Psalms 98:7-9
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 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse isn't just asking for nature to sound loud; it's personifying the entire creation, calling even the vast ocean and every person in the world to actively acknowledge God's reign. It’s a powerful image of everything, alive and inanimate, compelled to respond to the Creator and King.
This psalm is a powerful call to celebrate God's righteous reign and victory, echoing themes from Psalm 96. Following the summons for all the earth to rejoice with music and shouts of praise, the psalm expands this celebration to include all of creation. It anticipates God's coming judgment, which will bring justice and righteousness to the entire world, fulfilling His covenant promises.
Have you ever felt the sheer power of nature—a raging storm, the vast ocean—and been struck by its grandeur? This psalm urges even those immense forces to participate in praising God.
Nature's Praises
This verse calls on the sea, with all its inhabitants, and the entire world, including its people, to make a joyful noise. It's a powerful image of the whole created order joining in worship.
Why would the sea 'roar' and the world 'dwell' in joyful noise? It's all connected to God's kingship and His victorious actions.
The Reason for Rejoicing
The command for nature and humanity to erupt in praise isn't random; it's a direct response to God's mighty acts.
Understand the original words
shaphat · Hebrew Verb
To act as a judge, govern, or vindicate; in a biblical context, it refers to God's executive authority to restore order, punish evil, and uphold justice in His creation.
tsedeq · Hebrew Noun
The standard of moral integrity and uprightness that corresponds to God’s own nature and His revealed law.
meysharim · Hebrew Noun
Fairness, impartiality, and straightness in dealing with others; it describes a state of moral rectitude where God’s judgment is devoid of corruption or bias.
This verse directly quotes "the world and those who dwell in it" from Psalms 24:1, linking the praise of God's creation to His sovereignty and rightful possession of the earth.
Psalms 96:11Psalms 98:7 uses similar phrasing to Psalms 96:11, which also calls for the sea and fields to rejoice, highlighting a consistent theme of cosmic-level praise for God's works.
Isaiah 49:13This verse from Isaiah calls for the heavens and earth to break forth into joy, echoing the sentiment in Psalms 98:7 that all of creation should celebrate God's redemptive acts.
Revelation 11:15The idea of the sea and the world roaring in praise connects to Revelation 11:15, where a great voice in heaven declares that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, signifying a universal acclamation.
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 for nature to sound loud; it's personifying the entire creation, calling even the vast ocean and every person in the world to actively acknowledge God's reign. It’s a powerful image of everything, alive and inanimate, compelled to respond to the Creator and King.
This psalm is a powerful call to celebrate God's righteous reign and victory, echoing themes from Psalm 96. Following the summons for all the earth to rejoice with music and shouts of praise, the psalm expands this celebration to include all of creation. It anticipates God's coming judgment, which will bring justice and righteousness to the entire world, fulfilling His covenant promises.
This psalm is a powerful call to celebrate God's righteous reign and victory, echoing themes from Psalm 96. Following the summons for all the earth to rejoice with music and shouts of praise, the psalm expands this celebration to include all of creation. It anticipates God's coming judgment, which will bring justice and righteousness to the entire world, fulfilling His covenant promises.
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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 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge…" — This verse isn't just asking for nature to sound loud; it's personifying the entire creation, calling even the vast ocean and every person in the world to actively acknowledge God's reign. It’s a pow…
