Psalms 95:1–7
Come, let us shout for joy and bow down: he is our God and we are his flock
Study it word by word1Come, let us shout for joy to YHWH; let us raise a shout to the Rock of our salvation.
2Let us come to meet his face with thanksgiving; with songs let us raise a shout to him.
3For YHWH is a great El, and a great king above all the gods,
4in whose hand are the depths of the earth, and the peaks of the mountains are his.
5His is the sea, and he made it, and the dry land his hands formed.
6Come in, let us bow down and bend low; let us kneel before YHWH our Maker.
7For he is our Elohim, and we the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,
In its context
…
8do not harden your heart as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the wilderness,
9when your fathers put me to the test; they examined me, though they had seen my work.
Its words in the original
- לְכוּlechu· go, walk
Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.
- נְרַנְּנָהneranna· shout for joy
Shout for joy, sing joyfully.
- יהוָהyhva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- נָרִיעָהnaria· shout, sound an alarm
Make a loud sound: shout for joy or in alarm, acclaim, sound the signal with the trumpet.
- צוּרtsur· rock
Rock, a large crag. It is also an image of God as a firm refuge.
- יִשְׁעֵyishe· salvation, deliverance
Salvation, deliverance; the safety and well-being of one who has been rescued. From the same root as "save."
- נְקַדְּמָהnekadma· meet, go before
Go to meet: go ahead to receive someone; also to come before.
- פָנָיfanay· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- תוֹדָהtoda· thanksgiving
Thanksgiving: acknowledging aloud what God has done; also the sacrifice offered to give thanks, and a choir giving thanks.
- זְמִרוֹתzemirot· song
A song, a psalm: a song accompanied with instruments. From the same root as "sing praise."
- אֵלel· El, God, god
"El", an ancient Hebrew word for "God". Alone or with another title it is a name of the God of Israel: El Elyon (God Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty). Neighboring peoples used the same word for their gods; then this translation writes "god" in lower case. It also means "mighty".
- גָּדוֹלgadol· great
Great in size, number, age or importance; also "the elder" of two; "high priest" is "great priest".
- מֶלֶךְmelech· king
King: the ruler of a city, a people or a kingdom.
- אֱלֹהִיםelohim· Elohim, God, gods
The Hebrew word usually translated "God". This translation keeps "Elohim" when it speaks of the one true God, the Creator, the God of Israel. The word ends like a plural, but it does not mean several: for him the verb is singular ("Elohim created"); the plural form expresses greatness. The same word as a common noun names the "gods" of other peoples, and there it is a true plural, translated "gods". It is also used of mighty ones or judges.
- יָדyad· hand, power
Hand. Figuratively, power or control ("into the hand of" = into the power of); also side, part, or share. Also a projecting piece, such as a tenon.
- מֶחְקְרֵיmechkre· depths
The hidden places, what is deepest and hardest to explore. It appears only once.
- אָרֶץarets· earth, land
The earth, in two senses: the whole world in contrast with the heavens, or a particular country or region ("the land of Egypt").
- תוֹעֲפוֹתtoafot· strength, peaks
A rare word of uncertain sense: strength or height. In Numbers 23:22 and 24:8, the horns of the wild ox; in Psalm 95:4, the peaks of the mountains.
- הָרִיםharim· mountain, hill country
Mountain, hill; hill country.
- יָּםyam· sea, west
Sea, or any great body of water (also a lake). Since the Mediterranean lies west of Israel, the word also means "west".
- עָשָׂasa· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- יַבֶּשֶׁתyabeshet· dry land
Dry land, firm ground.
- יָצָרוּyatsaru· form
Form, shape, like a potter who molds clay; figuratively, plan, purpose. As a noun, "potter".
- בֹּאוּbou· come, go in, bring
Come, arrive, go in, enter. In the causative form, "bring" or "carry in". "Go in to" a woman is to have marital relations with her.
- נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶהnishtachave· bow down, worship
Bow down: bend down to the ground. It was the gesture of respect before someone greater (a king, a visitor) and also the gesture of worshiping God.
- נִכְרָעָהnichraa· crouch, bow down
Crouch, kneel; bow down; sink.
- נִבְרְכָהnivrcha· bless, kneel
Bless. When God blesses, he gives good: life, children, fruit, prosperity. When a person "blesses God", he gives him nothing: he praises and thanks him. Between people, it is wishing the other the good that comes from God; also greet. The root also means kneel.
- עַםam· people
People: a human group joined by kinship, history and destiny. "My people", said by God, is Israel. Also the people as a crowd, or troops.
- מַרְעִיתmarit· pasture; flock
Pasturing, pasture; also the flock that someone tends.
- צֹאןtson· flock
Flock of sheep and goats, small livestock; figuratively, a people led like a flock.
- יּוֹםyom· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").
- קֹלkol· voice, sound
Voice or sound: what is heard, from a person, an animal or a thing (thunder, steps).
- תִשְׁמָעוּtishmau· hear, listen, obey
Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.