Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 89:12

"The north and the south, thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon rejoice in thy name." — Psalms 89:12 (ASV)

The north and the south, thou hast created them—All that there is in the north and in the south—in the northern and the southern sky, the constellations and the stars; and all that there is in the earth, in the regions of cold and of heat, as far as they extend in either direction. The word rendered "north" here—צפון tsâphôn—properly means that which is hidden or dark, and was applied to the north because the ancients regarded it as the seat of gloom and darkness (Homer, Odyssey, ix. 25). The south, on the other hand, was regarded by them as illuminated and made bright by the sun's beams.

The word rendered "south"—ימין yâmı̂yn—literally means the right hand, and was applied to the south because the ancient geographers were supposed to face the east, as they are now supposed to face the north. Compare the notes at Job 23:9.

Tabor and Hermon—That is, the west and the east—the former of these mountains being on the western side of Palestine, the other on the eastern, and both of them being objects of beauty and grandeur. The idea is that God had control of all parts of the universe; that the world in every direction, and in every part, declared his power and made known his greatness.

Shall rejoice in thy name—Or, do rejoice in you. That is, they, as it were, exult in you as their God. They are clothed with beauty, as if full of joy; and they acknowledge that all this comes from you as the great Creator. Compare Psalms 65:8, Psalms 65:12; Psalms 96:11–12.