Psalms · Chapter 100

Verse 1. Make a joyful noise] הריעו hariu, exult, triumph, leap for joy. All ye lands.] Not only Jews, but Gentiles, for the Lord bestows his benefits on all with a liberal hand.

Verses 1, 2. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord — Partly, with voices, and songs of rejoicings, and thanksgiving; and partly with musical instruments, as the manner then was; all ye lands — That is, all the inhabitants of the earth. When all nations shall be discipled, and the gospel preached to every creature, then this summons will be fully obeyed. Serve the Lord with gladness — Devote yourselves to, and employ yourselves in, his service. Come before his presence with singing — In the ordinances which he has appointed, and in which he has promised to manifest himself to his people. In all acts of religious worship, whether in secret or in our families, we may be truly said to come into God’s presence; but it is in public worship especially that we enter into his gates, and into his courts, as expressed verse 4, which should be with thanksgiving for so great a privilege, and with praise for his goodness manifested herein.

Verse 1. Make a joyful noise. The sublimity of the subject demands the highest vocal powers. The Hebrews sung with heart and voice, and virtually reprove our modern theatrical tunes, and sombrous airs.—All ye lands, all the habitations of the earth. Enter his courts with praise, for he feeds us with good things. This is a song of welcome to the Hebrew festivals.

1. All ye lands—The call is to all nations and peoples of the earth.

Verse 2. Serve the Lord with gladness] It is your privilege and duty to be happy in your religious worship. The religion of the true God is intended to remove human misery, and to make mankind happy. He whom the religion of Christ has not made happy does not understand that religion, or does not make a proper use of it.

Verses 1, 2. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord — Partly, with voices, and songs of rejoicings, and thanksgiving; and partly with musical instruments, as the manner then was; all ye lands — That is, all the inhabitants of the earth. When all nations shall be discipled, and the gospel preached to every creature, then this summons will be fully obeyed. Serve the Lord with gladness — Devote yourselves to, and employ yourselves in, his service. Come before his presence with singing — In the ordinances which he has appointed, and in which he has promised to manifest himself to his people. In all acts of religious worship, whether in secret or in our families, we may be truly said to come into God’s presence; but it is in public worship especially that we enter into his gates, and into his courts, as expressed verse 4, which should be with thanksgiving for so great a privilege, and with praise for his goodness manifested herein.

2. Serve the Lord with gladness—Different from “serve the Lord with fear,” Psalm 2:11. There the hostile nations were to be awed into submission; here the reconciled nations, as with peace offerings of thanksgiving, are called to rejoice.

Verse 3. Know ye that the Lord he is God] Acknowledge in every possible way, both in public and private, that Jehovah, the uncreated self-existent, and eternal Being, is Elohim, the God who is in covenant with man, to instruct, redeem, love, and make him finally happy. It is he that hath made us] He is our Creator and has consequently the only right in and over us.

And not we ourselves] wnjna alw velo anachnu. I can never think that this is the true reading, though found in the present Hebrew text, in the Vulgate, Septuagint, Æthiopic, and Syriac. Was there ever a people on earth, however grossly heathenish, that did believe, or could believe, that they had made themselves? In twenty-six of Kennicott’s and Deuteronomy Rossi’s MSS. we have wnjna wlw velo anachnu, “and HIS we are;” wl lo, the pronoun, being put for al lo, the negative particle. This is the reading of the Targum, or Chaldee paraphrase anjna hylydw vedileyh anachna, “and his we are,” and is the reading of the text in the Complutensian Polyglot, of both the Psalters which were printed in 1477, and is the keri, or marginal reading in most Masoretic Bibles. Every person must see, from the nature of the subject that it is the genuine reading. The position is founded on the maxim that what a man invents, constructs out of his own materials, without assistance in genius, materials or execution from any other person, is HIS OWN; and to it, its use, and produce, he has the only right. God made us, therefore we are HIS: we are his people, and should acknowledge him for our God; we are the sheep of his pasture, and should devote the lives to him constantly which he continually supports.

Verses 3-5. Know that the Lord — Hebrews Jehovah, he is God — The only living and true God; a being infinitely perfect, self-existent, and self-sufficient; and the fountain of all being; the first cause and last end of all things. It is he that hath made us — Not only by creation, but by regeneration, which is also called a creation, because by it we are made his people. Hence we owe him homage and service, and him only. and not other gods, who did neither make nor new-make us. He, and he only, hath an incontestable right to, and in us, and all things. His we are, to be influenced by his power, disposed of by his will, and devoted to his honour and glory. We are his people — Or subjects, and he is our prince or governor that gives law to us, as moral agents, and will call us to an account for what we do; the sheep of his pasture — Or, as the Hebrew may be rendered, the flock of his feeding, whom he takes care of and provides for. He that made us, maintains us, and gives us all things richly to enjoy. For the Lord is good — Infinite in goodness, and therefore doeth good. His mercy is everlasting — Is a fountain that can never be drawn dry. His truth endureth to all generations — And no word of his shall fall to the ground as antiquated or revoked: his promises are sure to all the faithful, from age to age. If this Psalm be considered as prophetical of the calling both of Jews and Gentiles to the profession of the gospel, then by the gates of Zion, verse 4, must be mystically understood the Christian Church.

Ver. 3. He hath made us, and not we ourselves. This is God’s first claim to our service. Men act as if they were their own masters, and could scarcely claim greater independence, had they even created themselves. It is necessary therefore, that they should be reminded of the claims of their Maker.

3. Know ye that the Lord he is God—To know that Jehovah is God, is to know that he only is God, and that idols are nothing. This the heathen world is to learn by the works and word of God, especially as manifested in the redemption of his people. 1 Kings 18:39; Psalm 46:10; Deuteronomy 7:9. See on idols, Psalm 96:5. He… hath made us, and not we ourselves—If we take hc[, (‘asah,) make, in the sense of constituted, formed, appointed, (as in 1 Samuel 12:22, “It pleased the Lord to make you his people,”) and refer it to the true Church, the present form of the text makes a good sense. God has made, constituted, the Church by his sole power and authority. The Church did not call herself, nor redeem or constitute herself. The work is all divine. But if the word refers back to the creation of man, the translation “and not we ourselves” is flat and without meaning. The Hebrew simply reads, “He made us, and to (or of) him we [are.]” Or, adopting the Keri, or Hebrew marginal reading, we substitute wlw, velo, for alw, velo, and read (as in the margin of our common English Bible) “He made us, and we are his.” The doctrine is, that not only has God made us, but he made us for himself. The New Testament expression is found in Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11. The opposite to this is rebuked (Isaiah 29:16; Ezekiel 29:3) where Pharaoh says: “My river is mine own, and I made it for myself.”

Verse 4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving] Publicly worship God; and when ye come to the house of prayer, be thankful that you have such a privilege; and when you enter his courts, praise him for the permission. The word hdwtb bethodah, which we render with thanksgiving, is properly with the confession-offering or sacrifice. See on the title. See Clarke “Psalm 100:1”.

Bless his name.] Bless Jehovah, that he is your Elohim; see Psalm 100:3. In our liturgic service we say, “Speak good of his name;” we cannot do otherwise; we have nothing but good to speak of our God.

Verses 3-5. Know that the Lord — Hebrews Jehovah, he is God — The only living and true God; a being infinitely perfect, self-existent, and self-sufficient; and the fountain of all being; the first cause and last end of all things. It is he that hath made us — Not only by creation, but by regeneration, which is also called a creation, because by it we are made his people. Hence we owe him homage and service, and him only. and not other gods, who did neither make nor new-make us. He, and he only, hath an incontestable right to, and in us, and all things. His we are, to be influenced by his power, disposed of by his will, and devoted to his honour and glory. We are his people — Or subjects, and he is our prince or governor that gives law to us, as moral agents, and will call us to an account for what we do; the sheep of his pasture — Or, as the Hebrew may be rendered, the flock of his feeding, whom he takes care of and provides for. He that made us, maintains us, and gives us all things richly to enjoy. For the Lord is good — Infinite in goodness, and therefore doeth good. His mercy is everlasting — Is a fountain that can never be drawn dry. His truth endureth to all generations — And no word of his shall fall to the ground as antiquated or revoked: his promises are sure to all the faithful, from age to age. If this Psalm be considered as prophetical of the calling both of Jews and Gentiles to the profession of the gospel, then by the gates of Zion, verse 4, must be mystically understood the Christian Church.

4. Thanksgiving—The word should here also be understood of the zebahh-hatodah, the praise offering under the law. See note on the title of this psalm. But this ground idea anticipates the spiritual and prophetic sense—the ceaseless praise offering of the lips by the universal Church, fully brought out in Hebrews 13:15; Hosea 14:2. Be thankful unto him—Give thanks to him. As the priest led the victim to the altar, and the people entered the sacred enclosure and drew near to perform their part in worship, and in the religious feast before the Lord, they were to feel and express the gratitude and praise which their peace offering denoted.

Verse 5. For the Lord is good] GOODNESS, the perfect, eternal opposition to all badness and evil, is essential to God. Mercy and compassion are modifications of his goodness; and as his nature is eternal, so his mercy, springing from his goodness, must be everlasting. And as TRUTH is an essential characteristic of an infinitely intelligent and perfect nature; therefore God’s truth must endure from generation to generation. Whatsoever he has promised must be fulfilled, through all the successive generations of men, as long as sun and moon shall last.

As this is a very important Psalm, and has long made a part of our public worship, I shall lay it before the reader in the oldest vernacular Versions I have hitherto met with,—the Anglo-Saxon and the Anglo-Scottish, with a literal interlineary translation of the former.

The Anglo-Saxon Hundredth Psalm

Rhyme ye the Lord all earth, serve the Lord in bliss;

1. [Anglo-Saxon]

Infare in sight his in blithness;

2. [Anglo-Saxon]

Wit ye, for that Lord he is God, he did us & not self we;

3. [Anglo-Saxon]

Folk his & sheep leeseway his; fare into gates his in confession, into courts is in hymns confess him.

4. [Anglo-Saxon]

Praise name his, for that winsom is; Lord thro’ eternity mildheartedness his, & unto on kindred & kindred sothfastnes his

5. [Anglo-Saxon]

The reader will see that, in order to make this translation as literal as possible, I have preserved some old English words which we had from the Anglo-Saxon, and which have nearly become obsolete: e.g., Infare, “to go in;” blithness, “joy, exultation;” wit ye, “know ye;” did, the preterite of to do, “made, created,” the literal translation of the Hebrew, hc[ asah, he made; leeseway, “pasturage on a common;” winsom, “cheerful, merry;” mildheartedness, “tenderness of heart, compassion;” sothfastness, “steady to the sooth or truth, fast to truth.”

I might have noticed some various readings in Anglo-Saxon MSS.; e.g., Psalm 100:1. for [A.S.] idrymeth, “rhyme ye;” [A.S.] winsumiath, “be winsom, be joyful.” And Psalm 100:5, for [A.S.] winsom, “cheerful;” [A.S.], swete, “sweet.”

Anglo-Scottish Version of the Hundredth Psalm

1. Joyes to God al the erth; serves to Lord in gladnes.

2. Enters in his sight with joying.

3. Wittes for Lorde he is God; he made us and noght we;

4. Folke of hym, and schepe of his pasture; enters the gates of hym in schrift; hys Halles in ympnys; schryves to hym.

5. Loues his name, for soft is Lorde; withouten end in his mercy; and in generation and generation the sothfastnes of hym.

Thus our forefathers said and sung in heart and mouth and with their tongues made confession to salvation. There are but few words here which require explanation: Ver. 3, Wittes, “wot ye, know ye.” Ver. 4, Schrift, “confession;” schryves, “confess ye.” Ver. 5, Loues, “praise ye, laud ye.” Sothfastness, as above, steadfastness in the truth.

Verses 3-5. Know that the Lord — Hebrews Jehovah, he is God — The only living and true God; a being infinitely perfect, self-existent, and self-sufficient; and the fountain of all being; the first cause and last end of all things. It is he that hath made us — Not only by creation, but by regeneration, which is also called a creation, because by it we are made his people. Hence we owe him homage and service, and him only. and not other gods, who did neither make nor new-make us. He, and he only, hath an incontestable right to, and in us, and all things. His we are, to be influenced by his power, disposed of by his will, and devoted to his honour and glory. We are his people — Or subjects, and he is our prince or governor that gives law to us, as moral agents, and will call us to an account for what we do; the sheep of his pasture — Or, as the Hebrew may be rendered, the flock of his feeding, whom he takes care of and provides for. He that made us, maintains us, and gives us all things richly to enjoy. For the Lord is good — Infinite in goodness, and therefore doeth good. His mercy is everlasting — Is a fountain that can never be drawn dry. His truth endureth to all generations — And no word of his shall fall to the ground as antiquated or revoked: his promises are sure to all the faithful, from age to age. If this Psalm be considered as prophetical of the calling both of Jews and Gentiles to the profession of the gospel, then by the gates of Zion, verse 4, must be mystically understood the Christian Church.

5. For the Lord is good— “This last seems to be the response of the whole chorus of the priests at the instant of the firing of the sacrifice, the prefect, or precentor, having begun the previous strains.”—Hammond. But in a higher sense, it is the refrain to the song of the universal Church when the grand praise offering for the world’s submission shall be presented, through our great High Priest.