verse isn't just asking the sea to make noise; it's personifying the entire creation, calling even the vast, untamed ocean and all its inhabitants to join in a celebration of God's reign. It highlights that God's kingship is so immense, it demands a response not just from people, but from the very fabric of the universe itself.
This Psalm is a powerful call to worship, celebrating God's righteous acts and His coming reign as King. Following an exhortation for all the earth to make a joyful noise, the psalm expands this call to creation itself, urging the sea, the world, and everyone within it to join in the celebration. This grand chorus of praise is building towards God's imminent arrival to judge the earth with justice.
This Psalm is a powerful call to worship, celebrating God's righteous acts and His coming reign as King. Following an exhortation for all the earth to make a joyful noise, the psalm expands this call to creation itself, urging the sea, the world, and everyone within it to join in the celebration. This grand chorus of praise is building towards God's imminent arrival to judge the earth with justice.
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"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" — This verse isn't just asking the sea to make noise; it's personifying the entire creation, calling even the vast, untamed ocean and all its inhabitants to join in a celebration of God's reign. It hig…
