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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".[1] The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible,[2] and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In Latin, it is known as "Dominus regnavit exultet terra".[3] The psalm is a hymn psalm;[4] the Jerusalem Bible calls it an "eschatological hymn".[5]
| Psalm 97 | |
|---|---|
| "The Lord is King" | |
| Hymn psalm | |
_offering_him_a_chalice_-_Psalter_of_Eleanor_of_Aquitaine_(ca._1185)_-_KB_76_F_13,_folium_117v.jpg) Psalm 97 in the Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca. 1185) | |
| Other name |
|
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
| Psalm 97 | |
|---|---|
← Psalm 96 Psalm 98 → | |
| Book | Book of Psalms |
| Hebrew Bible part | Ketuvim |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
| Category | Sifrei Emet |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 19 |
In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint version of the bible and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 96.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant 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.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[6][7] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | יְהֹוָ֣ה מָ֭לָךְ תָּגֵ֣ל הָאָ֑רֶץ יִ֝שְׂמְח֗וּ אִיִּ֥ים רַבִּֽים׃ | The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad. |
| 2 | עָנָ֣ן וַעֲרָפֶ֣ל סְבִיבָ֑יו צֶ֥דֶק וּ֝מִשְׁפָּ֗ט מְכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֽוֹ׃ | Clouds and darkness are round about Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. |
| 3 | אֵ֭שׁ לְפָנָ֣יו תֵּלֵ֑ךְ וּתְלַהֵ֖ט סָבִ֣יב צָרָֽיו׃ | A fire goeth before Him, And burneth up His adversaries round about. |
| 4 | הֵאִ֣ירוּ בְרָקָ֣יו תֵּבֵ֑ל רָאֲתָ֖ה וַתָּחֵ֣ל הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | His lightnings lighted up the world; The earth saw, and trembled. |
| 5 | הָרִ֗ים כַּדּוֹנַ֗ג נָ֭מַסּוּ מִלִּפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה מִ֝לִּפְנֵ֗י אֲד֣וֹן כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ | The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. |
| 6 | הִגִּ֣ידוּ הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם צִדְק֑וֹ וְרָא֖וּ כׇל־הָעַמִּ֣ים כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃ | The heavens declared His righteousness, And all the peoples saw His glory. |
| 7 | יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ ׀ כׇּל־עֹ֬בְדֵי פֶ֗סֶל הַמִּֽתְהַלְלִ֥ים בָּאֱלִילִ֑ים הִשְׁתַּחֲווּ־ל֝֗וֹ כׇּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | Ashamed be all they that serve graven images, That boast themselves of things of nought; Bow down to Him, all ye gods. |
| 8 | שָׁמְעָ֬ה וַתִּשְׂמַ֨ח ׀ צִיּ֗וֹן וַ֭תָּגֵלְנָה בְּנ֣וֹת יְהוּדָ֑ה לְמַ֖עַן מִשְׁפָּטֶ֣יךָ יְהֹוָֽה׃ | Zion heard and was glad, And the daughters of Judah rejoiced; Because of Thy judgments, O LORD. |
| 9 | כִּֽי־אַתָּ֤ה יְהֹוָ֗ה עֶלְי֥וֹן עַל־כׇּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ מְאֹ֥ד נַ֝עֲלֵ֗יתָ עַל־כׇּל־אֱלֹהִֽים׃ | For Thou, LORD, art most high above all the earth; Thou art exalted far above all gods. |
| 10 | אֹֽהֲבֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֗ה שִׂנְא֫וּ־רָ֥ע שֹׁ֭מֵר נַפְשׁ֣וֹת חֲסִידָ֑יו מִיַּ֥ד רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים יַצִּילֵֽם׃ | O ye that love the LORD, hate evil; He preserveth the souls of His saints; He delivered them out of the hand of the wicked. |
| 11 | א֭וֹר זָרֻ֣עַ לַצַּדִּ֑יק וּֽלְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵ֥ב שִׂמְחָֽה׃ | Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. |
| 12 | שִׂמְח֣וּ צַ֭דִּיקִים בַּיהֹוָ֑ה וְ֝הוֹד֗וּ לְזֵ֣כֶר קׇדְשֽׁוֹ׃ | Be glad in the LORD, ye righteous; And give thanks to His holy name. |
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).[8]
The extant palimpsest AqTaylor includes a translation into Koine Greek by Aquila of Sinope in c. 130 CE, containing verses 1–12.[9]
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.[10][11]
Zion hears and is glad,
And the daughters of Judah rejoice.[12]
'Zion' means Jerusalem, the 'daughters of Judah' the other towns in Judah.[13]
Psalm 97 is the third of six psalms recited during the Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming the Shabbat) service in Ashkenazic, Hasidic and some Sephardic communities..[14] These six psalms represent the six days of the week, with Psalm 97 corresponding to the third day (Tuesday).[10]
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.[10][15]
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.[16]
In the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament, Hebrews 1:5–13 relates a number of scriptural proofs that "the Son is greater than the angels",[17] including at verse 6, And let all the angels of God worship him.[18] 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 Deuteronomy 32:43.[19]
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 Psalms 97:11–12 in possibly in 1727.[20] Friedrich Ludwig Benda set the psalm in German as a cantata for three soloists, choir and orchestra in 1786.[21] 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.[22] Antonín Dvořák set verses 2–6 in Czech to music in No. 1 of his Biblical Songs, Op. 99, in 1894.[23][24]
Works for Anglican services include a setting by Joseph Barnby, The Lord is King.
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