Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalm isn't just asking for a poetic image; it's describing the sound of praise itself. The "clapping" of rivers isn't just a visual, but evokes the rushing, splashing sound of water, and the "singing" hills suggest echoes and the rumble of nature responding to God's coming reign.
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is building to a crescendo, calling on all creation to celebrate God's righteous rule and victory. Following the command for all the earth to make a joyful noise, the psalm personifies natural elements like rivers and hills, urging them to join in the joyous praise before the Lord who is coming to judge. This grand, cosmic celebration prepares for the declaration in the next verse that God is coming to rule the earth with justice.
What do rivers and hills have to do with praising God? Dive into a stunning image of creation itself bursting with joy!
The psalmist uses a powerful literary device called personification here. Instead of just saying 'all creation should praise God,' he gives human actions to inanimate things: rivers 'clap their hands,' and hills 'sing for joy.'
Why This Matters:
This isn't just a pretty picture of nature. It points to something far greater – the coming of God's King!
Psalm 98 is a psalm of praise celebrating God's mighty acts, particularly His deliverance and His kingship. The call for rivers and hills to rejoice is directly linked to God's anticipated actions.
The Context:
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This passage directly parallels the imagery of nature responding with joy, as it speaks of trees clapping their hands and the hills breaking forth into singing. It shows this isn't a one-off poetic flourish but a recurring biblical theme of creation celebrating God's work.
Psalm 47:1This psalm calls on all peoples to 'clap their hands' and 'shout to God with a voice of gladness,' echoing the enthusiastic, unrestrained praise described in Psalm 98. It highlights that praise is meant to be a full-bodied, universal response to God's reign.
Romans 8:19This New Testament passage speaks of 'the creation waiting eagerly for the revelation of the sons of God,' suggesting that all of creation has a longing to be restored and participate in God's glory. This gives theological depth to why nature itself would 'clap its hands' in joy.
Revelation 19:6Here, a great multitude in heaven shouts, 'Hallelujah!' because 'the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.' This shows that the call for universal rejoicing in Psalm 98 finds its ultimate fulfillment in the heavenly celebration of God's sovereign rule, with all creation responding.
pulpitPsalms 98:8: "Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together"
Verse 8. - Let the floods clap their hands. This bold metaphor occurs only here and in Isaiah 55:12, where the "trees" are asked to "clap their hands." Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; or, sing for joy together; i.e. join with the rest of nature in expressing gladness.
clarkePsalms 98:8: "Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together"
Let the floods clap their hands - נהרות neharoth, properly the rivers - possibly meaning immense continents, where only large rivers are found; thus including inland people, as well as maritime stations, and those on the sea-coasts generally; as in those early times little more than the coasts of the sea were known. The Gospel shall be preached in the most secluded nations of the world. Let the hills be joyful - A…
The psalm isn't just asking for a poetic image; it's describing the sound of praise itself. The "clapping" of rivers isn't just a visual, but evokes the rushing, splashing sound of water, and the "singing" hills suggest echoes and the rumble of nature responding to God's coming reign.
This psalm is building to a crescendo, calling on all creation to celebrate God's righteous rule and victory. Following the command for all the earth to make a joyful noise, the psalm personifies natural elements like rivers and hills, urging them to join in the joyous praise before the Lord who is coming to judge. This grand, cosmic celebration prepares for the declaration in the next verse that God is coming to rule the earth with justice.
This psalm is building to a crescendo, calling on all creation to celebrate God's righteous rule and victory. Following the command for all the earth to make a joyful noise, the psalm personifies natural elements like rivers and hills, urging them to join in the joyous praise before the Lord who is coming to judge. This grand, cosmic celebration prepares for the declaration in the next verse that God is coming to rule the earth with justice.
"Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together" — The psalm isn't just asking for a poetic image; it's describing the sound of praise itself. The "clapping" of rivers isn't just a visual, but evokes the rushing, splashing sound of water, and the "…
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Last reviewed October 2026