Shout for Joy to the LORD
Jubilate Deo, omnis terra
Psalm 100 summary: what it means
Psalm 100 is a short call to worship. It speaks to all the lands, not only to Israel. It asks them to shout for joy, serve the LORD with gladness and come before him with singing. At its centre is a statement to be known: the LORD is God, he made us, and we are his, his people and the sheep of his pasture.
The invitation then becomes specific. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. The reason comes in the last verse: the LORD is good, his loving kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness lasts to all generations. The psalm alternates commands and reasons, and it ends on the reasons.
Psalm 100: Shout for Joy to the LORD
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-100
Psalm 100 commentary: explained verse by verse
Shout for joy to the LORD, all you lands!
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
The psalm opens with a command to shout for joy to the LORD. It is addressed to all the lands, so the invitation reaches beyond one nation. There is no complaint or request anywhere in this psalm.
Also read Romans 15:10, Isaiah 24:14-16, Isaiah 42:10-12, Psalm 98:4
Serve the LORD with gladness.Come before his presence with singing.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Two commands follow: serve the LORD with gladness, and come before his presence with singing. Service and gladness are joined together here. Worship is described as something done with joy.
Also read 2 Chronicles 31:2, Psalm 107:21-22, Deuteronomy 28:47, Deuteronomy 16:14
Know that the LORD, he is God.It is he who has made us, and we are his.We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
This is the reason behind the commands: the LORD is God, he made us, and we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. The call is to know this, not only to feel it. The King James Version reads "and not we ourselves" where the World English Bible has "we are his".
Also read Psalm 46:10, Psalm 95:6-7, Psalm 119:73, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,and into his courts with praise.Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
The picture is of entering a sanctuary. Worshippers come through his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. They are to give thanks to him and bless his name.
Also read Psalm 66:13, Psalm 103:20-22, Hebrews 13:15, Psalm 116:17-19
For the LORD is good.His loving kindness endures forever,his faithfulness to all generations.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
The final verse gives the reasons for everything before it. The LORD is good, his loving kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness lasts to all generations. The psalm ends on who God is rather than on what the worshipper does.
Also read Jeremiah 33:11, Psalm 85:10, Psalm 106:1, Titus 1:2
A prayer from Psalm 100
LORD, I shout for joy to you with all the lands. I want to serve you with gladness and come before you with singing. I know that you are God. You made me, and I am yours, one of your people and a sheep of your pasture. I enter your gates with thanksgiving and your courts with praise. I give thanks to you and bless your name, for you are good. Your loving kindness endures forever, and your faithfulness to all generations. Amen.
Psalm 100 Bible study questions
- In verse 3, what are the people told to know about the LORD and about themselves?
- In verse 4, what are people to bring as they enter his gates and his courts?
- Verse 2 speaks of serving the LORD with gladness; what might that look like in an ordinary week?
- Verse 5 gives three reasons for thanks; which of them means most to you right now, and why?
- Psalm 95:6 to 7 also calls people to come before their Maker as the people of his pasture; how does it compare with Psalm 100:3?
Questions about Psalm 100
What does Psalm 100 mean?
It is a call to all the earth to worship the LORD with joy and thanks. It gives two reasons: he made us and we belong to him, and he is good, with loving kindness and faithfulness that last forever.
Who wrote Psalm 100?
The psalm does not name its author. The heading calls it a Psalm of thanksgiving, and the King James Version heading has "A Psalm of praise".
What is Psalm 100:4 in the King James Version?
The King James Version reads: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
What does Psalm 100:3 mean?
It states that the LORD is God, that he made his people and that they belong to him like sheep in his pasture. The King James Version has "it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves", while the World English Bible has "we are his".
What does Psalm 100:2 mean?
It calls people to serve the LORD with gladness and come before him with singing, linking service and worship with joy.
Psalm 100 KJV: the King James Version
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.1
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.2
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.3
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.4
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.5
Psalm 100 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 מִזְמ֥וֹר לְתוֹדָ֑ה הָרִ֥יעוּ לַ֝יהוָ֗ה כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
2 עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה בֹּ֥אוּ לְ֝פָנָ֗יו בִּרְנָנָֽה׃
3 דְּע֗וּ כִּֽי־יְהוָה֮ ה֤וּא אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים הֽוּא־עָ֭שָׂנוּ ולא אֲנַ֑חְנוּ עַ֝מּ֗וֹ וְצֹ֣אן מַרְעִיתֽוֹ׃
4 בֹּ֤אוּ שְׁעָרָ֨יו ׀ בְּתוֹדָ֗ה חֲצֵרֹתָ֥יו בִּתְהִלָּ֑ה הֽוֹדוּ־ל֝֗וֹ בָּרֲכ֥וּ שְׁמֽוֹ׃
5 כִּי־ט֣וֹב יְ֭הֹוָה לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּ֑וֹ וְעַד־דֹּ֥ר וָ֝דֹ֗ר אֱמוּנָתֽוֹ׃
Psalm 100 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 99 there.
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1 A psalm of praise.
2 Sing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve ye the Lord with gladness. Come in before his presence with exceeding great joy.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: he made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Go ye into his gates with praise, into his courts with hymns: and give glory to him. Praise ye his name:
5 For the Lord is sweet, his mercy endureth for ever, and his truth to generation and generation.
Psalm 100 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 99.
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1 Psalmus in confessione.
2 Jubilate Deo, omnis terra; servite Domino in lætitia. Introite in conspectu ejus in exsultatione.
3 Scitote quoniam Dominus ipse est Deus; ipse fecit nos, et non ipsi nos: populus ejus, et oves pascuæ ejus.
4 Introite portas ejus in confessione; atria ejus in hymnis: confitemini illi. Laudate nomen ejus,
5 quoniam suavis est Dominus, in æternum misericordia ejus, et usque in generationem et generationem veritas ejus.
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Psalm 100 at a glance
| Verses | 5 |
| Heading in the text | A Psalm of thanksgiving. |
| Attributed to | Not named in the text. The heading calls it a Psalm of thanksgiving but gives no author. |
| Type | Praise and Thanksgiving |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 99 |
| Latin first line | Jubilate Deo, omnis terra |
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Psalm 100 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 100 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 100 belongs
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source