Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
The psalmist praises God’s grandeur, stability, position over the waters, righteous decrees, and personal abode.
II. Photo
The psalmist praises God: “He is robed in grandeur; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength!” (v. 1)
III. Select Verses
(the entire psalm)
1-2: The LORD is king, He is robed in grandeur; the LORD is robed, He is girded with strength. The world stands firm; it cannot be shaken. Your throne stands firm from of old; from eternity You have existed.
3-4: The ocean sounds, O LORD, the ocean sounds its thunder, the ocean sounds its pounding. Above the thunder of the mighty waters, more majestic than the breakers of the sea is the LORD, majestic on high.
5: Your decrees are indeed enduring; holiness befits Your house, O LORD, for all times.
IV. Outline
1-2. Hymnic praise and affirmation
3-4. Hymnic praise: God over the waters
5. Hymnic praise: decrees and house
V. Comment
Just five verses long, Psalm 93 has attracted an abundance of scholarly attention. Some believe that the psalm is a “YHWH Kingship Psalm” (cf. Ps 47, 96–99) that was recited at an enthronement festival at the autumn new year. Others suggest that the psalm can be dated linguistically to the 12-10th centuries BCE, and others believe that it was once part of a larger unit comprising psalms 92-94 (see Tate). Yet, while all of these hypotheses are possible, there is not enough evidence and they must be treated as conjecture. Indeed, because it is only five verses long, Psalm 93 and its use in ancient Israel will probably never be fully understood.
VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Gerstenberger, Erhard. Psalms Part 2 and Lamentations (Forms of Old Testament
Tate, Marvin. Psalms 51-100 (Word Biblical Commentary vol. 20; Fort Worth, 1990).
Literature; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001).
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