Psalms 97:12
in Psalms 97Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones, and praise His holy name.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Be glad in Jehovah, ye righteous; And give thanks to his holy memorial name.
KJV
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
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This verse in Psalms 97
Commentary
10 notes on this verseRejoice in the Lord, ye righteous. The psalmist had bidden the earth rejoice, and here he turns to the excellent of the earth and bids them lead the song. If all others fail to praise the Lord, the godly must not. To them God is peculiarly revealed, by them he should be specially adored. And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness—which is the harmony of all his attributes, the superlative wholeness of his character. This is a terror to the wicked, and a cause of thankfulness to the gracious.
This site's exposition
Hate evil, O you who love the LORD
on Psalms 97:10-12
Love for the LORD comes with a command to hate evil, and He keeps His saints from the hand of the wicked. The Hebrew verb in verse 11 is zarua, sown, so the light for the righteous is planted and comes up in season. The righteous are told to rejoice.
This site's exposition
praise His holy name
The psalm closes on the rejoicing it opened with, now asked of the righteous ones. The Hebrew of praise His holy name reads give thanks to the memory of His holiness. Psalm 30:4 uses the same words.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Be glad, you righteous" [Psalm 97:12]. Perhaps already the faithful hearing the word, "Be glad," are thinking of banquets, preparing cups, waiting for the season of roses; because it is said, "Be glad, you righteous!" See what follows, "Be glad in the Lord." You are waiting for the season of spring, that you may be glad: you have the Lord for joyful gladness, the Lord is always with you, He has no special season; you have Him by night, you have Him by day. Be true-hearted; and you have ever joy from Him. For that joy which is after the fashion of the world, is not true joy. Hear the prophet Isaiah: "There is no joy, says my God, to the wicked." [Isaiah 57:21] What the wicked call joy is not joy, such as he knew who made no account of their joy: let us believe him, brethren. He was a man, but he knew both kinds of joy. He certainly knew the joys of the cup, for he was a man, he knew the joy of the table, he knew the joys of marriage, he knew those joys worldly and luxurious. He who knew them says with confidence, "There is no joy to the wicked, says the Lord." But it is not man who speaks, it is the Lord....But you say, I see not that light which Isaiah saw. Believe, and you shall see it. For perhaps you have not the eye to see it; for it is an eye by which that beauty is discerned. For as there is an eye of the flesh, by means of which this light is seen: so there is an eye of the heart, by which that joy is perceived: perhaps that eye is wounded, dimmed, disturbed by passion, by avarice, by indulgence, by senseless lust; your eye is disturbed: you can not see that light. Believe, before you see; you shall be healed, and shall see.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
We must be ever mindful of his holy covenant, which he has confirmed with an oath by his holiness. (2.) We ought to give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness, not only give him the glory of it as it is an honour to him, but give him thanks for it as it is a favour to us; and an unspeakable favour it will be if, through grace, we are partakers of his holiness.
Establishment of Christ's Kingdom. 1 The L ORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. 2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:81%@v1-2
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous. The psalmist had bidden the earth rejoice, and here he turns to the excellent of the earth and bids them lead the song. If all others fail to praise the Lord, the godly must not. To them God is peculiarly revealed, by them he should be specially adored. And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness—which is the harmony of all his attributes, the superlative wholeness of his character. This is a terror to the wicked, and a cause of thankfulness to the gracious. To remember that Jehovah is holy is becoming in those who dwell in his courts, to give thanks in consequence of that remembrance is the sure index of their fitness to abide in his presence. In reference to the triumphs of the gospel, this text teaches us to rejoice greatly in its purifying effect; it is the death of sin and the life of virtue. An unholy gospel is no gospel. The holiness of the religion of Jesus is its glory, it is that which makes it glad tidings, since while man is left in his sins no bliss can be his portion. Salvation from sin is the priceless gift of our thrice holy God, therefore let us magnify him for ever and ever. He will fill the world with holiness, and so with happiness, therefore let us glory in his holy name, world without end. Amen.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - It is your privilege to be happy. Exult in him through whom ye have received the atonement. Rejoice; but let it be in the Lord. All other joy is the mirth of fools, which is as the crackling of thorns under a pot - it is a luminous blaze for a moment, and leaves nothing but smoke and ashes behind. At the remembrance of his holiness - But why should you give thanks at the remembrance that God is holy? Because he has said, Be ye holy; for I am holy: and in holiness alone true happiness is to be found. As he, therefore, who hath called you is holy; so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. False Christians hate the doctrine of Christian holiness; they are willing to be holy in another, but not holy in themselves. There is too much cross-bearing and self-denial in the doctrine of holiness for them. A perfect heart they neither expect nor wish. The analysis considers the whole Psalm as relating to Jesus Christ and the last judgment: so it was understood by several of the ancient fathers. The reader may take it in either sense.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - See the notes at Psa 33:1. And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness - Margin, “to the memorial” (compare Psa 30:4). The idea is, “to the memory of his holiness;” that is, when his holiness comes before the mind; when it is remembered; when it is thought of. Give thanks or rejoice, (a) that God is holy; that he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; that there is One eternally pure who presides over the universe; that there is One who will always do what is right; (b) that such a Being is our God - our covenant-keeping God; that we may look to him, trust in him, enjoy him. Wicked people do not rejoice that there is a God at all, and especially that God is a “holy God;” but it is one of the characteristics of true piety to rejoice in the thought that there is a God, and that he is perfectly holy, and hence, to feel conscious happiness whenever his name is mentioned, and whenever his attributes are referred to. The highest source of joy for man is that there is a God, and that God is exactly what he is, pure and holy. It would be a source of deepest sorrow if there were no God, or if God were in any respect, even the slightest, a different being from what he is.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
A light is sown for the righteous A real sowing is prepared to grow for them.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שִׂמְח֣וּ | simchu | rejoice | H8055 → | 155 times |
| צַ֭דִּיקִים | tzadikim | O righteous [people] | H6662 → | 206 times |
| בַּֽיהוָ֑ה | bayahweh | in Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְ֝הוֹד֗וּ | vehodu | and give thanks | H3034 → | 114 times |
| לְזֵ֣כֶר | lezekher | to [the] remembrance of | H2143 → | 23 times |
| קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃ | kadesho | holiness his | H6944 → | 469 times |
שִׂמְח֣וּrejoice
simchuH8055 →155 times
צַ֭דִּיקִיםO righteous [people]
tzadikimH6662 →206 times
בַּֽיהוָ֑הin Yahweh
bayahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְ֝הוֹד֗וּand give thanks
vehoduH3034 →114 times
לְזֵ֣כֶרto [the] remembrance of
lezekherH2143 →23 times
קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃holiness his
kadeshoH6944 →469 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
Philippians 4:4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Rejoice at all times.
- Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.
- James 1:2–4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,
- Philippians 3:1
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
- Matthew 5:12
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Through
Hebrews 12:10Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.
it leads to
- 2 Peter 1:4
Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused…
- Leviticus 11:44–45
For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.
- 2 Peter 1:4
Through
Psalms 32:11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
it leads to
- Psalms 64:10
Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart exult.
- Psalms 64:10
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 97; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 4; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.