Psalm 99

Psalm 99 is the 99th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The reigneth; let the people tremble". The Book of Psalms starts the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and, as such, is a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 98, beginning "Dominus regnavit". It is the last of the set of additional Royal Psalms, praising God as King of his people. There is no title in the Masoretic Text version, but the Septuagint provides a title: "A psalm of David".
The psalm forms a regular part of the Jewish liturgy, as well as the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music, including by Heinrich Schütz, and has inspired hymns and contemporary songs.

Commentary

This psalm is the last of the "enthronement psalms". It begins with the familiar statement "YHWH is king", followed by references to justice and righteousness and the covenant and its moral demands, centering upon Zion.
Some similarities with Deutero-Isaiah include the call for nations to tremble before God. It is unique in naming Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, the "three great intercessors", and its feature of the threefold "Holy", which repeated during the in Judaism.
Alexander Kirkpatrick links this and other royal psalms to the restoration of Israel following the Israelites' return from the Babylonian captivity.

Uses

Judaism

The psalm is recited in its entirety as the fifth prayer of Kabbalat Shabbat in Ashkenazic, Hasidic, and some Sephardic communities' rites.
Verses 5 and 9 are recited in succession during the early part of. These verses are also recited by the congregation when the Torah scroll is taken out of the ark.
Verse 6 is found in the foundation of repentance recited by some on the eve of Rosh Hashanah.
According to Siddur Avodas Yisrael, Psalm 99 should be read in addition to Psalm 92 on the Shabbat on which parashat Shemot is chanted.
Coptic Orthodox Church

In the Agpeya, the Coptic Orthodox Church's book of hours, Psalm 99 is prayed in the office of None.

Musical settings

Hymns

paraphrased Psalm 99 in the 1971 hymn in German "König ist der Herr".

Motets

set a German metred version of Psalm 98 in the Becker Psalter, published in 1628, Der Herr ist König und residiert, SWV 197.
Raymond Wilding-White set the psalm for eight-part choir and organ.

Songs

The following songs are based on Psalm 99 or contain part of the psalm:

"He sits enthroned" by Sons of Korah
"Holy Is He" by Jason Silver
"Issand on Siionis suur" by Rein Kalmus, was written for 2015 Estonian Christian Song Festival finale.
Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 98.

Verse 5

"God's footstool" may allude to 'the ark', 'the temple, Jerusalem', or 'the whole earth'. Alexander Kirkpatrick notes that "as there was no Ark in the Second Temple, the Temple itself must be meant here, or possibly Zion".

Verse 6

English church commentator John Trapp noted that Moses, if not a priest as such, was "a continual intercessor for the people", and Aben-Ezra and Philo both include the term "priest" in their praise of Moses.