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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 99

Psalm 99: the Lord reigns in Zion, holy, and answers Moses, Aaron and Samuel

General context

The psalm says the Lord reigneth, let the people tremble; he sits between the cherubims, let the earth be moved. The Lord is great in Zion and high above all the people, who are to praise his great and terrible name, for it is holy. The king's strength loves judgment; he establishes equity and executes judgment and righteousness in Jacob. The hearers are told to exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool, for he is holy. Moses and Aaron are named among his priests and Samuel among those who call upon his name; they called upon the Lord and he answered them, and spoke to them in the cloudy pillar, and they kept his testimonies and the ordinance he gave them. The psalm says to God that he answered them and was a God that forgave them, though he took vengeance of their inventions. It closes with a second call to exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy.

Cited passages: Psalms 99:1, Psalms 99:2, Psalms 99:3, Psalms 99:4, Psalms 99:5, Psalms 99:6, Psalms 99:7, Psalms 99:8, Psalms 99:9

Psalms 99 (KJV)

1The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

2The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.

3Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.

4The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.

5Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

6Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

7He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.

8Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.

9Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.

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Historical context

This source prints no superscription; the psalm opens with The Lord reigneth. Three men are named: Moses and Aaron, placed among his priests, and Samuel, among them that call upon his name. The psalm says of them only that they called, were answered, were spoken to in the cloudy pillar, kept his testimonies, and were forgiven though God took vengeance of their inventions; it does not narrate any episode from their lives, and the pronoun them in verse 8 is not narrowed further. The places are Zion, Jacob, his footstool and his holy hill, the last two left unexplained. The king in verse 4 is not named; the verse turns to thou, so the address is to the Lord. The address moves between third person, he sitteth, and second person, thy great and terrible name, thou answeredst them. There is no Selah. Holy is said in verses 3, 5 and 9.

Cited passages: Psalms 99:6, Psalms 99:7, Psalms 99:8, Psalms 99:5, Psalms 99:9, Psalms 99:4, Psalms 99:1, Psalms 99:3

Literary context

The psalm is marked by a refrain on holiness. For it is holy closes verse 3, for he is holy closes verse 5, and for the Lord our God is holy closes verse 9, each longer than the last, and verses 5 and 9 both begin with Exalt and worship. Between the second and third refrain the poem names three men and tells what happened to them in a short run of verbs: called, answered, spake, kept, forgavest, tookest vengeance. The opening pairs greatness with trembling and moving, and the first response asked of the people is to tremble; by the end the response asked is to worship. Forgiveness and vengeance are set in one sentence in verse 8, joined by though, and the psalm does not choose between them. The Lord is placed in three positions in a row: between the cherubims, in Zion, above all the people.

Cited passages: Psalms 99:3, Psalms 99:5, Psalms 99:9, Psalms 99:6, Psalms 99:1, Psalms 99:8, Psalms 99:2

Key moments

  1. Let the people tremble (Psalms 99:1). The Lord reigns between the cherubims and the earth is to be moved.
  2. A name that is holy (Psalms 99:3). The people are to praise God's great and terrible name because it is holy.
  3. Worship at his footstool (Psalms 99:5). The first call to exalt the Lord and worship ends with for he is holy.
  4. Moses, Aaron and Samuel (Psalms 99:6). Three men who called on the Lord are named, and he answered them.
  5. The cloudy pillar (Psalms 99:7). God spoke to them in the cloudy pillar and they kept his testimonies.
  6. Forgiven, yet avenged (Psalms 99:8). God forgave them though he took vengeance of their inventions.
  7. Worship at his holy hill (Psalms 99:9). The psalm closes with a second call to exalt the Lord because he is holy.

For reflection

The psalm says God answered Moses, Aaron and Samuel, forgave them, and took vengeance of their inventions, all in one verse. How does a reader hold forgiveness and vengeance together when the text refuses to separate them?

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