Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 97:12

"Be glad in Jehovah, ye righteous; And give thanks to his holy memorial [name]." — Psalms 97:12 (ASV)

Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous—See the notes at (Psalms 33:1).

And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness—Margin, "to the memorial" . The idea is, "to the memory of his holiness;" that is, when his holiness comes before the mind, when it is remembered, when it is thought of. Give thanks or rejoice:

1. That God is holy; that he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; that there is One eternally pure who presides over the universe; that there is One who will always do what is right.

2. That such a Being is our God—our covenant-keeping God; that we may look to him, trust in him, and enjoy him.

Wicked people do not rejoice that there is a God at all, and especially that God is a “holy God;” but it is one of the characteristics of true piety to rejoice in the thought that there is a God, and that he is perfectly holy, and hence, to feel conscious happiness whenever his name is mentioned, and whenever his attributes are referred to. The highest source of joy for man is that there is a God, and that God is exactly what he is, pure and holy. It would be a source of deepest sorrow if there were no God, or if God were in any respect, even the slightest, a different being from what he is.