Psalm 98 Study Notes
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98:1 The Lord’s right hand and his holy arm refer to his immeasurable power (see note at 16:8). In this psalm, victory implies judgment on the nations and salvation for Israel.
98:2 The Lord has made known to the nations that he has the power to save and to exercise justice.
98:3 A reference to God’s covenantal faithfulness combined with the house of Israel places this psalm in the preexilic period.
98:4-5 Be jubilant or “break forth” always occurs in combination with shout for joy or “ring out” (Is 14:7; 44:23; 49:13; 52:9; 54:1; 55:12).
98:6 The second part of this verse is literally “shout before King Yahweh.” The LXX rendering, “Shout before the king, O Lord,” assumes the poem was performed before a human king, but a reference to an earthly ruler seems out of place in a text that lauds the attributes of the Lord.
98:7 Compare this verse with 96:11.
98:8 The only other place mountains shout is in Isaiah’s prophecies (Is 44:23; 49:13).