Psalm 98 is a song of praise that calls God’s people, and even the wider created world, to sing a new song because the LORD has acted to save and to set things right. People read it when they want to understand why praise is joyful rather than merely dutiful, and how the saving acts of God in the past shape hope for the future. The psalm gives a direct answer: the reason to rejoice is God’s own faithful deeds, and the reason to sing is that he is coming to judge the earth with righteousness.
Psalm 98 Summary
The psalm opens with a call to sing a new song, grounded in the marvelous things the LORD has done. His strength and holiness have brought salvation, and that salvation has been made known and displayed before the nations. The first movement is therefore a testimony: God has acted, and he has done it publicly.
From there the psalm widens its circle. God’s remembered loving kindness and faithfulness toward Israel have become visible to the whole earth. Then the call to praise moves out beyond the temple and the congregation to all the earth, asking for joyful noise with stringed instruments, trumpets, and the ram’s horn, all directed toward the King, the LORD.
The final movement enlarges the scene again, to the sea, the rivers, and the mountains, and then to the coming of the LORD to judge the earth. The psalm ends not in a quiet resolution but in expectation, with creation joining in song because the Judge of all is on his way to act with righteousness and equity.
Background and Setting
Psalm 98 belongs to the Psalter, the book of Psalms, which is the collected hymnbook of ancient Israel and a central part of the Old Testament wisdom and poetry literature. The psalm is anonymous, as are many in this group, though its heading does not name a composer. Scholars generally date it to the post-exilic period or the later monarchy, a time when Israel was reflecting on past deliverance and looking toward God’s larger rule over the nations. Its close links with Isaiah 40 through 55 and with the enthronement psalms have led many to see it in that setting, though the exact date remains debated.
The psalm was written for the worshiping community of Israel, sung in the temple or in gathered assemblies. In the book it sits among the psalms that celebrate the kingship of the LORD, where it stands as a joyful companion to the psalms that proclaim that God reigns. Its place in that cluster helps explain why its praise looks outward to the nations and the created world.
Psalm 98 Section by Section
Verses 1-3: The New Song of Salvation
1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand, and his holy arm, have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made known his salvation. He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Psalm 98:1-3 (WEB)
The psalm begins with a command to sing a new song, and the reason given is a deed of God: he has done marvelous things, and his right hand and holy arm have worked salvation. The word translated salvation carries the sense of rescue and deliverance, a victory that only God could win. The “new” song is not a novelty for its own sake. It is a response to fresh evidence of God’s faithfulness, sung in a way that matches the newness of what he has just done.
Verses 2 and 3 widen the testimony. The LORD has made his salvation known and has displayed his righteousness in the sight of the nations, which means his faithfulness is not private. His loving kindness and faithfulness toward the house of Israel have been remembered, and the result is that all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. The first section therefore moves from a song to a witness that reaches the whole world.
Verses 4-6: The Whole Earth Called to Praise
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Burst out and sing for joy, yes, sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the voice of melody. 6 With trumpets and sound of the ram’s horn, make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
Psalm 98:4-6 (WEB)
Here the call to praise becomes universal. The psalmist addresses all the earth and asks it to make a joyful noise and burst out in song. The instruments listed, the harp, the voice of melody, the trumpets, and the ram’s horn, are the sounds of festive worship, and the psalm asks that they be raised with energy rather than reserve.
The object of this praise is named plainly: the King, the LORD. Calling God king in this way connects the act of praise to his rule over all things. Worship in this psalm is not a mood to be managed but a loyal response to the one who reigns, and it is offered by a community that understands its king to be both present and active.
Verses 7-9: Creation Joins the Song and the Judge Arrives
7 Let the sea roar with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell therein. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing for joy together. 9 Let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98:7-9 (WEB)
The final section pictures the natural world itself joining the chorus. The sea roars, the world and its inhabitants respond, the rivers clap their hands, and the mountains sing together. These are poetic images, but they are not idle. They express the conviction that the created order recognizes its maker and responds to his presence with a kind of joy that human beings sometimes neglect.
The reason for this cosmic praise is stated at the close. The LORD comes to judge the earth, and he will judge with righteousness and equity. In the psalm this judgment is good news, because it means the world will be set right and the oppressed will find justice. The song that began with past salvation ends by looking forward to God’s final act of setting all things in order.
Key Themes in Psalm 98
- Divine salvation: The psalm rests on the conviction that God has acted to rescue his people, and that his victory is the basis for all praise.
- Universal worship: The call to sing moves from Israel to the nations, the earth, the sea, and the mountains, so that praise becomes the response of all creation.
- Faithful covenant love: God’s loving kindness and faithfulness toward Israel are remembered and made visible to the world, showing that he keeps his word.
- The coming judgment: The LORD comes to judge the earth with righteousness and equity, so the present song looks ahead to the setting right of all things.
Lessons From Psalm 98 for Today
Psalm 98 teaches that praise should be rooted in what God has actually done rather than in how we happen to feel on a given day. A person facing a long illness or a stalled career can still sing, because the psalm invites believers to remember past deliverances and to trust that God’s faithfulness has not run out. This is not denial of difficulty. It is a decision to name God’s acts out loud, the way a family might recount a rescue years later around the dinner table.
The psalm also reminds believers that their worship is part of something larger than their own congregation. When a small group gathers on a Sunday morning, or when a single person sings in a car on the way to work, they join a chorus that already includes the sea and the mountains. That perspective can steady a person who feels that their faith is small or unnoticed. The song is bigger than any one voice, and it is sung for a King who is coming to judge with fairness.
Questions for Reflection
- What “marvelous things” has God done in your life or in your community that you could name as a reason to sing?
- How does it change your sense of worship to know that the psalm invites the whole created world to join in?
- In what ways does the promise of God’s coming judgment bring you comfort rather than fear?
- What would it look like for you to sing a “new song” this week, responding to a fresh evidence of God’s faithfulness?
A Prayer From Psalm 98
Lord, you have done marvelous things, and your right hand has worked salvation for your people. Help me to remember your faithfulness when my own memory is short and my circumstances feel heavy. Teach me to sing new songs for new mercies, and to join with the wider world that praises you. When I think about your coming judgment, let me find in it the hope that you will set all things right with righteousness and equity. Make my praise honest and my trust steady, for you are the King. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of Psalm 98?
The main message is that God has acted to save his people and that this saving work calls for joyful praise from all the earth. The psalm also points forward to the LORD’s coming judgment, which will bring righteousness and equity to the world.
Who wrote Psalm 98?
The psalm does not name its author, so the identity of the writer is unknown. Scholars usually date it to the later period of Israel’s history, when reflection on God’s deliverance and kingship was prominent.
Why does Psalm 98 talk about the sea and the mountains singing?
The image expresses the idea that creation itself responds to its Creator with praise. It is poetic language that invites believers to see worship as part of the larger created order rather than as a human activity alone.
