Christianity

Psalms 99Holy Is He

Summary

Psalm 99 proclaims that the LORD reigns, enthroned between the cherubim, and calls the peoples to tremble and praise his great and terrible name. A refrain declares three times that he is holy. The psalm recalls Moses, Aaron and Samuel as those who called on God and were answered from the cloudy pillar, and describes him as a God who forgave his people yet also took vengeance on their misdeeds. It ends with a call to worship at his holy hill.

Key verse

“Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.”

Psalms 99:9

Themes

Holiness
God's Kingship
Intercession
Justice and Forgiveness

The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.

The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people.

Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy.

The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.

Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.

Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.

He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.

Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.

Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Christianity
Isaiah 6: Holy, Holy, Holy
In Isaiah 6:3 the seraphim cry holy three times above the throne. Psalm 99 likewise declares God's holiness three times, in verses 3, 5 and 9.
Christianity
1 Samuel 7: Samuel Cries to the LORD
1 Samuel 7:9 tells how Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel and the LORD heard him, one of the episodes behind the psalm's naming of Samuel among those who called on God.
Judaism
Psalm 99 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh
Psalm 99 is the fifth psalm of the Kabbalat Shabbat sequence recited on Friday evening.

Questions about Psalms 99

Why are Moses, Aaron and Samuel named in Psalm 99?

Verses 6 to 7 present them as leaders who called on the LORD for the people and were answered. Jeremiah 15:1 also names Moses and Samuel together as great intercessors.

What does 'he sitteth between the cherubims' mean?

Psalm 99:1 pictures God enthroned above the cherubim, the winged figures on the cover of the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:22). The ark was imagined as the footstool of God's unseen throne, which explains the footstool in 99:5.