Psalm 96:4 kjv
For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 96:4 nkjv
For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 96:4 niv
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 96:4 esv
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 96:4 nlt
Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise!
He is to be feared above all gods.
Psalm 96 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 145:3 | Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable. | God's unsearchable greatness & worthiness. |
| Ps 48:1 | Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise in the city of our God... | Echoes worthiness of great praise. |
| Jer 10:6 | For there is none like You, O LORD; You are great... | No one comparable to God in greatness. |
| 1 Chron 29:11 | Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory... | Attributing ultimate majesty to God. |
| Ps 95:3 | For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. | Direct parallel emphasizing supremacy. |
| Ps 135:5 | For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods. | Reiterates God's greatness over other deities. |
| Deut 10:17 | For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God... | Establishes God's ultimate authority. |
| Isa 45:5-6 | I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me... | Affirmation of monotheism and unique deity. |
| 1 Sam 2:2 | There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides You... | Declares God's unparalleled holiness and being. |
| 1 Cor 8:4-6 | ...we know that an idol is nothing in the world... but one God, the Father. | New Testament perspective on idols as nothing. |
| Exo 15:11 | Who among the gods is like You, LORD?... awesome in glory... | Questioning the comparison to other "gods." |
| Rev 15:4 | Who will not fear You, Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. | Universal call to fear God due to His holiness. |
| Ps 89:7 | God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints... | The reverential fear due to God among His people. |
| Heb 12:28-29 | ...let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe... | NT emphasis on proper, reverent worship of God. |
| Exo 34:10 | ...I will do wonders... For it is an awesome thing that I will do... | God's acts demonstrating His awesome power. |
| Rev 4:11 | You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power... | God is worthy of all worship and power. |
| Jer 10:10 | But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God... | Contrasting the living God with false gods. |
| John 17:3 | ...that they may know You, the only true God... | Jesus affirming God as the unique, true God. |
| Ps 115:4-7 | Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men's hands... | Description of false gods as man-made, impotent. |
| Col 1:16-17 | For by Him all things were created... He is before all things... | Christ's supremacy implying God's unique authority. |
Psalm 96 verses
Psalm 96 4 Meaning
Psalm 96:4 declares the profound reason for the LORD's universal praise and worship. It asserts His incomparable magnitude, demanding an exceedingly high degree of adoration. Furthermore, it states His awe-inspiring nature, positioning Him as supremely preeminent over all other supposed deities, thereby demanding exclusive reverence. This verse underscores the foundational truth of God's unique greatness and unrivaled supremacy.
Psalm 96 4 Context
Psalm 96 is an enthronement psalm, celebrating the LORD's reign as King over all the earth. It is a universal call to worship, urging all nations to acknowledge God's majesty and righteous judgment. The chapter begins with an exhortation to sing a new song to the LORD, declare His glory among the nations, and tell of His wonders (Ps 96:1-3). Verse 4 provides the theological basis for this profound and worldwide worship. Historically, ancient Israel was surrounded by nations practicing polytheism, worshipping various deities associated with nature, fertility, or specific realms. This psalm directly challenges those beliefs, establishing the unique sovereignty of YHWH over any imagined god of the surrounding cultures. It prepares the way for the declaration of God's coming to judge the world in righteousness later in the psalm (Ps 96:13), reinforcing His absolute authority.
Psalm 96 4 Word analysis
- For: Hebrew ki (כִּי). Introduces the reason or justification. It connects the universal call to praise (Ps 96:1-3) to God's inherent attributes.
- great: Hebrew gadol (גָדוֹל). Signifies immensity, magnitude, and supremacy. Not just large in size, but in power, character, and status. This implies God's unparalleled nature.
- is the LORD: Hebrew YHWH (יְהוָה). The covenant name of God, revealing His self-existence, eternal nature, and personal relationship with His people. The one true, living God of Israel. This distinguishes Him from all other supposed deities.
- and greatly: Hebrew u-me'od (וּמְאֹד). This intensifier, literally "very much" or "exceedingly," underscores the extent of the praise. It signifies a profound, overflowing adoration.
- to be praised: Hebrew mehullal (מְהֻלָּל). From the root halal, meaning "to praise, boast, shine forth." It is a passive participle, implying that God is the rightful recipient of abundant praise, intrinsically worthy of it.
- He is: Hebrew hu' (הוּא). An emphatic pronoun emphasizing God's intrinsic nature. His fearfulness is His very being.
- to be feared: Hebrew nora' (נוֹרָא). From the root yare', meaning "to fear, dread, revere." It refers to that which is awesome, majestic, dreadful in a sense that inspires profound awe and solemn respect, not mere terror. It acknowledges God's power and holiness that elicit a worshipful response.
- above: Hebrew al (עַל). Denotes superiority, being "over" or "upon." It signifies dominance and transcendence.
- all gods: Hebrew kol elohim (כָּל אֱלֹהִים). Refers to the pagan deities and idols of surrounding nations. This is a direct polemic, asserting God's absolute superiority. These "gods" are implicitly shown as inferior or non-existent in true power and being.
Word-Group Analysis:
- "For great is the LORD": This foundational statement establishes God's inherent, unparalleled greatness. It serves as the primary reason for all subsequent worship and proclamation.
- "and greatly to be praised": This phrase details the appropriate response to God's greatness. His intrinsic worthiness demands an emphatic, overflowing, and zealous form of praise.
- "He is to be feared above all gods": This declares God's exclusive nature and authority. His unique, awesome majesty sets Him infinitely apart from and supremely above any false god or idol worshipped by humanity, requiring exclusive reverence.
Psalm 96 4 Bonus section
The "fear of the LORD" (yirat YHWH) described in this verse is not terror but a reverent awe and profound respect that leads to worship and obedience. This concept is central throughout Scripture, often linked to wisdom and righteousness (e.g., Prov 1:7; Job 28:28). The polemical statement "above all gods" has strong implications for missions, as the psalm itself calls for declaring God's glory "among the nations" (Ps 96:3). This implies dismantling false worship and demonstrating the absolute supremacy of the LORD to those immersed in idolatry, underscoring the universal applicability of this truth to all peoples.
Psalm 96 4 Commentary
Psalm 96:4 presents the theological bedrock for the preceding universal call to worship. The core argument rests on two interconnected attributes of the LORD: His supreme "greatness" and His awesome nature that evokes "fear" (reverence). His greatness, expressed as gadol, signifies His uncontainable vastness and power, making Him inherently "greatly to be praised"— He is the object and recipient of the highest possible commendation. This praise is not merely an outward act but a recognition of His intrinsic worthiness. The second attribute, His "feared" nature (nora'), points to His terrifying majesty and holiness, inspiring profound awe, reverence, and respect, not servile dread. This reverence is exclusive, for He stands "above all gods." This is a definitive rejection of polytheism. The "gods" (elohim) of other nations are implicitly rendered powerless, worthless, or non-existent when compared to YHWH. They are fabrications or limited entities, unlike the sovereign Creator. Thus, the verse calls for a radical monotheism, where devotion, praise, and fear are directed solely and supremely toward the one true God, whose reality dwarfs all competing claims of divinity.