Psalm 149:1–9

¹Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song,

And His praise in the assembly of saints.

²Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;

Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

³Let them praise His name with the dance;

Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

⁴For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;

He will beautify the humble with salvation.

⁵Let the saints be joyful in glory;

Let them sing aloud on their beds.

⁶Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,

And a two-edged sword in their hand,

⁷To execute vengeance on the nations,

And punishments on the peoples;

⁸To bind their kings with chains,

And their nobles with fetters of iron;

⁹To execute on them the written judgment—

This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Praise the Lord!

Sing to the Lord a new song,

And His praise in the assembly of saints.”

This Psalm might be titled “The Psalm of Redeemed”.  For it entails all the redeemed who sing to the Lord a new song. Therefore consider God does not bind us to sing the Psalms and worship songs and hymns of the past; (even though these are great and can and should be played and sung by everyone who is moved by them); each generation, each culture, has its own forms of music, and these when reverently played and sung can most definitely be used in the Lord’s worship and praise. Therefore, let us all who believe praise the Lord, and sing to Him a new song, songs composed by us, His redeemed children, in every generation. For we are to declare His praise in the assembly of the saints. Therefore, never stifle the generations coming up, but guide them in reverent worship of the Lord.

Vs. 2-3 ²Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;

Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

³Let them praise His name with the dance;

Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

Israel is now called upon to rejoice in their Maker, and to be joyful in their King, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. And so first is heard the worship songs and hymns of all the Gentiles, for we were redeemed first, (thus this millennial is ours, Rom. 11:25-27). But now at last when Israel finally comes home, the prodigal nation will enter into the New Millenia with their Maker and King leading them. On that Day Israel will rejoice in their Maker, and all the children of Zion will be joyful in their King ( Psalm 102:18-22). For they will praise His Name, the Lord Jesus Christ’s Name with dance, and they will all sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. This is Israel's assured future (Isaiah 43:21).

Vs. 4-9 “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;

He will beautify the humble with salvation.

⁵Let the saints be joyful in glory;

Let them sing aloud on their beds.

⁶Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,

And a two-edged sword in their hand,

⁷To execute vengeance on the nations,

And punishments on the peoples;

⁸To bind their kings with chains,

And their nobles with fetters of iron;

⁹To execute on them the written judgment—

This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!”

Not only will the nation of Israel be joyful in the Lord, but the Lord Himself will take pleasure in all of His people, for He will beautify the humble with salvation, everyone who goes with Him into the New Millenia will be joyful in glory, all the saints will sing aloud on their beds, and all the high praises of God will be in their mouths (vs. 6). With Israel then firmly established with the Lord Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 23:5-6) the Psalm in verse six now turns to the Lord’s Vengeance (Psalm 110:5-7; Ezekiel 28:25-26; Micah 5:15 etc.), which He will execute on the nations while leading His people in this. And so, they will serve the Lord again in this, executing vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples as they did when they came out of Egypt and entered the promised land (vs. 7), they will bind all the unbelieving and rebellious nations kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron (vs. 8), they will then execute the written judgment on them (vs. 9). “This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!”

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.