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[1] “Yahweh reigns” occurs 4x in Book IV of the Psalter; all of which are in the “kingship Psalms” (93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1). |
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[2] J. Clinton McCann Jr. points out the numerous parallels between Psalm 99 and Exodus 15, “Both songs celebrate God’s reign (v.1; Exod 15:18). In both, God is to be “exalted” (vv.2,5,9; Exod 15:2), because God is “great” (vv.2-3), “awesome” (v.3; Exod 15:11), “mighty” (v.4; see “strength” in Exod 15:2,13), and “holy” (vv.3,5,9; Exod 15:11,13). In both songs, people “tremble” (v.1; Exod 15:14), and in both, God is established in God’s own place (vv.1-2,5,9; Exod 15:13,17)” (New Interpreter’s Bible IV:1074f.). |
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[3]
The divine Name “Yahweh” occurs seven
times in this Psalm. In a total of
seven Psalms Yahweh occurs seven times (Psalm 7; 84; 92; 99; 102; 109;
140). |
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[4] The adjective “holy” occurs 4x in Book IV of the Psalter three of which are in Psalm 99 (99:3,5,9; 106:16). The emphasis upon God’s holiness and justice in the Scriptures highlights why the Gospel was a stumbling block to many Jews in the first century. The Good News is that the perfectly holy and just God justifies sinners (Romans 3:21-28). |
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[5]
Righteousness
and justice are one of the central aspects of the covenants: Abrahamic
(Gen.18:19), Mosaic (Ex.23:6-9; Deut.4:8-9; 16:18-20; 24:10-22) Davidic (2 Sam.8:15 = 1 Chron.18:14; 1 Kings 10:9=2
Chron.9:8; cf. 2 Samuel 23:3-5) and New Covenant (Isaiah 9:7; Jeremiah
23:5; 33:15). Righteousness and
justice are often paired in Scripture with reference to social justice:
helping the alien, the poor, the widow, not taking the pledge of your
neighbor to whom you have given a loan, paying workers fair wages, not
perverting justice, leaving crops in the field for the alien, orphan, and
widow (Ex.23:6-9 with Isaiah 53;
Deut.16:18-20; 24:10-22; Job 29:12-17; Psalm 72:1-4; Ezek.18:5-9; Amos 5). |
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[6] This verse presented a problem for Augustine and others after him who understood it to be commanding the worship of Yahweh’s footstool, worship His footstool. “But reflect on what the psalm is
commanding us to adore, brothers and sisters.
In another passage of scripture God says, Heaven is my throne, but the earth is my footstool (Is
66:1). Is the psalm ordering us to
worship the earth, then? It seems like
it since scripture tells us what God’s footstool is. But how can we worship the earth, when
scripture plainly instructs us, The
Lord your God you shall adore (Mt 4:10; Lk 4:8; Dt 6:13)? Yet here it commands, Worship his footstool, and explains to me elsewhere what his
footstool is by saying, The earth is my
footstool. I am in a dilemma: I
shrink from adoring the earth, lest I be condemned by the Lord who made
heaven and earth; on the other hand, I am afraid to hold back from adoring
the footstool of my Lord when the psalm tells me, Worship his footstool; and when I ask what that is, scripture
informs me, The earth is my footstool.”
(Augustine, “Exposition of Psalm 98” in Exposition
of the Psalms; Volume 4; translation and notes by Maria Boulding, O.S.B.
[New City Press, 2002],
pp.474-475). Augustine’s solves his dilemma [which is
really a mistaken translation. Note
that verse 9 also commands us to “Worship at His holy hill”] by turning to
Christ. He argues that earth may be
adored because Jesus became flesh and blood from the earth and He is to be
adored. The Psalm becomes for
Augustine a command to worship Jesus. John Calvin commenting on Psalm 99:5 wrote, “Nevertheless, by these means he [the Psalmist] reminds us that true worship can be paid to God no where else than upon mount Zion. For he employs a style of writing such as is calculated to elevate the minds of the godly above the world, and, at the same time, does not in the least degree detract from the holiness of the temple, which alone of all places of the earth God had chosen as the place where he was to be worshipped.” |
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[7] “Moses” occurs 1x in the title to Psalm 90; 1x in the kingship Psalms (99:6) and five other times in Book IV of the Psalter (103:7; 105:26; 106:16,23,32). The only other occurrence of “Moses” in the Psalter is in 77:21. |
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[8] “Aaron” occurs 1x in the kingship Psalms and two other times in Book IV (105:26; 106:16) and he is always alongside his brother Moses (99:6; cf. 77:20). “Aaron” is also found in 133:2 and “house of Aaron” in 115:10,12; 118:3; 135:19. |
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[9] This is the only appearance of “Samuel” in the Psalter. |
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[10] Repetition of refrains in Psalms are also found
in: 42:5,11 with 43:5; 46:7,11; 49:12,20; 56:4,11; 57:5,11; 59:6, 14; 59:9,
17; 62:2,6; 67:3,5; 80:3,7,19;
99:5, 9;
107:8,15,21,31; 107:6,13,19,28; see also Psalm 8:1,9. It is also found in Israel’s “first Psalm” (Exodus 15:1,21). |
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[11] The noun “holy” occurs 10x in Book IV of the Psalter five of which are in the kingship Psalms (93:5; 96:9; 97:12; 98:1; 99:9). |
