Psalms 98 KJV
A Song of Victory
About This Psalm
Sing a new song! The rivers clap, the mountains sing. All creation celebrates God's salvation.
1 sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5 Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
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Did You Know?
Psalm 98 reworks Isaiah 52:10's imagery of the divine arm baring salvation before all nations, transforming a prophetic oracle into liturgical praise that universalizes Israel's covenant story.
The depiction of floods clapping hands and hills singing draws on ancient Near Eastern combat myths where chaotic waters submit to the victorious deity, here recast as cosmic joy at Yahweh's bloodless triumph.
Within the Psalter's "YHWH malak" cluster (Psalms 93-99), this chapter bridges royal enthronement motifs with eschatological judgment, preparing for the explicit kingship declaration in Psalm 99.
Verse 3's pairing of "mercy" (chesed) and "truth" (emet) toward the house of Israel grounds the psalm's global vision in covenant fidelity rather than abstract benevolence.
The absence of any reference to human weapons or armies distinguishes it from typical victory hymns, presenting salvation as accomplished solely by God's right hand and holy arm.