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The heavens proclaim his righteousness; every nation sees his glory.
Psalms 97:6 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB The heavens declare his righteousness. All the peoples have seen his glory.
  • KJV The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
  • BSB The heavens proclaim His righteousness; all the peoples see His glory.
  • NKJV The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples see His glory.
  • NASB The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The heavens proclaim God's righteousness, and all peoples see His glory. His just character is publicly displayed across creation.

Overview

As in Psalm 19, the heavens bear witness to God, here specifically to His righteousness in ruling and judging. The universal scope ('all the peoples') signals that God's glory is not hidden but openly revealed to the nations. Ultimately this points to Christ, in whom God's righteousness is fully made known to the world (Romans 3:21-22).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 18

  • Ps 50:6The heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah.
  • Isa 66:18“For I know their works and their thoughts. The time comes that I will gather all nations and languages, and they will come, and will see my glory.
  • Ps 19:1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.
  • 2 Sam 22:47Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
  • Ps 67:4Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you will judge the peoples with equity, and govern the nations on earth. Selah.
  • Isa 40:5Yahweh’s glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken it.”
  • Isa 6:3One called to another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”
  • Isa 45:6that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is no one besides me. I am Yahweh, and there is no one else.
  • Rev 19:2for true and righteous are his judgments. For he has judged the great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”
  • Matt 6:9Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
  • Hab 2:14For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh’s glory, as the waters cover the sea.
  • Isa 60:2–3For, behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but Yahweh will arise on you, and his glory shall be seen on you.
  • Ps 89:2I indeed declare, “Love stands firm forever. You established the heavens. Your faithfulness is in them.”
  • Ps 36:5–6Your loving kindness, Yahweh, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
  • Num 14:21but in very deed, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with Yahweh’s glory;
  • Ps 98:3He 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.
  • Isa 1:2Hear, heavens, and listen, earth; for Yahweh has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
  • Ps 89:5The heavens will praise your wonders, Yahweh; your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 97:6YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 97:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.