What does Psalm 98:3 mean?
ESV: He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
NIV: He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
NASB: He has remembered His graciousness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
CSB: He has remembered his love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen our God’s victory.
NLT: He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel. The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
KJV: He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
NKJV: He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Verse Commentary:
Verse Context:
Psalm 98:1–3 praises God for His miracles. The psalm notes that God's own work—and only His work—has accomplished salvation. The result of these actions is that the entire world can see His goodness and justice. The psalmist may have been inspired by a specific victory over an enemy of Israel, or the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon (Ezra 2:1).
Chapter Summary:
God has proven His glory through amazing miracles. He has accomplished salvation by His own power, honoring His loyal love for the nation of Israel. Every nation, including the Gentiles, can see what the Lord has done. All people should respond to this with praise and worship, using every type of instrument. Nature itself will echo praises of God. These celebrations look forward to God returning to earth, bringing justice and righteous judgment.
Chapter Context:
This psalm may have been inspired by a specific victory over one of Israel's enemies. Another possibility is celebrating the return of exiled Jewish people (Ezra 2:1). It is one of the "enthronement" psalms (Psalm 24; 27; 93; 95—99) which honor God as the ultimate ruler over the entire world. As with similar psalms, this song anticipates the Lord coming to earth in righteous judgment.
Book Summary:
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.
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