Psalms 96 - Introduction

This spirited Psalm opens the series of -coronation anthems" which are the response to the invitation of Psalms 95, and form a lyrical counterpart to the prophecies of Isaiah 40-66. Its occasion, as we have seen in the Introd. to Psalms 95, is in all probability rightly indicated by the LXX title, When the house was being built after the Captivity. In the recent deliverance of Israel the Psalmist sees the earnest of the establishment of the universal Divine kingdom of righteousness, and he looks forward to the new Temple becoming "a house of prayer for all the peoples." The liturgical use of such Psalms as this served to keep alive the Messianic hope in Israel, and to prepare the way for the Advent of God in Christ. See Introd. p. lxxxi.

The Psalm consists of four stanzas.

i. Let Jehovah's praise be sung and His glory proclaimed among all the nations (Psalms 96:1-3).

ii. For He alone is supremely great and glorious (Psalms 96:4-6).

iii. Let the nations acknowledge Him and pay Him homage in His Temple (Psalms 96:7-9).

iv. Let His proclamation of His kingdom be made known throughout the world, and let universal Nature rejoice in the establishment of His righteous rule (Psalms 96:10-13).

With some omissions and variations this Psalm forms part (v. 23 33) of the composite anthem which the Chronicler introduces to celebrate the translation of the Ark to Zion (1 Chronicles 16:8 ff.); and this may be the reason why it is called in the LXX A Psalm of David, inconsistently with the earlier part of the title When the house was being built after the Captivity. It is hardly necessary to remark that it is quite impossible to regard the Chronicler's Psalm as the original of which this Psalm is a fragment detached for liturgical use.