Psalm 99:9 kjv
Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.
Psalm 99:9 nkjv
Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy.
Psalm 99:9 niv
Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy.
Psalm 99:9 esv
Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy!
Psalm 99:9 nlt
Exalt the LORD our God,
and worship at his holy mountain in Jerusalem,
for the LORD our God is holy!
Psalm 99 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 99:3 | Let them praise Your great and awesome name; He is holy! | Repetition of God's holiness and call to praise. |
| Ps 99:5 | Exalt the Lord our God; worship at His footstool. He is holy! | Earlier command to worship with same reason. |
| Exod 15:11 | Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness...? | God's unique and incomparable holiness. |
| Isa 6:3 | And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts..." | Prophetic vision of seraphim declaring God's absolute holiness. |
| Lev 19:2 | You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. | God's holiness as the foundation for human holiness. |
| Deut 6:4-5 | Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one... love the LORD your God... | Emphasis on the unique, single God of Israel. |
| Psa 2:6 | "As for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." | God's chosen seat of authority in Jerusalem. |
| Psa 48:1 | Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, His holy mountain. | Praise for God, specifically in Jerusalem/Zion. |
| Psa 145:1 | I will exalt You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever. | Personal commitment to exalt and praise God. |
| Psa 34:3 | Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together! | Corporate call to elevate God's name. |
| Psa 29:2 | Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. | Worship ascribing glory to God, tied to holiness. |
| Psa 95:6 | Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! | Direct imperative to prostrate and worship God. |
| Isa 2:2-3 | In the latter days the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest... nations shall stream to it. | Prophecy of future worship centered on God's holy mountain. |
| Mic 4:1-2 | It shall come to pass... the mountain of the house of the LORD... and peoples shall flow unto it. | Similar prophetic vision of global worship on Zion. |
| Hab 2:20 | But the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him! | Command for awe and reverence in God's holy presence. |
| John 4:23-24 | ...true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth... | New Covenant redefinition of worship's location, essence remains God's character. |
| Rom 12:1 | ...present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. | Life of holiness as an act of worship. |
| 1 Pet 1:15-16 | ...as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct... | Believers' holiness reflects God's, foundational for proper approach. |
| Rev 4:8 | "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" | Heavenly beings declaring God's eternal, unceasing holiness. |
| Rev 15:4 | Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. | God's unique holiness compelling universal reverence and glory. |
| Heb 12:22 | But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem... | New Covenant perspective: spiritual access to a heavenly "holy mountain." |
| Psa 118:27 | The LORD is God, and He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the corners of the altar. | Praise and offering at the sanctuary. |
| Psa 65:4 | Blessed is the one You choose and bring near, to dwell in Your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. | Blessedness of being in God's holy presence/temple. |
Psalm 99 verses
Psalm 99 9 Meaning
Psalm 99:9 is an emphatic concluding call to exalt and worship the Lord God, centering on His supreme attribute of holiness. It mandates an active lifting up of His name and a reverent prostration before Him, specifically at His chosen dwelling place, because His very nature is utterly distinct and sacred. This verse reinforces the truth that worship flows directly from an acknowledgment of God's singular holiness.
Psalm 99 9 Context
Psalm 99 functions as a hymn acknowledging YHWH as the sovereign King, exalted above all, and deserving of praise. It consistently reiterates His righteous governance, His love for justice, and His unfailing mercy, even while enacting judgment. The psalm's central theme, repeatedly emphasized in verses 3, 5, and climactically in verse 9, is God's profound holiness. This verse serves as a powerful concluding imperative, inviting the people to respond to God's majesty and righteous reign with appropriate reverence and adoration. Historically, the "holy mountain" refers to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the site of the Temple, where God chose to establish His presence among His covenant people, Israel. It underscores the central role of the physical Temple as the focal point of Israelite worship, signifying the sacredness of the space consecrated for God's presence.
Psalm 99 9 Word analysis
- Exalt (רוֹמְמוּ - romemu): An imperative verb meaning "to lift up," "to raise high," "to elevate," or "to glorify." It is a collective command to proclaim God's greatness and His rightful position. This active lifting up of His name goes beyond mere vocalization, suggesting a wholehearted and demonstrative magnification of God's character.
- the Lord (יְהוָה - YHWH): The unique, personal, and covenant name of God revealed to Israel, indicating His self-existent, eternal nature and His unchanging faithfulness to His covenant people. It distinguishes Him as the one true God.
- our God (אֱלֹהֵינוּ - Eloheinu): Combines Elohim (a general, majestic term for God) with the possessive suffix "our," signifying the intimate, relational aspect of God's bond with His chosen people. He is not just God, but their specific and covenant-keeping God.
- and worship (וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ - vehishthachavu): Another imperative, from the root shachah, meaning "to bow down," "to prostrate oneself," or "to do obeisance." This term denotes profound reverence, submission, and adoration, often involving a physical posture of humble deference. It conveys an inner attitude of complete submission to God's authority and glory.
- at his holy mountain (לְהַר קָדְשׁוֹ - lehar qodsho): Refers primarily to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the site of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. This location was sacred due to God's chosen presence there, acting as the divinely appointed center for worship in Israel. It underscores the idea of a designated, consecrated place where God met with His people.
- for (כִּי - ki): A crucial causal conjunction. It introduces the profound reason or justification for the command to exalt and worship, revealing the fundamental basis for such devotion.
- the Lord (יְהוָה - YHWH): Repeats God's personal covenant name, anchoring the reason for worship in His unique identity and covenant faithfulness.
- our God (אֱלֹהֵינוּ - Eloheinu): Repeats the relational aspect, reaffirming the intimate bond that exists with the One who is the focus of their worship.
- is holy (קָדוֹשׁ - qadosh): The absolute and central attribute of God reiterated for emphasis. It means "set apart," "sacred," "pure," "transcendent," and "other." God's holiness denotes His absolute moral perfection, His separation from all sin, and His majesty that places Him distinctively above all creation. This inherent, immutable nature is the ultimate ground upon which all true worship is built.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Exalt the Lord our God and worship": This dual imperative forms a complete and holistic command for believers. "Exalt" is an outward, public declaration of His greatness, while "worship" is an act of humble, reverent submission. Together, they represent a full response of both praise and adoration towards God, signifying an active, yet reverent, devotion.
- "at his holy mountain": This phrase designates the divinely appointed locus of worship, highlighting the sacred space where God made His presence known among His people. It connects worship with encountering God in a place consecrated by His holiness, emphasizing order, purpose, and awe in approaching Him. It pointed to Jerusalem's Temple as the central site of communion.
- "for the Lord our God is holy": This statement serves as the profound theological grounding for the preceding commands. The "for" establishes causality, indicating that worship and exaltation are not optional activities but necessary responses to God's intrinsic and absolute holiness. The powerful repetition of "the Lord our God" and "holy" from earlier in the psalm underlines that His distinct and perfect nature is the unchanging, eternal reason that demands all adoration and reverence.
Psalm 99 9 Bonus section
The striking threefold repetition of the phrase "He is holy!" or "the Lord our God is holy" across Psalm 99 (verses 3, 5, and 9) serves as the psalm's theological backbone, intensely emphasizing the absolute and eternal holiness of God. This pattern is evocative of other crucial passages like Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8, where the divine nature of God as "holy, holy, holy" signifies His infinite purity, transcendence, and complete moral perfection. It means God is utterly set apart from all creation and sin. This fundamental attribute is the wellspring of His righteousness, justice, and compassion, all of which are explored throughout the psalm concerning His kingly rule. The holy mountain of Zion gains its sacredness solely from being the chosen dwelling place where this supremely holy God manifests His presence. This principle suggests that any place or circumstance where God's presence is truly acknowledged should evoke a similar response of reverence and exaltation. The psalm, therefore, implicitly teaches that worship must be fundamentally shaped by the awe-inspiring reality of God's matchless holiness.
Psalm 99 9 Commentary
Psalm 99:9 delivers a culminating, non-negotiable call to worship, asserting God's holiness as the ultimate foundation for all reverence. The dual imperatives to "exalt" (to lift up and glorify) and "worship" (to bow down in humble submission) demonstrate the holistic response God desires: active adoration coupled with profound reverence. This worship is directed toward "the Lord our God," emphasizing His covenant faithfulness and personal relationship with His people, while also acknowledging His supreme identity as YHWH. The directive to worship "at his holy mountain"—referring to Mount Zion in Jerusalem—situated worship within God's chosen sanctuary, the physical manifestation of His dwelling among His people. This established a central, visible locus for the Israelite's devotion. The power of the verse lies in its succinct reason: "for the Lord our God is holy." This attribute—God's absolute otherness, purity, and transcendence—is not merely one quality among many, but the very essence of His being, demanding awe, worship, and obedient reverence. True worship, therefore, is an inescapable and natural response to the staggering reality of who God is. For believers today, while worship is no longer geographically confined to a physical mountain, the essence remains: to recognize, celebrate, and humbly bow before the supremely holy God.
Examples:
- Singing hymns that proclaim God's glorious attributes, thereby "exalting" Him.
- Kneeling in prayer or humility, symbolizing our "worship" and submission to His holy will.
- Living a life separated from sin and devoted to God's purposes, presenting oneself as a holy sacrifice of worship.