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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 66

Psalm 66: all lands called to praise, a people tried as silver, and one man's vows

General context

The psalm calls all lands to make a joyful noise to God, sing the honour of his name and make his praise glorious, and to say to God how terrible his works are, so that his enemies submit through his power; all the earth will worship and sing to his name, Selah. The hearers are told to come and see the works of God, terrible toward the children of men: he turned the sea into dry land, they went through the flood on foot, and there the speakers rejoiced in him. He rules by his power for ever and his eyes behold the nations; the rebellious are told not to exalt themselves, Selah. The people are told to bless our God, who holds our soul in life and does not let our feet be moved. God has proved and tried them as silver, brought them into the net, laid affliction on their loins, caused men to ride over their heads; they went through fire and water, but he brought them out into a wealthy place. A single speaker will go into God's house with burnt offerings and pay the vows his lips uttered in trouble, offering fatlings, rams, bullocks and goats, Selah. He calls all who fear God to come and hear what God has done for his soul: he cried with his mouth and extolled God with his tongue; if he regarded iniquity in his heart the Lord would not hear, but God has heard and attended to his prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away his prayer or his mercy from him.

Cited passages: Psalms 66:1, Psalms 66:2, Psalms 66:3, Psalms 66:4, Psalms 66:5, Psalms 66:6, Psalms 66:7, Psalms 66:8, Psalms 66:9, Psalms 66:10, Psalms 66:11, Psalms 66:12, Psalms 66:13, Psalms 66:14, Psalms 66:15, Psalms 66:16, Psalms 66:17, Psalms 66:18, Psalms 66:19, Psalms 66:20

Psalms 66 (KJV)

1Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

2Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.

3Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

4All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

5Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

6He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

7He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

8O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

9Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

10For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

11Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.

12Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

13I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,

14Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

15I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.

16Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

17I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.

18If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

19But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

20Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The text as printed here carries no heading; verse 1 opens with "Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands", so this source names no author, occasion or musical direction. The voice changes across the psalm: a summons to "all ye lands" and "ye people", a plural "we" and "us" in verses 6 and 8 to 12, and a single "I" from verse 13 to the end. Verse 6 recalls that God "turned the sea into dry land" and that "they went through the flood on foot", and says "there did we rejoice in him", joining the speakers to that crossing without naming the sea, the flood or the people; the text gives no date. The trial "as silver is tried", the net, the affliction and men riding "over our heads" are stated as God's doing, and "a wealthy place" is the unnamed outcome. The single speaker's vows and offerings are listed but the trouble in which he made them is not described. Verse 18 states a condition, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me", and verse 19 reports that God has heard. Selah stands after verses 4, 7 and 15.

Cited passages: Psalms 66:1, Psalms 66:8, Psalms 66:13, Psalms 66:6, Psalms 66:10, Psalms 66:12, Psalms 66:14, Psalms 66:18, Psalms 66:19

Literary context

The psalm narrows its lens in stages, marked by Selah. It begins with the widest possible summons, "all ye lands" and "All the earth", then twice says "Come": "Come and see the works of God" at verse 5 and "Come and hear" at verse 16, the first about what God did for a people and the second about what he did "for my soul". Between them the plural voice recounts a testing told in metals and elements, silver, net, fire, water, and its end in "a wealthy place". The word "terrible" is used twice of God's works, once as what the lands are to say and once as what the hearers are to see. The single speaker's section is built on the mouth: lips that uttered vows, a mouth that spoke and cried, a tongue that extolled, and it ends with the doubled negative of verse 20, prayer not turned away, mercy not turned away. The condition of verse 18 about iniquity in the heart is placed right before the report that God heard, so the hearing stands as the evidence. Like Psalm 65, it pairs a vow with a temple and ends in blessing.

Cited passages: Psalms 66:1, Psalms 66:5, Psalms 66:16, Psalms 66:12, Psalms 66:3, Psalms 66:17, Psalms 66:20, Psalms 65:1

Key moments

  1. All ye lands (Psalms 66:1). All lands are called to make a joyful noise to God.
  2. Come and see (Psalms 66:5). The hearers are invited to see God's terrible works toward the children of men.
  3. Through the flood on foot (Psalms 66:6). God turned the sea to dry land and the people crossed on foot and rejoiced.
  4. Tried as silver (Psalms 66:10). God has proved and tried the people as silver is tried.
  5. Fire and water, then a wealthy place (Psalms 66:12). They went through fire and water and were brought out into a wealthy place.
  6. I will pay my vows (Psalms 66:13). A single speaker will bring burnt offerings and pay the vows made in trouble.
  7. God hath heard me (Psalms 66:19). He declares that God has attended to the voice of his prayer.

For reflection

The people say God himself brought them into the net and laid affliction on them, and in the same breath bless him for holding their soul in life; what does the poem think it is thanking God for, the trial or the way out?