Psalms 95:1

PSALM XCV

An invitation to praise God, 1, 2.

The reason on which this is founded, the majesty and dominion

of God, 3-5.

An invitation to pray to God, 6.

And the reasons on which that is founded, 7.

Exhortation not to act as their fathers had done, who rebelled

against God, and were cast out of his favour, 8-11.

NOTES ON PSALM XCV

This Psalm is also without a title, both in the Hebrew and Chaldee: but is attributed to David by the Vulgate, Septuagint, AEthiopic, Arabic, and Syriac; and by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hebrews 4:3. Calmet and other eminent critics believe that it was composed during the time of the captivity, and that the apostle only followed the common opinion in quoting it as the production of David, because in general the Psalter was attributed to him.

The Psalm is a solemn invitation to the people, when assembled for public worship, to praise God from a sense of his great goodness; and to be attentive to the instructions they were about to receive from the reading and expounding of the law; and or these accounts it has been long used in the Christian Church, at the commencement of public service, to prepare the people's minds to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Houbigant, and other learned divines, consider this Psalm as composed of three parts.

1. The part of the people, Psalms 95:1 to the middle of Psalms 95:7.

2. The part of the priest or prophet, from the middle of Psalms 95:7 to the end of Psalms 95:8.

3. The part of Jehovah, Psalms 95:9. It is written as a part of the preceding Psalm by nine of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS.; but certainly it must have been originally an ode by itself, as the subject is widely different from that in the foregoing.

Verse Psalms 95:1. O come, let us sing] Let us praise God, not only with the most joyful accents which can be uttered by the voice; but let us also praise him with hearts tuned to gratitude, from a full sense of the manifold benefits we have already received.

The rock of our salvation.] The strong Fortress in which we have always found safety, and the Source whence we have always derived help for our souls. In both these senses the word rock, as applied to God, is used in the Scriptures.