The big picture
Psalms 98 opens in verse 1 with “O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 5 with “Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.”, and closes in verse 9 with “Before the LORD ; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, earth, joyful, noise, sing. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 9Psalms 98:1-5
1–5: O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his…
Psalms 98:1–5 opens with “O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his…” and reaches “Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 98 develops its own movement around LORD, earth, joyful, noise, sing, with particular weight carried by LORD, sing, earth.
Context that brings the passage to life
“O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him…” The line’s distinctive content terms include gotten, hand, holy. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
Psalms 98:1-5
King James Version1O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
3He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4Make a joyful noise unto the LORD , all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
5Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
Psalms 98:6-9
6–9: With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD …
Psalms 98:6–9 opens with “With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD , the King.” and reaches “Before the LORD ; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 98 develops its own movement around LORD, earth, joyful, noise, sing, with particular weight carried by joyful, judge, LORD.
Psalms 98:6-9
King James Version6With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD , the King.
7Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
8Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
9Before the LORD ; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Psalms 98:1 begins with “O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.”
Where the chapter turns
Psalms 98:5 forms a natural hinge: “Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.”
The final note
Psalms 98:9 leaves the reader with “Before the LORD ; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, earth, joyful, noise, sing, harp help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.