Psalms — Chapter 92
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1A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day. It is good to praise the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,
2to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning and Your faithfulness at night
3with the ten-stringed harp and the melody of the lyre.
4For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
5How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!
6A senseless man does not know, and a fool does not understand,
7that though the wicked sprout like grass, and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.
8But You, O LORD, are exalted forever!
9For surely Your enemies, O LORD, surely Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
10But You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; with fine oil I have been anointed.
11My eyes see the downfall of my enemies; my ears hear the wailing of my wicked foes.
12The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14In old age they will still bear fruit; healthy and green they will remain,
15to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and in Him there is no unrighteousness.”
1It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
2To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
3Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
6A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
7When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
8But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.
9For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
11Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
12The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
1It is a good thing to give thanks unto Jehovah, And to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High;
2To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, And thy faithfulness every night,
3With an instrument of ten strings, and with the psaltery; With a solemn sound upon the harp.
4For thou, Jehovah, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5How great are thy works, O Jehovah! Thy thoughts are very deep.
6A brutish man knoweth not; Neither doth a fool understand this:
7When the wicked spring as the grass, And when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; It is that they shall be destroyed for ever.
8But thou, O Jehovah, art on high for evermore.
9For, lo, thine enemies, O Jehovah, For, lo, thine enemies shall perish; All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10But my horn hast thou exalted like [the horn of] the wild-ox: I am anointed with fresh oil.
11Mine eye also hath seen [my desire] on mine enemies, Mine ears have heard [my desire] of the evil-doers that rise up against me.
12The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree: He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13They are planted in the house of Jehovah; They shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and green:
15To show that Jehovah is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalm 93
1A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day. It is fitting to thank the Lord, and to sing praises to your name, O Most High.
2It is fitting to proclaim your loyal love in the morning and your faithfulness during the night,
3to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre, to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.
4For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work. I will sing for joy because of what you have done.
5How great are your works, O Lord! Your plans are very intricate!
6The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this; the fool does not understand this.
7When the wicked sprout up like grass, and all the evildoers glisten, it is so that they may be annihilated.
8But you, O Lord, reign forever.
9Indeed, look at your enemies, O Lord. Indeed, look at how your enemies perish. All the evildoers are scattered.
10You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox. I am covered with fresh oil.
11I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me; I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me.
12The godly grow like a palm tree; they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.
13Planted in the Lord’s house, they grow in the courts of our God.
14They bear fruit even when they are old; they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.
15So they proclaim that the Lord, my Protector, is just and never unfair.
1It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, Most High;
2to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning, and your faithfulness every night,
3with the ten-stringed lute, with the harp, and with the melody of the lyre.
4For you, Yahweh, have made me glad through your work. I will triumph in the works of your hands.
5How great are your works, Yahweh! Your thoughts are very deep.
6A senseless man doesn’t know, neither does a fool understand this:
7though the wicked spring up as the grass, and all the evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.
8But you, Yahweh, are on high forever more.
9For, behold, your enemies, Yahweh, for, behold, your enemies shall perish. All the evildoers will be scattered.
10But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox. I am anointed with fresh oil.
11My eye has also seen my enemies. My ears have heard of the wicked enemies who rise up against me.
12The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13They are planted in Yahweh’s house. They will flourish in our God’s courts.
14They will still produce fruit in old age. They will be full of sap and green,
15to show that Yahweh is upright. He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
Summary
A psalm for the Sabbath, celebrating it as good to give thanks and sing praise to God morning and evening (vv. 1-3). The psalmist rejoices in God's works, contrasting the senseless person who cannot grasp that though the wicked spring up like grass, they are doomed to everlasting destruction, while the LORD is exalted forever (vv. 4-9). He describes his own strength renewed and his enemies' downfall witnessed firsthand (vv. 10-11), then closes with the image of the righteous flourishing like a palm tree and growing like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in God's house, still bearing fruit and full of sap even in old age as proof that the LORD is upright (vv. 12-15).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Lebanon (v.12): Region north of Israel known for its cedar forests.
Places on this map
- LebanonMount Lebanon range, LebanonIn the Bible this is the mountain range, not the modern country: a snow-capped wall rising over 10,000 feet behind the Phoenician coast. Its cedar was the prestige timber of the ancient Near East and both the tabernacle's successors and Solomon's temple were built from it. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Framing the Day With God's Character (v.2) — The psalmist declares God's steadfast love every morning and His faithfulness every night, bracketing each day in worship. What would change if you opened and closed each day naming something true about God?
- Wonder at God's Works (v.5) — The psalmist marvels that God's works are great and His thoughts run deeper than we can fully grasp. Do you still make space to be amazed by God, or has familiarity dulled your wonder?
- Fast Growth Doesn't Last (v.7) — The wicked spring up quickly like grass, but that speed is exactly what makes their downfall certain — nothing that grows without roots endures. Are you chasing quick results in your own life at the expense of what actually lasts?
- Vindication Belongs to God's Timing (vv.10-11) — The psalmist doesn't take revenge himself — he waits while God exalts him and deals with his enemies in His own time. Where do you need to let God handle vindication instead of taking it into your own hands?
- Fruitfulness Has No Expiration Date (v.14) — Those planted in God's house are promised fruit even in old age, still full of life long after the world expects them to fade. Do you believe your most fruitful years could still be ahead, regardless of your age?