Psalms 33:8
in Psalms 33Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Let all the earth fear Jehovah: Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
KJV
Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
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This verse in Psalms 33
Commentary
12 notes on this verseLet all the earth fear the Lord. Not only Jews, but Gentiles. The psalmist was not a man blinded by national prejudice, he did not desire to restrict the worship of Jehovah to the seed of Abraham. He looks for homage even to far off nations. If they are not well enough instructed to be able to praise, at least let them fear. There is an inferior kind of worship in the trembling which involuntarily admits the boundless power of the thundering God.
This site's exposition
Let all the earth fear
on Psalms 33:8-9
The call widens from Israel to all the earth and all the people of the world. Verse 9 gives the ground, He spoke and it came to be, with no second cause named. The command that made it also holds it firm.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
"Let all the earth fear the Lord:" let every sinner fear, that so he may cease to sin. "Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him" [Psalm 33:8]: not of the terrors of men, or of any creature, but of Him let them stand in awe.
A commentator
Philoxenus of Mabbug13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 7 -- Second Discourse on the Fear of God · Written before 523.
proposed
And again this Prophet [David] counselleth every man to draw nigh unto God in fear, and he entreated all creation to fear the Lord Who made it, saying, "Let all the earth fear the Lord, and let all the inhabitants of the world tremble before …
The prophet rightly asks that all things be moved by the Lord, because everything that is arranged by his ordering is always applied to useful matters. But although he had earlier spoken about all things in a general way, he now turns his attention to …
The Medieval Church1 voice
Third, when he says, "Let all the earth fear," he shows the effect of God on earth. First, he sets forth a warning; second, he shows the effect of God regarding the earth, at "For he spoke and they were made," and so on. Concerning …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
): Let all the earth fear the Lord, and stand in awe of him; that is, let all the children of men worship him and give glory to him, Ps. xc. The everlasting gospel gives this as the reason why we must worship God, because he made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, Rev. xiv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Let all the earth fear the Lord,.... That is, all the men that dwell upon the face of the earth.
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Reasons for praise: first, God's truth, faithfulness, and mercy, generally; then, His creative power which all must honor.
Let all the earth fear the Lord. Not only Jews, but Gentiles. The psalmist was not a man blinded by national prejudice, he did not desire to restrict the worship of Jehovah to the seed of Abraham. He looks for homage even to far off nations. If they are not well enough instructed to be able to praise, at least let them fear. There is an inferior kind of worship in the trembling which involuntarily admits the boundless power of the thundering God. A defiant blasphemer is out of place in a world covered with tokens of the divine power and Godhead: the whole earth cannot afford a spot congenial for the erection of a synagogue of Atheism, nor a man in whom it is becoming to profane the name of God. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Let them forsake their idols, and reverently regard the only living God. What is here placed as a wish may also be read as a prophecy: the adoration of God will yet be universal.
Let all the earth fear the Lord - He who has thus bound, can unloose; he who has created, can destroy. He has promised life and prosperity only to the godly; let the ungodly stand in awe of him.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Let all the earth - All the inhabitants of the earth. Fear the Lord - Worship and adore a Being of so great power. See the notes at Psa 5:7. Let all the inhabitants of the world - The power displayed in the works of creation appeals to all alike. Stand in awe of him - Reverence or adore him. The expression is equivalent to “worship,” fear or reverence entering essentially into the idea of worship.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יִֽירְא֣וּ | yireu | let them fear | H3372 → | 315 times |
| מֵ֭יְהוָה | meyahweh | from Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָאָ֑רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִמֶּ֥נּוּ | mimenu | from him | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| יָ֝ג֗וּרוּ | yaguru | let them be afraid | H1481 → | 97 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֹשְׁבֵ֥י | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| תֵבֵֽל׃ | tevel | [the] world | H8398 → | 36 times |
יִֽירְא֣וּlet them fear
yireuH3372 →315 times
מֵ֭יְהוָהfrom Yahweh
meyahwehH3068 →6520 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָאָ֑רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
מִמֶּ֥נּוּfrom him
mimenuH4480 →1188 times
יָ֝ג֗וּרוּlet them be afraid
yaguruH1481 →97 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
יֹשְׁבֵ֥י[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
תֵבֵֽל׃[the] world
tevelH8398 →36 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 15:4Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
it leads to
- Psalms 86:9
All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 10:7
Who would not fear You, O King of nations? This is Your due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You.
- Malachi 1:11
For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name…
- Psalms 22:27
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
- Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign…
- Psalms 86:9
Through
Psalms 22:27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
it leads to
- Isaiah 45:22
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
- Revelation 7:9–12
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes…
- Psalms 2:8
Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
- Isaiah 45:22
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 33; Cassiodorus, EXPLANATION OF THE PSALMS 33:8; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 7 -- Second Discourse on the Fear of God and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.