Psalm 97
97th psalm of the book of Psalms
title: "Psalm 97" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["psalms"] description: "97th psalm of the book of Psalms" topic_path: "general/psalms" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psalm_97" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 97th psalm of the book of Psalms ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical composition"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Psalm 97 |
| subtitle | "The Lord is King" |
| type | Hymn psalm |
| image | Psalm 97, Cantate domino canticum novum, quia mirabilia fecit, King David and a woman (Ecclesia?) offering him a chalice - Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca. 1185) - KB 76 F 13, folium 117v.jpg |
| caption | Psalm 97 in the Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca. 1185) |
| language | Hebrew (original) |
| other_name | {{plainlist |
| :: |
| name = Psalm 97 | subtitle = "The Lord is King" | type = Hymn psalm | image = Psalm 97, Cantate domino canticum novum, quia mirabilia fecit, King David and a woman (Ecclesia?) offering him a chalice - Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca. 1185) - KB 76 F 13, folium 117v.jpg | alt = | caption = Psalm 97 in the Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca. 1185) | language = Hebrew (original) | other_name = {{plainlist|
- Psalm 96 (Vulgate)
- "Dominus regnavit exultet terra" | published = Psalm 97 is the 97th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice", also as "The Lord is King". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In Latin, it is known as "Dominus regnavit exultet terra". The psalm is a hymn psalm; the Jerusalem Bible calls it an "eschatological hymn".
The slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible and the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible makes this psalm Psalm 96.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish and Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and other Christian liturgies. It has often been set to music, notably by Otto Nicolai as a German motet, and by Antonín Dvořák, who set it in Czech in his Biblical Songs.
Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).*
The extant palimpsest Aq includes a translation into Koine Greek by Aquila of Sinope in c. 130 CE, containing verses 1–12.
Themes
Psalm 97 foreshadows the messianic era when God will reign supreme over the earth. Its verses reference God's sovereignty, his enactment of justice, and the widespread rejoicing that will ensue.
Uses
New Testament
In the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament, relates a number of scriptural proofs that "the Son is greater than the angels", including at verse 6, And let all the angels of God worship him. The Masoretic Text version of Psalm 97:7 reads worship him, all ye gods but the Septuagint equivalent reads "προσκυνήσατε αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ", worship him, all ye his angels. Biblical commentator A. F. Kirkpatrick suggests that the Hebrews quotation may have come from Psalm 97:7 or alternatively from the Septuagint expansion of .
Judaism
Psalm 97 is the third of six psalms recited during the Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming the Shabbat) service in Ashkenazic, Hasidic and some Sephardic communities.. These six psalms represent the six days of the week, with Psalm 97 corresponding to the third day (Tuesday).
Verse 11 of the psalm, "Light is sown for the righteous...", is recited by Eastern Ashkenazi Jews at the start of the Kol Nidre service on Yom Kippur.
Verse 11 is also one of the verses which the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) advises a person to say if he is having trouble falling asleep.
Coptic Orthodox Church
In the Agpeya, the Coptic Church's book of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office of None. It is also in the prayer of the Veil, which is generally prayed only by monks.
Musical settings
Heinrich Schütz set the psalm in German as part of his setting of the Becker Psalter, which he published in 1628. Titled "Der Herr ist König überall" (The lord is King everywhere), it is catalogued as SWV 195. Henry Desmarest composed one grand motet "Dominus regnant" (unknown date). Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville composed one grand motet "Dominus regnavit" in 1734. Johann Sebastian Bach based the first movement of a wedding cantata, Dem Gerechten muß das Licht, BWV 195, on in possibly in 1727. Friedrich Ludwig Benda set the psalm in German as a cantata for three soloists, choir and orchestra in 1786. Otto Nicolai set Psalm 97 in German as a psalm motet for choir a cappella with solo passages, "Der Herr ist König" (The Lord is King) in 1832, published by Bote & Bock in Berlin in 1977. Antonín Dvořák set verses 2–6 in Czech to music in No. 1 of his Biblical Songs, Op. 99, in 1894.
Works for Anglican services include a setting by Joseph Barnby, The Lord is King.
Text
The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions.A 1917 translation directly from Hebrew to English by the Jewish Publication Society can be found here or here, and an 1844 translation directly from the Septuagint by L. C. L. Brenton can be found here. Both translations are in the public domain. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 96. ::data[format=table]
| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. | Τῷ Δαυΐδ, ὅτε ἡ γῆ αὐτοῦ καθίσταται. - Ο ΚΥΡΙΟΣ ἐβασίλευσεν, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ, εὐφρανθήτωσαν νῆσοι πολλαί. | |
| 2 | Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. | νέφη καὶ γνόφος κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ, δικαιοσύνη καὶ κρίμα κατόρθωσις τοῦ θρόνου αὐτοῦ. | |
| 3 | A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. | πῦρ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ προπορεύσεται καὶ φλογιεῖ κύκλῳ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ· | |
| 4 | His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. | ἔφαναν αἱ ἀστραπαὶ αὐτοῦ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ, εἶδε καὶ ἐσαλεύθη ἡ γῆ. | |
| 5 | The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. | τὰ ὄρη ὡσεὶ κηρὸς ἐτάκησαν ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου, ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου πάσης τῆς γῆς. | |
| 6 | The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. | ἀνήγγειλαν οἱ οὐρανοὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἴδοσαν πάντες οἱ λαοὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ. | |
| 7 | Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. | αἰσχυνθήτωσαν πάντες οἱ προσκυνοῦντες τοῖς γλυπτοῖς, οἱ ἐγκαυχώμενοι ἐν τοῖς εἰδώλοις αὐτῶν· προσκυνήσατε αὐτῷ, πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ. | |
| 8 | Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O Lord. | ἤκουσε καὶ εὐφράνθη ἡ Σιών, καὶ ἠγαλλιάσαντο αἱ θυγατέρες τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας ἕνεκεν τῶν κριμάτων σου, Κύριε· | |
| 9 | For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. | ὅτι σὺ εἶ Κύριος ὕψιστος ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, σφόδρα ὑπερυψώθης ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς θεούς. | |
| 10 | Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. | οἱ ἀγαπῶντες τὸν Κύριον, μισεῖτε πονηρά· φυλάσσει Κύριος τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ὁσίων αὐτοῦ, ἐκ χειρὸς ἁμαρτωλῶν ῥύσεται αὐτούς. | |
| 11 | Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. | φῶς ἀνέτειλε τῷ δικαίῳ καὶ τοῖς εὐθέσι τῇ καρδίᾳ εὐφροσύνη. | |
| 12 | Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. | εὐφράνθητε, δίκαιοι, ἐν τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῇ μνήμῃ τῆς ἁγιωσύνης αὐτοῦ. | |
| :: |
Verse 8
Zion hears and is glad, And the daughters of Judah rejoice. 'Zion' means Jerusalem, the 'daughters of Judah' the other towns in Judah.
Notes
References
Cited sources
- {{cite book | last1 = Dürr | first1 = Alfred | author1-link = Alfred Dürr | last2 = Jones | first2 = Richard D. P. | author2-link = Richard D. P. Jones | chapter = Dem Gerechten muß das Licht, BWV 195 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=m9JuwslMcq4C&pg=PA753 | title = The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2005 | pages = 753–757 | isbn = 978-0-19-816707-5
- {{cite book | last = Mazor | first = Lea | editor1-last = Berlin | editor1-first = Adele | editor2-last = Grossman | editor2-first = Maxine | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hKAaJXvUaUoC&pg=PA589 | chapter = Book of Psalms | title = The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2011 | isbn = 978-0-19-973004-9
- {{cite web | last = Pankhurst | first = Jennifer | url = https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-conventions-of-biblical-poetry/ | title = The Conventions of Biblical Poetry | website = myjewishlearning.com | year = 2018 | access-date = 3 April 2018
- {{cite web | url = https://www.renaissance-musikverlag.de/komponisten/friedrich-ludwig-benda/der-97-psalm/ | title = Der 97. Psalm | publisher = Renaissance Musikverlag | year = 2018 | access-date = 1 July 2018 | ref =
- {{cite web | url = http://www.antonin-dvorak.cz/en/biblical-songs | title = Biblical Songs | website = antonin-dvorak.cz | year = 2018 | access-date = 1 July 2018 | ref =
- {{cite web | url = https://www.carus-verlag.com/en/choir/sacred-choral-music/otto-nicolai-psalm-97.html# | title = Psalm 97 | publisher = Carus | year = 2018 | access-date = 1 July 2018 | ref =
References
- For example, in the [[International Standard Version]]: {{bibleverse. Psalm. 97. ISV
- [http://medievalist.net/psalmstxt/ps96.htm Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 96 (97)] {{webarchive. link. (7 May 2017 medievalist.net)
- Jerusalem Bible (1966), Footnote a for Psalm 98
- (2014). "The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ: Volume 3.i". A&C Black.
- Gibbs, Philip. (23 November 2017). "Psalm 97". HarEl.
- Jerusalem Bible (1966), sub-heading at Hebrews 1:5
- {{bibleverse. Hebrews. 1:6. KJV
- Kirkpatrick, A. F.. (1901). "The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes". At the University Press.
- (2004). "Teaching Tefilah: Insights and Activities on Prayer". Behrman House.
- Nulman, Macy. (1996). "The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer: The Ashkenazic and Sephardic Rites". Jason Aronson.
- Buxbaum, Yitzhak. (1999). "Jewish Spiritual Practices". Jason Aronson.
- "None". agpeya.org.
- "Veil". agpeya.org.
- {{IMSLP. Biblical Songs, Op.99 (Dvořák, Antonín)
- "Psalms – Chapter 97". Mechon Mamre.
- "Psalms 97 - JPS 1917". [[Sefaria.
- "Psalm 96 - Septuagint and Brenton's Septuagint Translation". Ellopos.
- {{bibleverse. Psalm. 97:8. NKJV: [[New King James Version]]
- Jerusalem Bible, footnote c at Psalm 97:8, cf. {{bibleverse. Psalm. 97:8. ISV in the International Standard Version
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