Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 99:1

Clarke's Commentary

PSALM XCIX

The empire of God in the world and the Church, 1, 2.

He ought to be praised, 3.

Justice and judgment are his chief glory, 4.

He should be worshipped as among the saints of old, whom he

graciously answered and saved, 5-8.

Exalt him because he is holy, 9.

NOTES ON PSALM XCIX

The Hebrew and Chaldee have no title; all the versions but the Chaldee attribute it to David. The Syriac says it concerns "the slaughter of the Midianites which Moses and the children of Israel had taken captive; and is a prophecy concerning the glory of the kingdom of Christ." But the mention of Samuel shows that it cannot be referred to the time of Moses. Calmet thinks that it was sung at the dedication of the city, or of the second temple, after the return from the Babylonish captivity. Eight of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. join it to the preceding psalm.

Verse Psalms 99:1. The Lord reigneth — Psalms 97:1.

Let the people tremble — He will establish his kingdom in spite of his enemies; let those who oppose him tremble for the consequences.

He sitteth between the cherubims — This is in reference to the ark, at each end of which was a cherub of glory; and the shechinah, or symbol of the Divine Presence, appeared on the lid of the ark, called also the mercy-seat, between the cherubim. Sitting between the cherubim implies God's graciousness and mercy. While then, in his reign, he was terrible to sinners, he is on the throne of grace to all who fear, love, and obey him. Though this symbol were not in the second temple, yet the Divine Being might very well be thus denominated, because it had become one of his titles, he having thus appeared under the tabernacle and first temple.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 97-100 God the universal king

Psalms 97:0 follows on from the thought on which the previous psalm closed (namely, that God is king over the earth). It shows that holiness, righteousness and justice are the basis of God’s kingdom. His judgment will be as universal as a flash of lightning and as powerful as an all-consuming fire (97:1-5). Every thing will bow before his rule (6-7). His own people already recognize him as Lord and bring him fitting worship (8-9). They can experience the light and joy of his salvation in their everyday lives as they reject what is evil and choose what is good (10-12).

Continuing the theme of the previous psalm, Psalms 98:0 reminds the people to welcome the divine universal king. By his power, he has conquered evil and established his kingdom in righteousness and love (98:1-3). People worldwide are to praise God with music and singing because of his great victory (4-6). The physical creation is invited to join in the praise, rejoicing because of him who rules the earth with justice (7-9).

From his throne in Zion, the city of God, God rules over the earth in holiness and justice (99:1-4) and people respond with worship (5). The psalmist refers to the lives of Moses, Aaron and Samuel to show how God answered the prayers of those who submitted to his rule and obeyed his law (6-7). When people disobeyed they were punished, but when they repented God forgave them (8). The God who rules in Zion is holy, and those who worship him must also fear him (9).

Psalms 100:0 is the climax of this group of six psalms. People of all the world are to worship God gladly, acknowledging him as their God, their maker and their shepherd (100:1-3). They are invited to come into his temple, where they can unite in thankfully praising him for his loving faithfulness to them (4-5).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

“Jehovah reigneth; let the peoples tremble: He sitteth above the cherubim; let the earth be moved. Jehovah is great in Zion; And he is high above all the peoples. Let them praise thy great and terrible name: Holy is he.”

“Let the peoples tremble” The trembling of all nations (the Gentiles) is not connected with the current dispensation; but the time indicated here is that moment when the entirety of Adam’s race will suddenly behold, “Him that sitteth upon the throne” (Revelation 6:16).

“He sitteth above the cherubim” Most scholars seem to think this is a reference to the presence of God in the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple. Rawlinson expressed that interpretation thus: “The imagery is taken from the internal economy of the Jewish Temple, where the Shechinah was enthroned above the cherubic forms that overshadowed the Mercy Seat.”The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 8-B, p. 344. However, Kidner rejected that view, saying, “The throne of the living God above the cherubim is not a reference to the weaponless cupids of religious art, but to the mighty beings seen in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1:4 ff).”Derek Kidner, op. cit., p. 354.

“Let the earth be moved” The cosmic disturbances that shall accompany the Final Advent of God in Christ are often mentioned in the Bible. Hebrews 12:26-27 definitely makes the removal of the earth one of the cosmic events taking place on that occasion.

“Jehovah is great in Zion” We need not limit the meaning here to the literal Jerusalem. That ancient dwelling place of the Lord typified the New Jerusalem, “which is our mother” (Galatians 4:26); and the Second Advent will be the occasion when God will appear to all the peoples of the earth as great in both Jerusalems.

“Let them praise” The antecedent of `them’ is `peoples,’ all the peoples of the earth, indicating that the message here is by no means restricted to the literal Israel. Both Jerusalems and both Israels will praise God at the Second Advent.

“Holy is he” This expression, with a variation in Psalms 99:9, closes each of the three divisions of this psalm.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

The Lord reigneth - The Lord, Yahweh, is king. See Psalms 93:1.

Let the people tremble - The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render this, “Let the people rage” - or, be angry: as if the idea were that God reigned, although the people were enraged, and were opposed to him. The true meaning of the word used here, however, is “tremble,” properly signifying to be moved, disturbed, disquieted, thrown into commotion; and then it may mean to be moved with anger, Proverbs 29:9; Isaiah 28:21; or with grief, 2 Samuel 18:33 : or with fear, Psalms 4:4; or with joy, Jeremiah 33:9. Hence, it means to be agitated or moved with fear or reverence; and it refers here to the reverence or awe which one has in the conscious presence of God.

He sitteth between the cherubims - See the notes at Psalms 80:1.

Let the earth be moved - Margin, “stagger.” The word means to move or quake. It occurs nowhere else. Compare the notes at Psalms 18:7. See also Habakkuk 3:6, Habakkuk 3:10.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

1Jehovah reigns The people, who were formerly called upon to rejoice, are now commanded to tremble. For as the Jews were encompassed by enemies, it was of the utmost importance that God’s power should be magnified among them, that they might know that, while under his guardianship, they would be constantly and completely safe from the hatred and fury of every foe. The Hebrew word רגז, ragaz, as we have elsewhere seen, sometimes signifies to tremble, at other times, to be angry, and, in short, denotes any strong emotion arising either from anger or fear. ⁽¹¹⁵⁾ Accordingly, the prophet here intends that God, in the emancipation of his chosen people, should give such a palpable display of his power, as would strike all the nations with dismay, and make them feel how madly they had rushed upon their own destruction. For it is with regard to men that God is said to reign, when he exalts himself by the magnificent displays which he gives of his power; because, while the aid which he gives to them remains invisible, unbelievers act a more presumptuous part, just as if there were no God.

(115) רגז, ragaz, “denoting commotion either of the body or mind, imports in the latter acceptation particularly two things, fear and anger, those two principal emotions of the mind. In the sense of anger we have it in Genesis 45:24, where we render it falling out or quarrelling, and in 2 Kings 19:27, where we render it rage So, Proverbs 29:9, and in Genesis 41:10, the Hebrew קצף, (affirmed of Pharaoh, viz., that) he was wroth, is by the Chaldee rendered רגז. And this is much the more frequent acceptation of the word in the Old Testament.” — Hammond ’s note on Psalms 4:4. On the text before us, after observing that Abu Walid explains this root as signifying in the Arabic trembling and commotion, arising sometimes from anger, sometimes from fear, and other causes, the same critic says, “Here the context may seem to direct the taking it in the notion of commotion simply, as that signifies ἀκαταστασία, sedition or tumult of rebels or other adversaries. And then the sense will be thus: ‘The Lord reigneth, let the people be moved,’i e. , Now God hath set up David in his throne, and peaceably settled the kingdom in him, in spite of all the commotions of the people. The LXX. render it to this sense, as Psalms 4:4, ὀργιζέσθωσαν, ‘let the people be angry or regret it as much as they will.’” The verb here, and the concluding verb of the verse, may be read in the future tense: “The people or nations shall tremble, and the earth shall be moved,” just as at the giving of the Law, “the people trembled,” and “the earth shook.” Thus the passage may be regarded as a prediction of the subjection of the heathen world to the dominion of Christ.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 99:1-9

The LORD reigneth ( Psalms 99:1 );

Starts out as did Psalms 97:1-12 . "The Lord reigneth."

let the people tremble: he sits between the cherubims; let the earth be moved ( Psalms 99:1 ).

Now the cherubims are an angelic class. They are described in Revelation, chapter 4 and in Ezekiel, chapter 1 and chapter 10. In the descriptions that are given in Ezekiel, the flying saucer, just say that that's exactly what flying saucers look like and their movement as are described in Ezekiel. And so they're saying that Ezekiel actually saw UFO's and was describing the UFO's that he saw. And they oftentimes point to Ezekiel as a proof that UFO's have been visiting the earth from the time that man has been upon the planet Earth. Which points out something very interesting to me.

It is true indeed that Ezekiel saw a UFO and he describes how it flew and the fires and the lights and so forth and he describes the movement, how it moved rather in straight lines rather than in a curved base and so forth. But Ezekiel tells us that these "wheels within the wheels" were the lights; and the movements were actually cherubim, spirit beings. Now Satan was a fallen cherubim. Satan was a cherub before his fall. He is called in Ezekiel "the anointed cherub that covereth" ( Ezekiel 28:14 ). Because the flying saucer gets so much into the occultist kind of things, I do believe that if there are genuine sightings, as some of these people relate, that actually it is possible that they are seeing spirit beings, fallen spirit beings, satanic spirit beings, because there's a whole cult around this whole thing. And thus, I do not always question that these people... You know, you say, "Ah, they're a bunch of weird ducks, you know, thinking that they see UFOs." No, it is very possible that there is something to this; that you're delving into a spirit realm and that they are actually observing fallen cherubim.

Now God dwells between the cherubim. They surround the throne of God. God placed cherubim at the Garden of Eden to protect it. They are the cherubim about the throne of God who "cease not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty" ( Revelation 4:8 ).

When God had Moses build the model of heaven, for the tabernacle was nothing but a model of what the heavenly scene is like, the mercy seat, the throne of God, and within the holy of holies was the model of the throne of God, with the cherubim that were carved upon it. And so coming into the little cubicle, the golden cubicle of the holy of holies, the priest was coming into the model of coming into the presence of God in heaven with the cherubim that were there. So "the Lord reigneth, let the people tremble: He sits between the cherubims; let the earth be moved."

The LORD is great in Zion; he is high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and awesome name; for it is holy. The king's strength also loves judgment; and thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy. Moses and Aaron among his priests, Samuel among those that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: and they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them. You answered them, O LORD our God: and you were a God that forgave them, though you took vengeance of their inventions ( Psalms 99:2-8 ).

The golden calf and so forth. God took vengeance against them, and yet God forgave them. Oh, the goodness of God.

Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy ( Psalms 99:9 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Because the God who reigns is so great, everyone should tremble in reverential fear. In the temple, God dwelt between the cherubim (1 Kings 6:23-28; cf. Psalms 80:1). The cherubim were representations of angelic beings that symbolically guarded the holiness of God. "Holy" means different. In particular, God is holy in that He is different from man whom sin saturates.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

1. The holiness of the King 99:1-5

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 99

This royal psalm calls on God’s people to praise Him for His holiness and because He answers prayer.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

The Lord reigneth,.... The King Messiah, he is made and declared Lord and Christ; he has reigned, does reign, and ever will; see Psalms 93:1,

let the people tremble: with awe of his majesty, and reverence of his word and ordinances; rejoicing before him with trembling, as his own people and subjects do, Psalms 2:11, and so it agrees with Psalms 97:1, or it may be understood of the people that are enemies to Christ, who would not have him to reign, though he shall whether they will or not; and who will sooner or later tremble for fear of him, and his righteous judgment. Jarchi refers this to the war of Gog and Magog. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions, render it, "let the people be angry"; or it may be rendered, "they are angry"; or "therefore they are angry"; because he reigns; so the people, both Jews and Gentiles, were angry and raged, when his kingdom was first visibly set up among them, Psalms 2:1, and so the nations will when he takes to himself his great power, and reigns, Revelation 11:18,

he sitteth [between] the cherubim; "upon" or "above", as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions; alluding to the seat of the Shechinah, or divine Majesty, in the holy of holies; and respects either the exalted glory of Christ among the angels, and above them at the right hand of God, where they are subject to him, stand about him, ready to do his will; or rather his presence with his ministers of the word, who are the instruments of spreading his Gospel, and enlarging his kingdom and interest in the world; Revelation 11:18- :

let the earth be moved: not that itself out of its place, but the inhabitants of it; and these either with a sense of sin and duty, and become subject to Christ their King; or with wrath and indignation at him, or through fear of him, as before; Kimchi says, at the fall of Gog and Magog; it may be particularly understood of the land of Judea, and of the commotion in it, especially in Jerusalem, when the tidings were brought of the birth of the King Messiah, Matthew 2:1, or of the shaking and moving both of the civil and ecclesiastical state of the nation, and of the ruin of it; see Hebrews 12:26.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.   2 The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.   3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.   4 The king's strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.   5 Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

      The foundation of all religion is laid in this truth, That the Lord reigns. God governs the world by his providence, governs the church by his grace, and both by his Son. We are to believe not only that the Lord lives, but that the Lord reigns. This is the triumph of the Christian church, and here it was the triumph of the Jewish church, that Jehovah was their King; and hence it is inferred, Let the people tremble, that is, 1. Let even the subjects of this kingdom tremble; for the Old-Testament dispensation had much of terror in it. At Mount Sinai Israel, and even Moses himself, did exceedingly fear and quake; and then God was terrible in his holy places. Even when he appeared in his people's behalf, he did terrible things. But we are not now come to that mount that burned with fire,Hebrews 12:18. Now that the Lord reigns let the earth rejoice. Then he ruled more by the power of holy fear; now he rules by the power of holy love. 2. Much more let the enemies of this kingdom tremble; for he will either bring them into obedience to his golden sceptre or crush them with his iron rod. The Lord reigns, though the people be stirred with indignation at it; though they fret away all their spirits, their rage is all in vain. He will set his King upon his holy hill of Zion in spite of them (Psalms 2:1-6); first, or last, he will make them tremble,Revelation 6:15, c. The Lord reigns, let the earth be moved. Those that submit to him shall be established, and not moved (Psalms 96:10) but those that oppose him will be moved. Heaven and earth shall be shaken, and all nations; but the kingdom of Christ is what cannot be moved; the things which cannot be shaken shall remain,Hebrews 12:27. In these is continuance,Isaiah 64:5.

      God's kingdom, set up in Israel, is here made the subject of the psalmist's praise.

      I. Two things the psalmist affirms:-- 1. God presided in the affairs of religion: He sitteth between the cherubim (Psalms 99:1; Psalms 99:1), as on his throne, to give law by the oracles thence delivered--as on the mercy-seat, to receive petitions. This was the honour of Israel, that they had among them the Shechinah, or special presence of God, attended by the holy angels; the temple was the royal palace, and the Holy of holies was the presence-chamber. The Lord is great in Zion (Psalms 99:2; Psalms 99:2); there he is known and praised (Psalms 76:1; Psalms 76:2); there he is served as great, more than any where else. He is high there above all people; as that which is high is exposed to view, and looked up to, so in Zion the perfections of the divine nature appear more conspicuous and more illustrious than any where else. Therefore let those that dwell in Zion, and worship there, praise thy great and terrible name, and give thee the glory due unto it, for it is holy. The holiness of God's name makes it truly great to his friends and terrible to his enemies, Psalms 99:3; Psalms 99:3. This is that which those above adore--Holy, holy, holy. 2. He was all in all in their civil government, Psalms 99:4; Psalms 99:4. As in Jerusalem was the testimony of Israel, whither the tribes went up, so there were set thrones of judgment,Psalms 122:4; Psalms 122:5. Their government was a theocracy. God raised up David to rule over them (and some think this psalm was penned upon occasion of his quiet and happy settlement in the throne) and he is the king whose strength loves judgment. He is strong; all his strength he has from God; and his strength is not abused for the support of any wrong, as the power of great princes often is, but it loves judgment. He does justice with his power, and does it with delight; and herein he was a type of Christ, to whom God would give the throne of his father David, to do judgment and justice. He has power to crush, but his strength loves judgment; he does not rule with rigour, but with moderation, with wisdom, and with tenderness. The people of Israel had a good king; but they are here taught to look up to God as he by whom their king reigns: Thou dost establish equity (that is, God gave them those excellent laws by which they were governed), and thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob; he not only by his immediate providences often executed and enforced his own laws, but took care for the administration of justice among them by civil magistrates, who reigned by him and by him did decree justice. Their judges judged for God, and their judgment was his, 2 Chronicles 19:6.

      II. Putting these two things together, we see what was the happiness of Israel above any other people, as Moses had described it (Deuteronomy 4:7; Deuteronomy 4:8), that they had God so night unto them, sitting between the cherubim, and that they had statutes and judgments so righteous, by which equity was established, and God himself ruled in Jacob, from which he infers this command to that happy people (Psalms 99:5; Psalms 99:5): "Exalt you the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; give him the glory of the good government you are under, as it is now established, both in church and state." Note, 1. The greater the public mercies are which we have a share in the more we are obliged to bear a part in the public homage paid to God: the setting up of the kingdom of Christ, especially, ought to be the matter of our praise. 2. When we draw night to God, to worship him, our hearts must be filled with high thoughts of him, and he must be exalted in our souls. 3. The more we abase ourselves, and the more prostrate we are before God, the more we exalt him. We must worship at his footstool, at his ark, which was as the footstool to the mercy-seat between the cherubim; or we must cast ourselves down upon the pavement of his courts; and good reason we have to be thus reverent, for he is holy, and his holiness should strike an awe upon us, as it does on the angels themselves, Isaiah 6:2; Isaiah 6:3.