Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 96

O sing unto the Lord a new song - See the notes at Psalm 33:3. This is the only addition made to the original form of the psalm. The word new here implies that there was some fresh occasion for celebrating the praises of God; that some event had occurred, or that some truth relating to the divine character had now been made known, which could not well be expressed in any psalm or hymn then in use. It is a call on all to celebrate the praises of the Lord in a new song - new, particularly, as it calls on all the earth to join in it; and possibly this was designed to suggest the idea that while that temple stood, a dispensation would commence, under which the distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles would be broken down, and all mankind would unite in the praise of God.

Sing unto the Lord, all the earth - All nations. All people had occasion to bless his name; to praise him. What he had done, what he was still doing, was of interest to all lands, and made an appeal to all people to praise him. The psalm is constructed on this supposition, that the occasion for praise referred to was one in which all people were interested; or, in other words, that Yahweh was the true God over all the nations, and that all people should acknowledge him.

Sing to the Lord, bless his name - This verse is substantially the same as 1 Chronicles 16:23: Sing to the Lord, all the earth; show forth from day to day his salvation.

Show forth his salvation - His interposition; the fact that he has saved or delivered us. This may have referred originally, in particular, to what he had done to save the people in time of danger, but the language is also such as to express salvation in a higher sense—salvation from sin and death. As such, it may be employed to express what God has done for mankind—for all people, Jews and Gentiles—in providing a way of salvation and making it possible for them to reach heaven. For this, all people have occasion for praise.

From day to day - Continually; always. It is a fit subject for unceasing praise. Every man should praise God every day—on each returning morning and on every evening—for the assurance that there is a way of salvation provided for him, and that he may be happy forever. If we had right feelings, this would be the first thought that would burst upon the mind each morning, irradiating, as with sunbeams, all around us; and it would be the last thought that would linger in the soul as we lie down at night and close our eyes in slumber—making us grateful, calm, happy, as we sink to rest, for whether we wake or not in this world, we may be forever happy.

Declare his glory among the heathen - Among the nations; the people who are not Hebrews. The meaning is, Let it be proclaimed in all lands, among all people. Let it not be confined to those who are professedly his people, but let it be announced everywhere. This is copied literally from 1 Chronicles 16:24.

His wonders among all people - His “marvelous works;” those things which are suited to produce astonishment in the mind. The reference is to those works and doings of God which lie so far beyond the power of any created being, and which by their vastness, their wisdom, and their benevolence, are suited to produce a deep impression on the human mind.

For the Lord is great - Yahweh is great. See the notes at Psalms 77:13. This verse is taken literally from 1 Chronicles 16:25.

And greatly to be praised - Worthy of exalted praise and adoration.

He is to be feared above all gods - He is to be reverenced and adored above all that are called gods. Higher honor is to be given him; more lofty praise is to be ascribed to him. He is Ruler over all the earth and has a claim to universal praise. Even if it were admitted that they were real gods, yet it would still be true that they were local and inferior divinities; that they ruled only over the particular countries where they were worshiped and acknowledged as gods, and that they had no claim to “universal” adoration as Yahweh has.

For all the gods of the nations are idols - All the gods worshipped by the people of other lands are mere “idols.” None of them can claim to have a real existence as gods.

The word rendered here as “idols” is translated by the Septuagint as δαιμόνια (daimonia)—“demons.” The Latin Vulgate similarly has daemonia. The Hebrew word—אליל ('ĕlı̂yl)—properly means “of nothing,” “empty,” and “vain” .

The meaning here is that they were mere nothings; they had no real existence. They were the creations of the imagination. They could not in any sense be regarded as what they were claimed to be, nor did they have any claim to reverence and worship as gods. Of most of them, it was a fact that they had no existence at all but were mere creatures of fancy.

Of those that did really exist, such as the sun, moon, stars, animals, or the spirits of departed people, though it was true that they had an actual existence, it was also true that they had no existence “as gods,” or as entitled to worship.

Therefore, the worship offered to them was as vain as that offered to mere beings of the imagination. This verse is extracted literally from 1 Chronicles 16:26. The Hebrew is the same.

But the Lord made the heavens - Yahweh created the heavenly hosts, and therefore He is the true God and is entitled to worship. The power of “creation”—of causing anything to exist where there was nothing before—must belong to God alone and is the highest act of Divinity. No pretended pagan god has that power; no man has that power. The true God has reserved the exercise of that power to Himself and has never, in any instance, imparted it to a created being.