Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 96:12

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 96:12. Thou sal glad al the trese of woddes. - Thou, that is in another Iyfe. Trese of woddes. - Synful men that were fyrst withouten frut, and sithen taken into God's temple.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 95-96 God the creator of the universe

Six psalms, 95 to 100, are grouped so as to form a series for use in temple worship. The first psalm opens by calling people to worship God because he is the saviour (95:1-2), the great God (3), the creator and controller of the universe (4-5), the maker of the human race (6) and, above all, the covenant Lord and shepherd of his people (7). Worship, however, must be joined to obedience. Israel’s experiences in the wilderness show that people might claim to belong to God, but be so complaining, disobedient and stubborn that it is impossible for them to enjoy the inheritance God promised (8-11; cf. Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 11:1-23; Numbers 20:2-13; Hebrews 3:7-10).

After the worshippers have heeded the warning of the previous psalm and prepared their hearts in a right attitude of worship, they are urged to praise God with further singing. Besides praising him for his great works, they are to proclaim his wonders to others (96:1-3). Idol-gods cannot be known, because they have no life. The living and true God can be known, both through the created universe and through the worship of the sanctuary (4-6). People everywhere should therefore bring him worship, praise and sacrificial offerings (7-9). Because he is Lord of the universe, all creation joins in bringing him praise. Because he is Lord of the world of humankind, he will establish his righteous kingdom on the earth (10-13).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH

“Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth: The world also is established that it cannot be moved: He will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; Let the field exult, and all that is therein; Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy Before Jehovah; for he cometh, For he cometh to judge the earth: He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with his truth.”

“This passage expresses the Messianic hope (Psalms 96:13)… but here, as in Malachi 4:6, there is no thought of any personal Messiah. Yahweh himself is the deliverer.”W. E. Addis, p. 389. Once more, we have an example of scholarly blindness apparently due to lack of a knowledge of the New Testament. Jesus Christ the Messiah, indeed a `Personal Messiah’ was none other than God Himself in the person of his only begotten Son, who in the New Testament is declared to be “God” in no less than a dozen passages (John 1:1; John 1:18; John 20:28; Acts 20:38; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:6; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; James 1:1; Revelation 5:13; Revelation 6:16).

“Jehovah reigneth… he will judge the peoples with equity” The reign of Jehovah was announced by John the Baptist as, “The Kingdom of God” and declared to be at hand in the year 26 A.D. That reign began on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ and is in progress at the present time.

“He will judge the peoples” This judgment is progressing continually, as typified in Revelation 6:2 under the emblem of the Conquering Saviour on the White Horse. This judgment is being accomplished by the sacred inspired words of the Holy Apostles of Christ, in a spiritual sense, “Sitting upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of the children of Israel” (the New Israel, which is the Church) (Matthew 19:28). That this interpretation is correct appears in the fact that this judgment of mankind through the word of the Apostles of Christ will take place “in the times of the regeneration,” that is, in the times when men are being saved, which is, without any doubt whatever, the present age.

“Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice” At the coming of the Messiah, on the night that Christ was born, the heavens themselves burst into song when the chorus of the angelic host sang, “Glory to God in the Highest; peace on earth to men of good will” (Luke 2:14); and the rejoicing of the earth is continuing throughout the ages in the hearts of those obeying the gospel, who go “on their way rejoicing,” as did Philip the eunuch (Acts 8:39).

“Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof” This is most likely a reference to the unbelieving populations of mankind, often represented in Scripture as the sea (Revelation 13:1), and in the passage here. It is the equivalent of the rage of the heathen mentioned in Psalms 2:1. The meaning is, “Let the heathen rage,” God’s judgment of mankind through the gospel of Christ is steadily going forward.

“Let the fields exult… the trees of the wood sing for joy” The joyful sentiment of this verse was captured in Isaac Watts’ famed hymn, “Joy to the World,” set to music by Handel.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns, Let men their songs employ,
While fields, and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy.Great Songs of the Church, No. 429.

“Before Jehovah, for he cometh… to judge… he will judge the people by his truth” We have already noted the application of this to the coming of the Messiah and the subsequent judgment of all nations by the Holy Gospels; but there are also overtones here of the Eternal Judgement of the Last Day. In all of the prophecies, there is a tendency to telescope the first judgment of Christ’s Messianic coming that produced, among many other things, the destruction of Jerusalem, with that of the final Great White Throne Judgment of the Day of Jehovah. This occurred, because both of these judgments pertain to “the last times,” of which Peter declared that “These present days” indeed belong to those last times (Acts 2:16-17).

Both of these judgments, the one proceeding now by means of the Word of God and the other to come at the end of the age, are tied together in the fact that the basis of judgment in both will be exactly the same. As Jesus said:

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I speak, the same shall judge him in the last day” John 12:48.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Let the field be joyful ... - This is taken - with the change of a single letter, not affecting the sense - from 1 Chronicles 16:32-33. It is a call on the fields - the cultivated portions of the earth - to rejoice in the reign of God. As if conscious of the beauty with which he clothes them, and of the happiness which they confer on man in their beauty and in the abundance of their productions, they are called on to praise God.

Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice - The forests - the oaks, the cedars, the pines, that wave with so much majesty. If they were conscious of their own magnificence and beauty - if they could see how much wisdom and goodness God has lavished on them, in their forms, their branches, their leaves, their flowers, their fruit - if they could know how much they are made to accomplish in rendering the world beautiful, and in contributing to the happiness of man - if they understood what a bare, bleak, cold, desert world this would be but for them, they, too, would have abundant occasion for praise and joy.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 96:1-13

O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, and bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, and his wonders among all people. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be reverenced above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the LORD, O ye families of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: reverence him, all the earth. Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth ( Psalms 96:1-13 ).

Glorious psalm, Psalms 96:1-13 , encouraging us to the praising of the Lord. Singing the praises unto Him. Declaring the glories of God and the wonders of His work. Because of the greatness of God, He is to be greatly praised. He is above all of the gods of the nations, the other gods that people follow after. So give unto Him the glory due His name. Worship Him. And then the anticipation of His coming, "For the Lord cometh."

We are looking now to that day when the Lord is going to come and He's going to come to judge the earth. As you get into the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, the disciples said, "Lord, what will be the sign of Your coming? And the end of the age? And Jesus began to tell them the things to watch for. And then as we get into chapter 25, as He is referring to His coming, "Then shall the kingdom of heaven," or, "Then shall He when He comes again gather together the nations of the earth to judge them: and He shall separate them as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goat" ( Matthew 25:32 ). And so the Lord's day of judgment that is coming, referred to here and also at the end of Psalms 98:1-9 .

In fact, Psalms 96:1-13 and Psalms 98:1-9 are parallel ideas in these psalms. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 96

Here is another psalm that focuses on the reign of God. In it, the psalmist called on all the earth to join Israel in honoring and rejoicing in Yahweh’s sovereign rule.

"By being incorporated into a larger unit in 1 Chronicles 16, the psalm became associated with the glorious entry of the Ark of the covenant into Jerusalem" [Note: VanGemeren, p. 620. Cf. 1 Chronicles 16:23-33.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

3. An invitation to all to rejoice over Yahweh’s reign 96:11-13

The writer returned to his former thought of all creation being under God’s authority (Psalms 96:4-5). He now summoned all creation to praise God at the prospect of His righteous rule. Psalms 96:13 is one of the clearest and most thrilling revelations that God will rule on the earth, not just from heaven. He will do so in the person of His Son when He returns to earth. The Son came the first time to save the world, and He will come the second time to judge it. Therefore all creation may rejoice. Even the world of plants and animals will benefit from His righteous rule (cf. Isaiah 35:1-2; Isaiah 65:25; Romans 8:20-22).

This favorite psalm glories in the righteous Sovereign of the universe. His kingdom will indeed come. He will one day accomplish His will on earth, as today others carry it out in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein,.... Not the field of the world, but of the church, separated from others by distinguishing grace; the peculiar property of Christ, cultivated and manured by his Spirit and grace, and abounding with the fruits and flowers thereof; of a wilderness becoming a fruitful field, and for that reason should rejoice, even with joy and singing, Isaiah 35:1,

then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice; the sons of God, so called, Song of Solomon 2:3, who, though like such, in their nature state, barren and unfruitful, yet, being ingrafted into Christ, become trees of righteousness; and so have reason to rejoice at their root in Christ, their stability by him, and fruitfulness through him: Jarchi interprets this of all the governors of the people; see Ezekiel 17:24, all this, indeed, by a prosopopoeia, may be understood of inanimate creatures; the heavens, earth, and sea, fields, woods, and trees, rejoicing, if they could, and in their way, at such great and wonderful appearances in the Gentile world; see Isaiah 44:23. Aben Ezra interprets all this of the heavens giving dew, the earth its increase, and the field its fruit; all which is rejoicing.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      10 Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.   11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.   12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice   13 Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

      We have here instructions given to those who were to preach the gospel to the nations what to preach, or to those who had themselves received the gospel what account to give of it to their neighbours, what to say among the heathen; and it is an illustrious prophecy of the setting up of the kingdom of Christ upon the ruins of the devil's kingdom, which began immediately after his ascension and will continue in the doing till the mystery of God be finished.

      I. Let it be told that the Lord reigns, the Lord Christ reigns, that King whom God determined to set upon his holy hill of Zion. See how this was first said among the heathen by Peter, Acts 10:42. Some of the ancients added a gloss to this, which by degrees crept into the text, The Lord reigneth from the tree (so Justin Martyr, Austin, and others, quote it), meaning the cross, when he had this title written over him, The King of the Jews. It was because he became obedient to death, even the death of the cross, that God exalted him, and gave him a name above every name, a throne above every throne. Some of the heathen came betimes to enquire after him that was born King of the Jews,Matthew 2:2. Now let them know that he has come and his kingdom is set up.

      II. Let it be told that Christ's government will be the world's happy settlement. The world also shall be established, that it shall not be moved. The natural world shall be established. The standing of the world, and its stability, are owing to the mediation of Christ. Sin had given it a shock, and still threatens it; but Christ, as Redeemer, upholds all things, and preserves the course of nature. The world of mankind shall be established, shall be preserved, till all that belong to the election of grace are called in, though a guilty provoking world. The Christian religion, as far as it is embraced, shall establish states and kingdoms, and preserve good order among men. The church in the world shall be established (so some), that it cannot be moved; for it is built upon a rock, and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it; it is a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

      III. Let them be told that Christ's government will be incontestably just and righteous: He shall judge the people righteously (Psalms 96:10; Psalms 96:10), judge the world with righteousness, and with his truth,Psalms 96:13; Psalms 96:13. Judging is here put for ruling; and though this may be extended to the general judgment of the world at the last day, which will be in righteousness (Acts 17:31), yet it refers more immediately to Christ's first coming, and the setting up of his kingdom in the world by the gospel. He says himself, For judgment have I come into this world (John 9:39; John 12:31), and declares that all judgment was committed to him,John 5:22; John 5:27. His ruling and judging with righteousness and truth signify, 1. That all the laws and ordinances of his kingdom shall be consonant to the rules and principles of eternal truth and equity, that is, to the rectitude and purity of the divine nature and will. 2. That all his administrations of government shall be just and faithful, and according to what he has said. 3. That he shall rule in the hearts and consciences of men by the commanding power of truth and the Spirit of righteousness and sanctification. When Pilate asked our Saviour, Art thou a king? he answered, For this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth (John 18:37); for he rules by truth, commands men's wills by informing their judgments aright.

      IV. Let them be told that his coming draws nigh, that this King, this Judge, standeth before the door; for he cometh, for he cometh. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, said so. Behold, the Lord cometh,Jude 1:14. Between this and his first coming the revolutions of many ages intervened, and yet he came at the set time, and so sure will his second coming be; though it is now long since it was said, Behold, he comes in the clouds (Revelation 1:7) and he has not yet come. See 2 Peter 3:4, c.

      V. Let them be called upon to rejoice in this honour that is put upon the Messiah, and this great trust that is to be lodged in his hand (Psalms 96:11; Psalms 96:12): Let heaven and earth rejoice, the sea, the field, and all the trees of the wood. The dialect here is poetical; the meaning is, 1. That the days of the Messiah will be joyful days, and, as far as his grace and government are submitted to, will bring joy along with them. We have reason to give that place, that soul, joy into which Christ is admitted. See an instance of both, Acts 8:4-25; Acts 8:26-40 When Samaria received the gospel there was great joy in that city (Acts 8:8; Acts 8:8), and, when the eunuch was baptized, he went on his way rejoicing,Acts 8:39; Acts 8:39. 2. That it is the duty of every one of us to bid Christ and his kingdom welcome; for, though he comes conquering and to conquer, yet he comes peaceably. Hosanna, Blessed is he that cometh; and again, Hosanna, Blessed be the kingdom of our father David (Mark 11:9; Mark 11:10); not only let the daughter of Zion rejoice that her King comes (Zechariah 9:9), but let all rejoice. 3. That the whole creation will have reason to rejoice in the setting up of Christ's kingdom, even the sea and the field; for, as by the sin of the first Adam the whole creation was made subject to vanity, so by the grace of the second Adam it shall, some way or other, first or last, be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God,Romans 8:20; Romans 8:21. 4. That there will, in the first place, be joy in heaven, joy in the presence of the angels of God; for, when the First-begotten was brought into the world, they sang their anthems to his praise, Luke 2:14. 5. That God will graciously accept the holy joy and praises of all the hearty well-wishers to the kingdom of Christ, be their capacity ever so mean. The sea can but roar, and how the trees of the wood can show that they rejoice I know not; but he that searches the heart knows what is the mind of the Spirit, and understands the language, the broken language, of the weakest.