Psalm 98

This article is about Psalm 98 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 98 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 99.
Psalm 98
"O sing unto the Lord a new song"
Beginning of Cantate Domino, with an illuminated letter C in the Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (c. 1185)
Other name
  • Psalm 97
  • "Cantate Domino"
  • "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied"
Related
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 98
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

Psalm 98 is the 98th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things". The Book of Psalms starts the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and, as such, is a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 97. In Latin, it is known as "Cantate Domino".[1] The psalm is a hymn psalm, one of the Royal Psalms, praising God as the King of His people. Like Psalms 33 and 96, it calls for the singing of "a new song".[2]

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has inspired hymns such as "Joy to the World" and "Nun singt ein neues Lied dem Herren", and has often been set to music, including by Claudio Monteverdi, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Dieterich Buxtehude and Antonín Dvořák who set it in Czech in his Biblical Songs.

Background and themes

Psalm 98 describes God's redemption of Israel and the rejoicing that will ensue.[3] It also features many expressions and instruments of music and song.[4] According to the Midrash Tanchuma, Psalm 98 is the tenth and final song that the Jewish people will sing after the final redemption. Grammatically, the reference to a shir chadash (Hebrew: שיר חדש, a new song) in verse 1 is a masculine construction, in contrast to the shira (Hebrew: שירה, song) mentioned throughout the Tanakh, a feminine construction. Thus, the Midrash teaches that the shir chadash is a song of the future.[5]

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text[6][7] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse Hebrew English translation (JPS 1917)
1 מִזְמ֡וֹר שִׁ֤ירוּ לַיהֹוָ֨ה ׀ שִׁ֣יר חָ֭דָשׁ כִּֽי־נִפְלָא֣וֹת עָשָׂ֑ה הוֹשִׁיעָה־לּ֥וֹ יְ֝מִינ֗וֹ וּזְר֥וֹעַ קׇדְשֽׁוֹ׃‎ A Psalm. O sing unto the LORD a new song; For He hath done marvellous things; His right hand, and His holy arm, hath wrought salvation for Him.
2 הוֹדִ֣יעַ יְ֭הֹוָה יְשׁוּעָת֑וֹ לְעֵינֵ֥י הַ֝גּוֹיִ֗ם גִּלָּ֥ה צִדְקָתֽוֹ׃‎ The LORD hath made known His salvation; His righteousness hath He revealed in the sight of the nations.
3 זָ֘כַ֤ר חַסְדּ֨וֹ ׀ וֶ֥אֱֽמוּנָתוֹ֮ לְבֵ֢ית יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל רָא֥וּ כׇל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ אֵ֝֗ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃‎ He hath remembered His mercy and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 הָרִ֣יעוּ לַ֭יהֹוָה כׇּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ פִּצְח֖וּ וְרַנְּנ֣וּ וְזַמֵּֽרוּ׃‎ Shout unto the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises.
5 זַמְּר֣וּ לַיהֹוָ֣ה בְּכִנּ֑וֹר בְּ֝כִנּ֗וֹר וְק֣וֹל זִמְרָֽה׃‎ Sing praises unto the LORD with the harp; With the harp and the voice of melody.
6 בַּ֭חֲצֹ֣צְרוֹת וְק֣וֹל שׁוֹפָ֑ר הָ֝רִ֗יעוּ לִפְנֵ֤י ׀ הַמֶּ֬לֶךְ יְהֹוָֽה׃‎ With trumpets and sound of the horn Shout ye before the King, the LORD.
7 יִרְעַ֣ם הַ֭יָּם וּמְלֹא֑וֹ תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל וְיֹ֣שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ׃‎ Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein;
8 נְהָר֥וֹת יִמְחֲאוּ־כָ֑ף יַ֝֗חַד הָרִ֥ים יְרַנֵּֽנוּ׃‎ Let the floods clap their hands; Let the mountains sing for joy together;
9 לִ֥פְֽנֵי יְהֹוָ֗ה כִּ֥י בָא֮ לִשְׁפֹּ֢ט הָ֫אָ֥רֶץ יִשְׁפֹּֽט־תֵּבֵ֥ל בְּצֶ֑דֶק וְ֝עַמִּ֗ים בְּמֵישָׁרִֽים׃‎ Before the LORD, for He is come to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with equity.

King James Version

  1. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
  2. The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
  3. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
  4. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
  5. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm
  6. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.
  7. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
  8. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
  9. Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 98 is the fourth of six psalms recited during the Kabbalat Shabbat (Welcoming the Shabbat) service in Ashkenazic, Hasidic and some Sephardic communities.[3] It is one of the additional psalms recited during the morning prayer on Shabbat in the Sephardi tradition.[3] According to the Abudraham, this psalm corresponds to the seventh of the Ten Utterances of Creation, "Let the waters swarm" (Genesis 1:20), corresponding to verse 7 of this psalm, "Let the sea roar".[3]

Verse 6 is one of the ten verses recited during the Mussaf Amidah on Rosh Hashana in the verses of Shofarot.[8]

Christianity

The psalm may be recited as a canticle in the Anglican liturgy of Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer as an alternative to the Magnificat, when it is referred to by its incipit as Cantate Domino. It is not included as a canticle in Common Worship, but it does of course appear in the psalter.

Verse 3 is quoted in Mary's song of praise, the Magnificat, in Luke 1:54.[9]

Musical settings

Hymns

Loys Bourgeois set the psalm in the Genevan Psalter, with a melody used later also for the German hymn "Nun singt ein neues Lied dem Herren" (1967) by Georg Thurmair, a paraphrase of the psalm.[10] "Joy to the World", one of the most popular English Christmas carols, is a lyrical adaptation of Psalm 98 written in 1719 by Isaac Watts and set by Lowell Mason to a tune attributed to George Frideric Handel. The 1941 hymn "Singt dem Herrn ein neues Lied" was also inspired by the psalm.

Motets

Heinrich Schütz set a German metred version of Psalm 98 in the Becker Psalter, published in 1628, Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, SWV 196. Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed in 1679-80 one Cantate Domino, H.176, for three voices, two treble instruments, and continuo. Michel-Richard de Lalande composed one grand motet (S.72) in 1720, as also Étienne Moulinier, Dieterich Buxtehude, Nicolas Bernier, Charles-Hubert Gervais CHG.36, Henry Madin HM.12, Louis Grénon, Jean-Joseph de Mondonville and Claudio Monteverdi.

Georg Philipp Telemann's Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, TWV 1:1345 is a setting of Psalm 98.[11][12]

Czech composer Antonín Dvořák set part of Psalm 98 (together with part of Psalm 96) to music as No. 10 of his Biblical Songs in 1894. John Rutter set the psalm as the first movement of his choral work The Falcon.[13] Settings were also written by David Conte[14] and by Arvo Pärt in Latin.[15]

Bernard Barrell composed Show Yourselves Joyful unto the Lord, an anthem for female chorus and organ, Op. 130 (1993).

Andrew Lloyd Webber set the psalm as a coronation anthem for the Coronation of Charles III in 2023.[16]

References

  1. ^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 97 (98) Archived 7 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine medievalist.net
  2. ^ Barnes, A., Barnes' Notes on Psalm 98, accessed 22 April 2022
  3. ^ a b c d Nulman, Macy (1996). The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer: The Ashkenazic and Sephardic Rites. Jason Aronson. p. 251. ISBN 1461631246.
  4. ^ Rabbi Silver. "The Psalms of our Prayerbook: Psalm 98" (PDF). shirchadash.org. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  5. ^ "The Final Song". Torch. 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Psalms – Chapter 98". Mechon Mamre.
  7. ^ "Psalms 98 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
  8. ^ Scherman, Rabbi Nosson, ed. (1989). The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah (5th ed.). Mesorah Publications. p. 465. ISBN 0-89906-676-3.
  9. ^ Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 839. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "551 ö / Nun singt ein neues Lied dem Herren (L) / Leben in der Kirche - Die himmlische Stadt". mein-gotteslob.de (in German). Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  11. ^ RISM 210000114
  12. ^ Georg Philipp Telemann: Sing to the Lord a new song, Psalm 98, TVWV 1:1345 at Carus Verlag website.
  13. ^ Marc Rochester: Rutter Sacred Choral Works Gramophone April 1992
  14. ^ "Cantate Domino". ECS Publishing. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  15. ^ Arvo Pärt: Cantate Domino canticum novum Universal Edition
  16. ^ Andrew Lloyd Webber piece among new coronation music BBC
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