John Calvin Commentary Psalms 96:11

"Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;" — Psalms 96:11 (ASV)

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad. To give us a more exalted conception of the display of God’s goodness in condescending to take all people under His government, the Psalmist calls upon the irrational things themselves, the trees, the earth, the seas, and the heavens, to join in the general joy.

Nor are we to understand that by the heavens he means the angels, and by the earth people; for he even calls upon the mute fish of the deep to shout for joy. The language must therefore be hyperbolical, designed to express the desirability and the blessedness of being brought to the faith of God.

At the same time, it denotes to us that God does not reign with terror, or as a tyrant, but that His power is exercised gently, and so as to diffuse joy among His subjects. The wicked may tremble when His kingdom is introduced, but its establishment is only the cause of their fear indirectly.

We might also notice that the hyperbole employed here is not without a certain foundation of a more literal kind. As all elements in the creation groan and travail together with us, according to Paul’s declaration (Romans 8:22), they may reasonably rejoice in the restoration of all things according to their earnest desire.

The words teach us how infatuated that joy is which is wantonly indulged in by people who are without God. From the end of the psalm, we learn that it is impossible to experience the slightest measure of true joy as long as we have not seen the face of God: Rejoice before the Lord, because he cometh. And if the very sea and land mourn so long as God is absent, may we not ask what shall become of us, who are properly the subjects of God’s dreadful curse?

The Psalmist, to remove all doubt regarding an event which might seem incredible, repeats his assertion of it, and states, at the same time, in what that righteousness consists, which he had previously mentioned, when he adds that God shall govern the world with righteousness and truth. This shows us that it is only by the light of God’s righteousness and truth that the wickedness and hypocrisy of people can be removed and dispelled.