What does Psalms Chapter 99 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The praise psalm commands joyful service and approach. God made the people, called His pasture’s sheep. Sweetness, enduring mercy and truth support praise without an invented procession.

Chapter breakdown

Jubilate Deo is the incipit; the heading invites all to joy in God the creator, and the inscription is a psalm of praise. All earth is commanded to sing joyfully, serve with gladness and come before the presence with exceeding joy. The verse does not contrast this with reluctant fear or report an accomplished procession.

Hearers must know the Lord is God, He made them and they did not make themselves; they are His people and pasture's sheep. They are told to enter gates with praise and courts with hymns, give glory and praise the name. The reason is that the Lord is sweet, His mercy endures forever and truth through generations. The invitations are not expanded into an observed march through temple courts or a new claim about the primary basis of Catholic processional hymnody.

The story inside

Opening: The praise psalm commands joyful service and approach. Development: God made the people, called His pasture’s sheep. Conclusion: Sweetness, enduring mercy and truth support praise without an invented procession.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The praise psalm commands joyful service and approach.
2
God made the people, called His pasture’s sheep.
3
Sweetness, enduring mercy and truth support praise without an invented procession.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 63979–63980
Sing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve ye the Lord with gladness. Come in before his presence with exceeding great joy.
Lines 63982–63983
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.
Lines 63985–63986
Go ye into his gates with praise, into his courts with hymns: and give glory to him. Praise ye his name:
Lines 63988–63989
For the Lord is sweet, his mercy endureth for ever, and his truth to generation and generation.