The Christmas night psalm, the psalm behind Joy to the World, and the promise of a son on David's throne, with the full text.
No psalm tells the story of the birth in Bethlehem. The psalms Christmas reaches for are songs of the whole earth rejoicing because the LORD comes, and promises that a son of David would sit on his throne. The New Testament applies two of those promises to Jesus, and the notes below give the reference each time. The carol Joy to the World began as a paraphrase of a psalm.
The page is grouped into the psalm read at Mass on Christmas night, the psalm behind Joy to the World, the psalms about the promised son, and short verses that fit a Christmas card. Tick the ones you want and print them on one sheet.
The USCCB readings for the Nativity of the Lord, Mass during the Night, set Psalm 96 with the refrain Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord. The refrain is taken from Luke 2:11, not from the psalm.
Sing to the LORD!Bless his name!Proclaim his salvation from day to day!
Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Proclaim his salvation from day to day. The news is meant to be told again and again, not once.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.Let the sea roar, and its fullness!
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
Heaven, earth and sea are all asked to be glad together. The celebration is bigger than any one people.
Let the field and all that is in it exult!Then all the trees of the woods shall sing for joy
Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
Even the fields and the trees of the woods sing for joy. The verse runs straight into the next line: before the LORD, for he comes.
Hymnary.org says Isaac Watts wrote Joy to the World as a paraphrase of Psalm 98 and published it in 1719. These are lines from the psalm the carol grew from.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!Burst out and sing for joy, yes, sing praises!
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. The call goes to the whole earth, not to a choir or a single nation.
Let the rivers clap their hands.Let the mountains sing for joy together.
Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together
Rivers clap their hands and mountains sing together. The joy spreads from people to the land itself.
He has remembered his loving kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. The verse joins a promise kept to Israel with something the whole world sees.
These psalms promise a son and a throne. Where the New Testament applies them to Jesus, the note gives the reference.
I will tell of the decree:The LORD said to me, “You are my son.Today I have become your father.
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
You are my son, today I have become your father. Hebrews 1:5 quotes it of the Son, and the next verse speaks of God bringing the firstborn into the world.
The LORD has sworn to David in truth.He will not turn from it:“I will set the fruit of your body on your throne.
The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
God swears to David that the fruit of his body will sit on his throne. Acts 2:30 refers to this oath and says it was about the Christ.
‘I will establish your offspring forever,and build up your throne to all generations.’” Selah.
Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
The promise to David that his offspring and his throne will last to all generations. Later in the same psalm, verse 49 asks where those sworn kindnesses have gone.
Short lines that suit a card or a printed sheet. They do not mention Christmas, and the notes do not claim they do.
who stoops down to see in heaven and on the earth?
Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
The God whose seat is on high stoops down to look at heaven and earth. The next verse has him lifting the poor out of the dust.
Truth springs out of the earth.Righteousness has looked down from heaven.
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Truth springs out of the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The two meet in the middle, one rising and one bending down.
The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring tribute.The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Kings from far away bring tribute and offer gifts. Matthew 2:11 tells of wise men offering gold, frankincense and myrrh, though Matthew does not quote this psalm.
Psalm 98. Hymnary.org says Isaac Watts wrote the text as a paraphrase of Psalm 98 and published it in his Psalms of David Imitated in 1719, under the heading The Messiah's Coming and Kingdom. The psalm itself calls all the earth to sing, has the rivers clap their hands, and ends with the LORD coming to judge the world with righteousness. It does not mention a birth. Hymnary.org describes the carol as Watts's Christological reading of the psalm.
The USCCB readings for the Mass during the Night on Christmas set Psalm 96, with the refrain Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord. The Vigil Mass, the Mass at Dawn and the Mass during the Day each have their own readings on the same site.
No psalm describes the birth. Hebrews 1:5 quotes Psalm 2:7 about the Son, and Acts 2:30 refers to the oath in Psalm 132:11 that a descendant of David would sit on his throne.
Psalm 96:11 and Psalm 98:4 are short and full of joy. Psalm 113:6, where God stoops down to look at the earth, suits a quieter card.
Psalm 98, according to Hymnary.org, which says Isaac Watts wrote the carol as a paraphrase of it.
Psalm 72:10 speaks of kings from Sheba and Seba offering gifts, and its heading names Solomon. Matthew 2 tells of wise men bringing gifts, but it does not quote Psalm 72.
Psalms for AdventPsalms About JesusPsalms of Happiness and JoyPsalms of Praise and WorshipPsalms for the New YearPsalms About Angels