Psalm 95:3

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 95:1-6

The psalmist here, as often elsewhere, stirs up himself and others to praise God; for it is a duty which ought to be performed with the most lively affections, and which we have great need to be excited to, being very often backward to it and cold in it. Observe, I. How God is to be praised. 1. With holy joy and delight in him. The praising song must be a joyful noise, Ps. 95:1 and again Ps. 95:2. Spiritual joy is the heart and soul of thankful praise. It is the will of God (such is the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 95:3

For the Lord is a great God ,.... Christ is truly and properly God, wherefore divine service is to be performed unto him; particularly singing psalms, setting forth therein his greatness and glory: and he is a great one; great in power, wisdom, justice, truth, mercy, and grace; greatness is to be ascribed unto him, and worship given him, because of his greatness, Titus 2:13 . and a great King over all gods ; he is King of the whole world; his kingdom ruleth over all; he is King of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 95:3

For the Lord is a great God - Or, "A great God is Jehovah, and a great King above all gods;" or, "God is a great King over all." The Supreme Being has three names here: אל El , יהוה Jehovah , אלהים Elohim , and we should apply none of them to false gods. The first implies his strength; the second his being and essence; the third, his covenant relation to mankind. In public worship these are the views we should entertain of the Divine Being. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 95:3

Verse 3 3.For Jehovah is a great God. By these words the Psalmist reminds us what abundant grounds we have for praising God, and how far we are from needing to employ the lying panegyric with which rhetoricians flatter earthly princes. First, he extols the greatness of God, drawing a tacit contrast between him and such false gods as men have invented for themselves. We know that there has always been a host of gods in the world, as Paul says, “There are many on the earth who are called gods,”... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 95:1-7

The song of praise. This seems to terminate with the words, "We are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 95:1-11

In the Septuagint the psalm is ascribed to David, and this view seems to have been taken by the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews ( Hebrews 4:7 ). But modern critics are generally of opinion that the style is not that of the Davidical psalms. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 95:1-11

The invitatory psalm. It has been thus called in Christian Liturgies throughout Christendom, and chiefly because of its fervent invitation to praise. But it is also an equally earnest invitation to hearken and to believe. Let us take that which stands at the beginning, and consider— I. THE INVITATION TO PRAISE . In this is shown: 1 . To whom the praise is to be rendered. It is to Jehovah, the Rock of our salvation. 2 . Think of the many ministries which the word " ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 95:1-11

Public worship-its necessity and advantage. I. ITS NATURE . 1 . Thanksgiving and praise. ( Psalms 95:1 , Psalms 95:2 .) We need special seasons for thinking over our privileges and cultivating gratitude, and the utterance of the spirit of praise. 2 . Adoration and prayer. ( Psalms 95:6 .) God's love thus a cause for our cleansing. Christ's promises and grace inexhaustible. Who can drink the river of his love dry? Confession and supplication. 3 . Listening to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 95:3

For the Lord is a great God. Thanks and praise are due to God, in the first place, because of his greatness (see Psalm cf. 2). "Who is so great a god as our God?" ( Psalms 77:13 ); "His greatness is unsearchable" ( Psalms 145:3 ). And a great King above all gods; i.e. "a goat King above all other so called gods "—above the great of the earth ( Psalms 82:1 , Psalms 82:6 ), above angels ( Deuteronomy 10:17 ), above the imaginary gods of the heathen ( Exodus 12:12 ,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 95:3

For the Lord is a great God - For Yahweh is a great God. The object is to exalt Jehovah, the true God, as distinguished from all who were worshipped as gods. The first idea is that he is “great;” that he is exalted over all the universe; that he rules over all, and that he is to be worshipped as such.And a great King above all gods - This does not mean that he is a great ruler of all other gods, as if they had a real existence, but that he is king or ruler far above all that were worshipped as... read more

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