Psalm 100:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

NIV: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

NASB: Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courtyards with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

CSB: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.

NLT: Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

KJV: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

NKJV: Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

Because God created us and shepherds us (Psalm 100:3), we ought to respond to Him with thankfulness and praise (Psalm 100:1).

Believers can be thankful that the Lord never changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17). He is always loving, patient, kind, merciful, and benevolent. He is as dependable today as He was when He rescued the Hebrews from the Egyptians at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:28–31). Furthermore, the Lord pours out His blessings to us every day. James 1:17 points out that every good and perfect gift comes from Him. He orchestrates everything in our lives for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28–30).

We can face even difficult circumstances with thanksgiving on our lips. First Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances." Psalm 84:11 promises: "No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly." A thankful heart expresses itself in praise. Psalm 100:4 joins thanksgiving and praise together. Instead of complaining, harboring gratitude, and indulging in self-pity, we should count our blessings and praise the Lord for who He is and for His numerous gifts.

The 100th Psalm opens with an invitation to the whole earth to joyfully praise the Lord, serve Him, and worship Him in song. The Lord is described as the Creator of the people as well as their Shepherd. The psalmist summons everyone to enter the temple with thanksgiving and praise. He describes the Lord as good, having love that is steadfast forever and faithfulness that stretches from generation to generation.

This is the closing psalm in a section called "royal psalms." These are Psalms 93 and 95—100. These songs proclaim God's sovereignty, His universal goodness, the duty of the nations to submit to Him, and the obligation of believers to praise Him. Psalm 150 parallels this psalm by inviting everyone and everything to praise the Lord.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.