Psalms — Chapter 99

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1The LORD reigns; let the nations tremble! He is enthroned above the cherubim; let the earth quake!

2Great is the LORD in Zion; He is exalted above all the peoples.

3Let them praise Your great and awesome name—He is holy!

4The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.

5Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool; He is holy!

6Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.

7He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept His decrees and the statutes He gave them.

8O LORD our God, You answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, yet an avenger of their misdeeds.

9Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.

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.

1Jehovah reigneth; let the peoples tremble: He sitteth [above] the cherubim; let the earth be moved.

2Jehovah is great in Zion; And he is high above all the peoples.

3Let them praise thy great and terrible name: Holy is he.

4The king`s strength also loveth justice; Thou dost establish equity; Thou executest justice and righteousness in Jacob.

5Exalt ye Jehovah our God, And worship at his footstool: Holy is he.

6Moses and Aaron among his priests, And Samuel among them that call upon his name; They called upon Jehovah, and he answered them.

7He spake unto them in the pillar of cloud: They kept his testimonies, And the statute that he gave them.

8Thou answeredst them, O Jehovah our God: Thou wast a God that forgavest them, Though thou tookest vengeance of their doings.

9Exalt ye Jehovah our God, And worship at his holy hill; For Jehovah our God is holy. Psalm 100 A Psalm of thanksgiving.

1The Lord reigns! The nations tremble. He sits enthroned above the cherubim; the earth shakes.

2The Lord is elevated in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.

3Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is holy!

4The king is strong; he loves justice. You ensure that legal decisions will be made fairly; you promote justice and equity in Jacob.

5Praise the Lord our God. Worship before his footstool. He is holy!

6Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel was one of those who prayed to him. They prayed to the Lord and he answered them.

7He spoke to them from a pillar of cloud; they obeyed his regulations and the ordinance he gave them.

8O Lord our God, you answered them. They found you to be a forgiving God, but also one who punished their sinful deeds.

9Praise the Lord our God! Worship on his holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy.

1Yahweh reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He sits enthroned among the cherubim. Let the earth be moved.

2Yahweh is great in Zion. He is high above all the peoples.

3Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is Holy!

4The King’s strength also loves justice. You do establish equity. You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob.

5Exalt Yahweh our God. Worship at his footstool. He is Holy!

6Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel among those who call on his name; they called on Yahweh, and he answered them.

7He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud. They kept his testimonies, the statute that he gave them.

8You answered them, Yahweh our God. You are a God who forgave them, although you took vengeance for their doings.

9Exalt Yahweh, our God. Worship at his holy hill, for Yahweh, our God, is holy!

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

An enthronement psalm centered on God's holiness, declaring that the LORD reigns over Zion and all peoples, seated above the cherubim (vv. 1-2). It praises his great and holy name and the justice of his rule, marked by equity and righteousness in Jacob (vv. 3-4), then recalls Moses, Aaron, and Samuel as priests and intercessors who called on the LORD and were answered from the pillar of cloud, even as God forgave them while still holding them accountable (vv. 5-8). The psalm closes with a threefold refrain calling Israel to worship at his footstool and holy hill, for the LORD our God is holy (v. 9).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Enthronement / Holiness Psalm
Attributed Author: Anonymous
Key Themes: The LORD reigns, God's holiness (triple refrain), trembling before God, justice and equity, God answering His servants, forgiveness and consequences
Historical Context: The last of the enthronement psalms (93-99). Its distinguishing feature is the triple refrain "He is holy" (vv.3,5,9) — echoing the Seraphim's "Holy, holy, holy" in Isaiah 6:3. The psalm moves from God's cosmic reign (vv.1-3) to His just rule over Jacob (vv.4-5) to His historical relationship with Moses, Aaron, and Samuel (vv.6-9). These three intercessors exemplify the psalm's dual theme: God forgives (answered their prayers) and avenges (took vengeance on their inventions/wrongdoings). Grace and accountability coexist in God's holiness. He pardons sin but does not ignore consequences.
He Sitteth Between the Cherubims (vv.1-3): The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims. The response demanded here is the opposite of Psalm 97's, which asked the earth to rejoice, and the difference is the subject: this psalm is about holiness rather than about righteous rule. Sitting between the cherubim places the throne on the ark in the holy of holies, so the reign is located in one room. Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy. Terrible carries its older sense, fear-inspiring, and holy closes verses 3, 5 and 9 in a threefold refrain that gives the psalm its shape.
The King's Strength Loveth Judgment (vv.4-5): The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob. The line is awkward in English and the awkwardness is in the Hebrew too, which moves between speaking of the king and speaking to him. What it claims is that the power and the fairness are the same thing, not two policies held in balance. Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.
Moses and Aaron Among His Priests (vv.6-7): Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them. Three names, all of them intercessors, and the psalm produces them as evidence that the holiness it has been describing is approachable. Moses is counted among priests here though he held no priestly office, which is the psalm reading his role by function rather than by title. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar.
Thou Wast a God That Forgavest Them (vv.8-9): Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions. The verse holds two things most treatments of forgiveness separate, since the pardon is real and the consequence still falls, and the psalm sets them in one sentence without explaining how they fit. Moses was forgiven and still died outside the land. Then the refrain a third time, for the LORD our God is holy, which is the psalm's answer to why both halves are true at once.

Map & Geography

  • Zion (v.2): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. 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

Psalm 99 | Let the Nations Tremble | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 99 - The Holy God, Present and Revealed
David Guzik

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

  • Holiness Should Produce Awe (v.1) — The psalm opens with the nations trembling at the Lord's reign, not approaching Him casually. Does your relationship with God still carry genuine reverence, or has familiarity worn it down?
  • A King Who Loves Justice (v.4) — God's strength as king is directly tied to His love of justice and His establishment of equity. Do you value justice the way God does, even when it costs you personally?
  • God Answers Those Who Call (v.6) — Moses, Aaron, and Samuel are remembered as people who called on the Lord and were answered. Are you actually calling on God, or just assuming He already knows what you need?
  • Forgiveness That Doesn't Erase Consequences (v.8) — God is described as forgiving His people even while still holding them accountable for what they did. Have you confused being forgiven with being exempt from every consequence of your choices?
  • Holy Is Named Three Times (v.9) — The psalm closes by calling God's people to exalt Him because He is holy, echoing the refrain repeated throughout. What would change in your daily choices if you treated God's holiness as the defining fact about Him?