Psalm chapter 99
English Standard Version
1 The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 2The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. 3Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! 4 The King in his might loves justice. You have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5 Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon his name. They called to the Lord, and he answered them. 7In the pillar of the cloud he spoke to them; they kept his testimonies and the statute that he gave them. 8O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 9Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!
New International Version
1The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. 2Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.
3Let them praise your great and awesome name— he is holy. 4The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.
New American Standard Bible
1The Lord reigns, the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned above the cherubim, the earth quakes! 2The Lord is great in Zion, And He is exalted above all the peoples. 3May they praise Your great and awesome name; Holy is He. 4The strength of the King loves justice; You have established order; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5 Exalt the Lord our God And worship at His footstool; Holy is He. 6Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called on His name; They called upon the Lord and He answered them. 7He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; They kept His testimonies And the statute that He gave them. 8Lord our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, And yet an avenger of their evil deeds. 9Exalt the Lord our God And worship at His holy hill, For the Lord our God is holy.
Christian Standard Bible
1The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble. He is enthroned between the cherubim. Let the earth quake. 2The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted above all the peoples.
3Let them praise your great and awe-inspiring name. He is holy. 4The mighty King loves justice. You have established fairness; you have administered justice and righteousness in Jacob.
New Living Translation
1The Lord is king! Let the nations tremble! He sits on his throne between the cherubim. Let the whole earth quake! 2The Lord sits in majesty in Jerusalem, exalted above all the nations. 3Let them praise your great and awesome name. Your name is holy! 4Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established fairness. You have acted with justice and righteousness throughout Israel. 5Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!
6Moses and Aaron were among his priests; Samuel also called on his name. They cried to the Lord for help, and he answered them. 7He spoke to Israel from the pillar of cloud, and they followed the laws and decrees he gave them. 8O Lord our God, you answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, but you punished them when they went wrong.
King James Version
New King James Version
1The Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved! 2The Lord is great in Zion, And He is high above all the peoples. 3Let them praise Your great and awesome name— He is holy. 4The King’s strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His footstool— He is holy. 6Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name; They called upon the Lord, and He answered them. 7He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. 8You answered them, O Lord our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds. 9Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the Lord our God is holy.
What does Psalm chapter 99 mean?
Psalms 95 through 99 are often called "royal psalms" or "enthronement psalms." These celebrate the idea of God being the unquestioned ruler of the world. Other examples are Psalms 24, 27, and 93. The songs have a dual purpose: acknowledging the Lord's current authority and looking forward to when He rules the world directly (Revelation 20:4).The psalm opens with a statement that God is sovereign. He is the unchallenged master of all creation. He is not only ruler over the people of Israel; He also has authority over the Gentile nations, referred to here as "the peoples." Knowing this about the Lord should result in a reverent, respectful form of fear (Proverbs 1:7). Cherubim are a type of angel which are almost always seen in God's presence. Two cherubim were represented on the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:18–22). God's throne is "upon," or "above," these angelic beings (Psalm 99:1–3).
The Lord's power has created fairness, justice, and goodness. His love and loyalty to Israel demonstrate this—God renamed Jacob as "Israel" and made him the founder of the nation. An appropriate response to the love of a holy God is humble worship (Psalms 99:4–5).
Moses (Exodus 33:11), Aaron (Numbers 3:6–9), and Samuel (1 Samuel 3:21) are among the most famous examples of those who heard from God and passed those messages along to Israel. Unfortunately, the nation of Israel did not always obey (Judges 2:16–19). This resulted in consequences such as the Babylonian exile (Jeremiah 25:8–11). Yet Israel was never destroyed or wiped out. This gives God's people good reason to praise and worship Him (Psalm 99:6–9).
