CHAPTER 98
 
      
- God is celebrated for his wondrous works, 1,2;
- for the exact fulfilment of his gracious promises, 3.
- The manner in which he is to be praised, 4-6.
- Inanimate creation called to bear a part in this
concert, 7,8.
- The justice of his judgments, 9.
NOTES ON PSALM 98
In the Hebrew this is simply termed mizmor, a
Psalm. In the Chaldee, A prophetic Psalm. In the
Vulgate, Septuagint, AEthiopic, A Psalm of
David. In the Syriac it is attributed to
David, and stated to be composed concerning the
"Restoration of the Israelites from Egypt; but is to be
understood spiritually of the advent of the Messiah, and the
vocation of the Gentiles to the Christian faith."
The Psalm in its subject is very like the
ninety-sixth. It was probably written to celebrate the
deliverance from the Babylonish captivity; but is to be
understood prophetically of the redemption of the world by
Jesus Christ.
Verse 1. A new song
A song of excellence. Give him the highest
praise. See on Psalms
96:1.
Hath done marvellous
things
niphlaoth, "miracles, " the
same word as in Psalms
96:3, where we translate it wonders.
His holy arm
His Almighty power,-
Hath gotten him the
victory.
hoshiah llo, "hath made
salvation to himself."
Verse 2. Made known his
salvation
He has delivered his people in
such a way as to show that it was supernatural, and that their
confidence in the unseen God was not in vain.
Verse 3. He hath remembered his
mercy
His gracious promises to their
forefathers.
And his truth
Faithfully accomplishing what he had promised. All this
was fulfilled under the Gospel.
Verse 5. With-the voice of a
Psalm.
I think zimrah, which we
translate Psalm, means either a musical
instrument, or a species of ode modulated by
different voices.
Verse 6. With
trumpets
chatsotseroth. Some kind of
tubular instruments, of the form and management of which we
know nothing.
And sound of cornet
shophar, the word commonly used for what we call
trumpet.
Verse 7. Let the sea
roar
These are either fine poetic images;
or, if we take them as referring to the promulgation of the
Gospel, by the sea all maritime countries and
commercial nations may be intended.
Verse 8. Let the floods clap
their hands
neharoth, properly
the rivers-possibly meaning immense continents,
where only large rivers are found; thus including
inland people, as well as maritime nations, and
those on the sea-coasts generally; as in those early times
little more than the coasts of the sea were known. The
Gospel shall be preached in the most secluded nations of the
world.
Let the hills be
joyful
All the inhabitants of rocky
and mountainous countries.
Verse 9. For he cometh to judge the
earth
He comes to make known his salvation,
and show his merciful designs to all the children of men.
With righteousness shall he judge
the world
His word shall not be confined;
all shall know him, from the least to the greatest: he shall
show that he is loving to every man, and hateth nothing that
he hath made. See the notes on Psalms
96:10-13. There is a very great similarity between this
Psalm and the Song or Magnificat of the Blessed Virgin.
I shall note some of the parallels, chiefly from Bishop
Nicholson.
This Psalm is an evident prophecy of Christ's coming to
save the world; and what is here foretold by David is,
in the Blessed Virgin's song, chanted forth as being
accomplished. David is the Voice, and Mary is
the Echo.
1. DAVID. "O sing unto the Lord a new song." (The
Voice.)
MARY. "My soul doth magnify the Lord." (The Echo.)
2. DAVID. "He hath done marvellous things." (The
Voice.)
MARY. "He that is mighty hath done great things." (The
Echo.)
3. DAVID. "With his own right hand and holy arm hath he
gotten himself the victory." (The Voice.)
MARY. "He hath showed strength with his arm and scattered
the proud in the imagination of their hearts." (The
Echo.)
4. DAVID. "The Lord hath made known his salvation; his
righteousness hath he openly showed," (The Voice.)
MARY. "His mercy is on them that fear him, from generation
to generation." (The Echo.)
5. DAVID. "He hath remembered his mercy and his truth
toward the house of Israel." (The Voice.)
MARY. "He hath holpen his servant Israel in remembrance of
his mercy." (The Echo.)
These parallels are very striking; and it seems as if Mary
had this Psalm in her eye when she composed her song of
triumph. And this is a farther argument that the whole Psalm,
whether it record the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, or the
Jews from the Babylonish captivity, is yet to be ultimately
understood of the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ, and
the proclamation of his Gospel through all the nations of the
earth: and taken in this view, no language can be too strong,
nor poetic imagery too high, to point out the unsearchable
riches of Christ.
ANALYSIS OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH PSALM
This Psalm has the two following parts:-
I. An exhortation to sing to the Lord, and the
reasons of it, Psalms
98:1-3.
II. A new invitation to praise him, and that it be
universal, Psalms
98:4-9.
I. He calls upon them to praise God: 1. Sing-a
song or hymn, to the Lord-and to none other.
A new song-a song of excellency.
For this exhortation and command he gives the reasons. His
work was a work of power and holiness.
1. "He hath done marvellous things." He has opened his
greatness and goodness in the work of redemption. What
marvels has not Christ done? 1. He was conceived by the
Holy Ghost. 2. Born of a virgin. 3. Healed all manner of
diseases. 4. Fed thousands with a few loaves and fishes. 5.
Raised the dead. 6. And what was more marvellous, died
himself. 7. Rose again by his own power. 8. Ascended to
heaven. 9. Sent down the Holy Ghost. 10. And made his apostles
and their testimony the instruments of enlightening, and
ultimately converting, the world.
2. "His right hand and his holy arm hath got him the
victory." 1. It was all his own work, whatever were the
instruments; for without his energy they could do
nothing. 2. It was his holy arm-no bloody
sword, but a holy hand, to do a holy work.
3. "He got himself the victory" over sin, Satan, death,
and hell.
3. This salvation was made known:-1. By
himself to the Jews. 2. By his apostles
to all nations.
4. This salvation has been applied. 1. He hath
showed his righteousness-his method of justifying
sinners through his own blood, and sanctifying them
by his own Spirit. 2. This he hath openly showed,
plainly revealing the whole in his Gospel. 3. He has done this
in the sight of the heathen, calling them to be
partakers of the same salvation promised to Abraham and to his
posterity, both Jews and Gentiles.
5. That which moved him to do this; his mercy, and
truth: 1. "He hath remembered his mercy." This mercy
was to the house of Israel, and through them to the
Gentiles; for the Gentiles were the first in the
promise and covenant. There was no Jew when the
covenant was made with Abraham: it was made with him while he
was yet in uncircumcision; consequently the Gentiles,
the whole human race, were originally included in that
covenant. The descendants of Jacob were made depositaries of
it for a season; but they, not having benefited by it, were
rejected, and the salvation of Christ was given to the
Gentiles, for whom it was originally intended, and who have
kept the faith, and are daily profiting by it. 2. It is called
mercy; for it was the merest mercy that said: "The seed
of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." 3. He
remembered this, it was never out of the Divine mind;
"Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
4. As this mercy was intended for every human soul; so it is
here prophectically said: "All the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God." This Gospel has been
preached, is now in the course of being preached, and shortly
will be preached to every people under heaven.
II. A new invitation to praise God; and to do this in every
possible way.
1. "Make a joyful noise." Jump for joy, because of this
most glorious news.
2. As all are interested in it, so let all do
it: "All the earth."
3. In all possible ways. With harp, psaltery, trumpet,
cornet; with vocal, chordal, and pneumatic
music. But it is the joyful music, the heart
music, which the Lord seeks.
4. "Before the Lord." In his immediate presence. Let all be
sincere, pure, and holy. Remember the eye of the Lord is upon
you: do not draw near with your lips, pipes, or
stringed instruments, while your hearts are far
from him.
5. And to make the music full, as if the inanimate creation
had ears and hands to give an applause at
the relation, and feet to dance because of it,
he says: "Let the sea roar, the floods clap their hands, and
the hills be joyful together."
And for all this he gives a reason, with which he
concludes: "For he cometh to judge the earth;" which may be
referred to his first and second coming.
1. If to the first, then the sense is-Let all
creatures rejoice because he comes to judge, that is,
to enlighten, order, and govern the world. For this purpose he
was incarnated, suffered, died, and rose again for the
redemption of mankind; and has sent his holy Gospel to
enlighten the world, and his Spirit to apply its truths
to the hearts of men.
2. If we consider this as referring to his last
coming, then let all men rejoice, as he comes to destroy
evil, to root out incorrigible sinners, and to make a new
heaven and a new earth.
3. All this shall be done with that rectitude of judgment,
that there shall be nothing crooked, oblique, or savouring of
iniquity in it: "For he shall judge the world, and the people
with equity."
Additional Resources
Copyright Statement
The Adam Clarke Commentary is a derivative of an
electronic edition prepared by GodRules.net.
Bibliography
Information
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary
on Psalm 98". "The Adam Clarke Commentary".
<http://www.studylight.org/com/acc/view.cgi?book=ps&chapter=098>.
1832.
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