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Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth—let your cry ring out, and sing praises!
Psalms 98:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Make a joyful noise to Yahweh, all the earth! Burst out and sing for joy, yes, sing praises!
  • KJV Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
  • NKJV Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
  • NASB ¶Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Be cheerful and sing for joy and sing praises.
  • NLT Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!

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

All the earth is summoned to shout for joy and sing praises to God. Universal salvation calls for universal rejoicing.

Overview

The psalm widens its call beyond Israel to all the earth, inviting exuberant, joyful worship. The repeated commands to sing convey overflowing gladness at God's saving reign. This foreshadows the worship of every nation gathered to praise God through Christ (Revelation 5:9-10).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Isa 44:23Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O depths of the earth. Break forth in song, O mountains, you forests and all your trees. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and revealed His glory in Israel.
  • Rev 19:6And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
  • Ps 66:1For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!
  • Ps 100:1A Psalm of thanksgiving. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
  • Ps 95:1Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout to the Rock of our salvation!
  • Isa 12:6Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”
  • Jer 33:11the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those bringing thank offerings into the house of the LORD, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good; His loving devotion endures forever.’ For I will restore the land from captivity as in former times, says the LORD.
  • Matt 21:9The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
  • Ps 47:1–5For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout unto God with a voice of triumph.
  • Zeph 3:14Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
  • Rev 19:1After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
  • Ps 67:4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the earth. Selah
  • Isa 42:11Let the desert and its cities raise their voices; let the villages of Kedar cry aloud. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops.
  • Ps 66:4All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.” Selah

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 98:4YouTube · 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 98:4 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.