John Gill Commentary Psalms 33

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous
(See Gill on Psalms 32:11);

[for] praise is comely for the upright ;
it becomes them; it is their duty; they are bound unto it by the mercies and favours they have received; should they not give praise to God, the stones of the wall would cry out, and rebuke them for their ingratitude:

it is beautiful, and looks lovely in them; it is an ornament to them, and is, in the sight of God, of great esteem: it is very acceptable to him, and when grace is in exercise, and their hearts in tune, being sensibly touched and impressed with the goodness of God, it is desirable by them, and is pleasant and delightful to them.

Praise the Lord with harp. An instrument David was well skilled in the use of, the inventor of which was Jubal (Genesis 4:21).

sing unto him with the psaltery. Josephus^F23 gives the following account of this and the former instrument: "the harp is extended with ten strings, and is plucked with a quill; the 'nabla', or psaltery, has twelve sounds, and is played upon with the fingers." Some make this and the next to be the same:

[and] an instrument of ten strings. They read them together thus, "with the psaltery of ten strings," and so the Targum, Septuagint, and other versions^F24. But it seems from Josephus that it was not a stringed instrument, but had twelve holes; besides, it is distinguished from the instrument of ten strings (Psalms 92:3). It was in the form of a bottle, from where it had its name.

FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Antiqu. l. 7. c. 12. s. 3.
• F24: Vid. Jarchium in loc. & R. Mosem in Aben Ezra in loc.

Sing unto him a new song
One newly composed on account of recent mercies received; and as the mercies of God are new every morning, there ought to be a daily song of praise to him; and so a new song is a continual song, as Christ is called the "new and living way", (Hebrews 10:20) ; because he is the everliving way; or the constant and only one, which always was, is, and will be. Or it may denote some famous and excellent song, as a new name is an excellent name, an unknown and unspeakable one; see (Revelation 2:17) ; compared with (Revelation 14:2Revelation 14:3) ;

Or respect may be had to the New Testament dispensation, in which old things are passed away, and all things become new; a new covenant is exhibited, a new and living way opened, and new ordinances instituted, and at the end of it there will be new heavens and a new earth; and so here is a new song made mention of, as suited to it;

play skilfully with a loud voice :
either with the quill upon the harp, and the instrument of ten strings; or with the fingers upon the psaltery, at the same time, vocally, and aloud, expressing the new song.

For the word of the Lord [is] right
The revealed word of God: the law of God is right; its precepts are holy, just, and good; its sanction or penalty is righteous; it is impartial unto all; it is just in condemning the wicked, and in acquitting believers on the account of Christ's perfect righteousness, by which it is magnified and made honourable: the Gospel part of the word is right; it publishes right and good things; it directs to the right way, to heaven and happiness; it makes men right when it works effectually in them; it engages them to walk in right ways; and its doctrines are right or plain to them that have a spiritual understanding given them; and all this is matter of joy and praise.

and all his works [are done] in truth ;
his works of creation are done in the truth of things, with the utmost exactness and accuracy, and are a wonderful display of his power, wisdom, and goodness: his works of providence are according to the counsel of his own will, and are done in the wisest and best manner; and his work of redemption is a proof of his veracity and faithfulness to his covenant oath and promise; and his work of grace upon the hearts of his people is truth in the inward parts; and which, as he has promised to carry on and finish, he is faithful and will do it; in short, his way of acting both towards the godly and ungodly agrees with his promises to the one and his threatenings to the other, and so is in truth; and the whole of this is a reason why the saints should praise the Lord.

He loves righteousness and judgment
Or "righteous judgment" ^F25 ; he delights in the administration of it himself, (Jeremiah 9:24) ; and he is well pleased with acts of righteousness done by others, when done according to his word, from love to him, by faith in him, and with a view to his glory; especially he loves the righteousness of his son, being satisfactory to his law and justice, and his people, as clothed with it; and he delights in the condemnation of sin in the flesh of Christ, and in the righteous judgment of the world, and the prince of it, by Christ;

the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord ;
of the providential goodness of God, of which all creatures partake; and of the special goodness or grace of God manifested in Christ Jesus; it was full of it particularly when Christ was here on earth, who is full of grace and truth; and when the Gospel of the grace of God was preached everywhere by his apostles, according to his order, and appeared to all men; and so it will be especially in the latter day, when multitudes will be called by grace and converted, and when the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord; and still more when it will become a new earth, wherein only righteous men will dwell.

FOOTNOTES:

• F25: (jpvmw hqdu) "judicium justum", Gejerus.