Psalm 99

“The Lord reigns… he is exalted over all the nations. Holy is he.” (Psalm 99:1–3)

The uniqueness of this psalm of Yahweh’s kingship lies in its attention to Israel’s historical traditions and specifically to Yahweh’s execution of justice. Accompanying this liturgy was the congregation’s ritual prostration toward the cherubim-ark at the temple (vv. 1, 5, 9). It is likely the psalm was performed by more than one voice. One possible scenario is that one liturgist or choir proclaimed the declarative statements and imperatives (e.g., “The LORD reigns,” “he sits enthroned between the cherubim,” “Great is the LORD . . . , he is holy,” “The king is mighty . . . ,” and vv. 5–7, 9) and another sang out the appropriate responses of worship and praise addressed directly to Yahweh (“let the nations tremble,” “let the earth shake,” “Let them praise . . . ,” “you have established equity . . . ,” and v. 8).

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