Psalms 96:1
For the same David, when his land was restored again to him. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad.
Open Psalms 96:1 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Huic David, quando terra ejus restituta est. Dominus regnavit : exsultet terra ; lætentur insulæ multæ.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Τῷ Δαυείδ, ὅτε ἡ γῆ αὐτοῦ καθίσταται. Ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ἀγαλλιάσεται ἡ γῆ, εὐφρανθήτωσαν νῆσοι πολλαί.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 97:1
- יְהוָ֣ה מָ֭לָךְ תָּגֵ֣ל הָאָ֑רֶץ יִ֝שְׂמְח֗וּ אִיִּ֥ים רַבִּֽים
Haydock's commentary
Same. Huic. The title is the same as usual in the Septuagint. (Menochius)
It occurs not in Hebrew. The psalm may refer to David's establishment on the throne, after the death of Saul, or Absalom, or to the return from captivity, and to the first and second coming of Christ. (Calmet)
This last seems to be the most literal sense. (Berthier)
To him. Christ's body on the third day, and many souls were restored to life. [Matthew xxvii. 52.]
Islands. We have great reason to rejoice in being educated in the true faith, and we may hope that the Catholic religion will once more flourish in these isles. (Worthington)
The Son of man shall have dominion over all, Daniel vii. 14. His Church is persecuted, as the waves beat against an island. (Eusebius) (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
Tertullian On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Even the Metaphorical Descriptions of This Subject in the Scriptures Point to the Bodily Resurrection, the Only Sense Which Secures Their Consistency and Dignity
To a preceding objection, that the Scriptures are allegorical, I have still one answer to make, that it is open to us also to defend the bodily character of the resurrection by means of the language of the prophets, which is equally figurative. For consider that primeval sentence which God spake when He called man earth ; saying, “Earth thou art, and to earth shalt thou return.” In respect, of course, to his fleshly substance, which had been taken out of the ground, and which was the first to receive the name of man, as we have already shown, does not this passage give one instruction to interpret in relation to the flesh also whatever of wrath or of grace God has determined for the earth, because, strictly speaking, the earth is not exposed to His judgment, since it has never done any good or evil? “Cursed,” no doubt, it was, for it drank the blood of man ; but even this was as a figure …
St Cyprian Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews, That He will reign as a King for ever
In Zechariah: “Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: just, and having salvation; meek, sitting upon an ass that hath not been tamed.” Also in Isaiah: “Who will declare to you that eternal place? He that walketh in righteousness, and holdeth back his hands from gifts; stopping his ears that he may not hear the judgment of blood; and closing his eyes, that he may not see unrighteousness: this man shall dwell in the lofty cavern of the strong rock; bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XCVII
3. …“The Lord is King, let the earth be glad: yea, let the multitude of the isles be joyous” ( ver. 1 ). It is so indeed, because the word of God hath been preached not in the continent alone, but also in those isles which lie in mid sea: even these are full of Christians, full of the servants of God. For the sea doth not retard Him who made it. Where ships can approach, cannot the words of God? The isles are filled. But figuratively the isles may be taken for all the Churches. Why isles? Because the waves of all temptations roar around them. …