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Introduction

(Add orientation to this page and to any essential notes on this psalm from a section by section/verse by verse perspective. Very minimal)

Commentary

Section 1: Celebrate the Shepherd! (vv. 1-4)

As outlined in the poetic structure (see Overview | Poetic Structure above), the main division in Ps 100 is between vv. 1-4 and v. 5. The main section (vv. 1-4) is arranged according to a chiastic ABCB'A' structure. One simple way to display the structure of this section (vv. 1-4), within the context of the whole psalm, is as follows:

Structure: The beginning and ending A sections (vv. 1b-2a + 4b) include corresponding calls to worship ("shout joyfully" (1b), "serve" (2a), "give thanks" (4), "bless" (4)). The corresponding B sections (vv. 2b + 4b) include the almost identical repeated invitations to "enter." This arrangement places v. 3 at the heart of the chiastic structure, and ultimately at the heart of the psalm, including Israel's celebration of YHWH, the supreme God, as their maker and of their belonging to him as his people and flock.

Theme: The central theme of the main section of vv. 1-4 can be expressed in the words "Celebrate the Shepherd," as Israel joyfully celebrates their covenant relationship with YHWH and expresses that joy through acts of worship and entrance into YHWH's presence.

Emotions: The primary emotion of this section is no doubt joy, along with thankfulness, exultation, expectancy, confidence and enthusiasm.

v. 1

1a	מִזְמ֥וֹר לְתוֹדָ֑ה	A psalm for a thank offering.
1b	הָרִ֥יעוּ לַ֝יהוָ֗ה כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃	Shout joyfully to YHWH, all the earth!

Expanded Paraphrase

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After the common pattern of facing danger, crying out to YHWH, and being helped by YHWH, the people of Israel went up to Jerusalem, to the temple, for a thanksgiving ceremony, including joyful songs of thanksgiving and praise and the presentation of a thank offering on the altar. The crowd, including the people, priests, and perhaps a leader or king, gathered outside the gates and began the ceremony with A psalm for a thank offering. A leader, perhaps a priest, begins by calling out to the great crowd, "Shout joyfully to YHWH in order to celebrate his kingship, all the earth! For his help and rescue demonstrates his good character, which is reason for not only Israel, but all the earth to praise him.

Grammatical Diagram

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Notes

Summary of v. 1: The opening verse of Ps 100 includes both the superscription and the opening line of the psalm. The superscription establishes the setting of the psalm (see below) and the opening line ("Shout joyfully...") begins the chain of 7 imperatives leading the audience into worship of YHWH. Although the psalm is probably addressed to Israel, this opening line evokes a universal dimension to the psalm with its call to "all the earth" (see Overview | Participants above).

• The opening superscription A psalm for thank offering (מִזְמ֥וֹר לְתוֹדָ֑ה) provides important information for understanding Ps 100 in its original setting. The word לְתוֹדָה most probably refers to the presentation of a thank offering, known as a toda sacrifice (תּוֹדָה), as part of an Israelite thanksgiving ceremony. General thanksgiving and thanksgiving songs would also have been present. For more details on the superscription and its implications, see The Meaning of לְתוֹדָה in Ps 100:1.
• The word Shout joyfully (הָרִיעוּ) has a rich range of meaning.
  • The core meaning of the root רוע in the hiphil is connected to the act of shouting or crying out loud (HALOT), just as Israel 'shouts' "long live the king" when Saul becomes king (1 Sm. 10:24) or or an army 'shouts' before fleeing (Jdg. 7:21). Depending on the context, however, this verb can be used to describe two specific kinds of shouting.
    • The first is shouting of a battle-cry in war contexts (e.g. Josh. 6:10, 16, 20 - the fall of Jericho, and 1 Sam. 17:52 - Israel's battle-cry after David kills Goliath).
    • The second kind of shouting is that of joyful praise or "cheering" in worship contexts. This usually occurs with the preposition ל and is very common throughout the psalms (e.g. Ps. 47:2; 66:1; 81:2; 95:1; 98:4). The joyful and worshipful nature of this shouting is clarified further with רוע being paralleled or joined with רִנָּה (joyful shouting/singing Ps. 47:2), זמרו (singing Ps. 66:1), זְמִירוֹת (songs Ps. 95), and other words associated with singing, joy, gladness, praise, and thanksgiving. The gloss "shout joyfully" thus captures both the shouting and the joyful elements.
• It is important also to emphasize that the word Shout joyfully (הָרִיעוּ) is common in the celebration/coronation of a king (1 Sam 10:24; Zech 9:9. Cf. 2 Kgs 11:12). For other cases where this verb is used to celebrate/crown specifically YHWH as king, see Ps 47:2-3 and 98:6.
• The phrase all the earth (כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ) refers here to "all who dwell on earth," i.e. "all nations." For detailed analysis of this phrase see The Addressee of Ps 100.
• Addressee: Israel or All Nations? The opening verse of Ps 100 creates an ambiguous tension between Israel or all nations as possible addressees. It is plausible that Israel is the primary addressee, and that "all the earth" is addressed directly as a rhetorical technique to declare that YHWH is "worthy of all the earth shouting joyfully to him." However, it is possible that the psalm intentionally leaves open the possibility of reading all nations as the implied addressee all throughout.
  • For detailed argumentation regarding the addressee see this exegetical issue page: The Addressee of Ps 100.
  • For an exploration of the poetic tension between these two addressees, see Overview | Participants in the Overview section at the top of this page.

Technical Notes

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• Although the words Shout joyfully to YHWH, all the earth! (הָרִ֥יעוּ לַ֝יהוָ֗ה כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃) appear as the second part of v. 1, they actually form the first line of a tricolon including the next two lines of v. 2. In our poetic line division visual this is presented as follows:

• The ל in לַ֝יהוָ֗ה indicates the one being praised/receiving the joyful shouts.
• In terms of speech act analysis, the words Shout joyfully to YHWH, all the earth! are best understood as an indirect speech act with an imperative sentence type but an assertive illocution type. In other words, on the surface level, this sentence literally takes "all the earth" (i.e. all nations) as the subject of the imperative "Shout joyfully," but as these words are actually addressed to a real audience of Israelites gathered around the temple, the implication is more volitional (a wish), "All the earth should shout joyfully to YHWH." This leads ultimately to an assertion, to Israel, that YHWH is worthy of receiving the joyful shouts of all the earth. In v. 1b, therefore, all nations functions as the rhetorical addressee and Israel is the real addressee. From the next imperative verb עִבְדוּ "serve" in v. 2 Israel then becomes the exclusive addressee, and so on throughout vv. 2-5.
• The clause-final position of the vocative all the earth (כָּל־הָאָרֶץ) is noteworthy and open to multiple interpretations. When a vocative is simply identifying the addressee, it will more commonly be clause-initial.
  • It may be, therefore, that the clause-final position of "all the earth" here has a subtle poetic effect. The supposed primary audience of Ps 100 would be the people of Israel, gathered for a thanksgiving ceremony. When Israel would have heard the words הריעו לה׳ "Shout joyfully to YHWH" they would have assumed it applies to them, as this was a common liturgical term in their worship (cf. e.g. Ps 95:1 נריעו לצור ישענו "Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation"). One of the possible features of Ps 100 as a whole is an intentional layering wherein the psalm reads primarily as a thanksgiving liturgy for Israel in a thanksgiving ceremony, but with a possible secondary layering inviting the whole psalm to be re-read as addressing not Israel but all nations of the earth, with this key vocative address to כל הארץ "all the earth" (v. 1b) being the anchor for that layering.
  • Could it be that this vocative was intentionally left to the clause-final position to allow for this double layering? Granted that is somewhat speculative, but it may be supported by the fact that the whole psalm seems so precisely balanced with every single word using stock Israelite language that can also be used and had been used to address the nations (for further details see the Poetic Feature in Overview | Participants section at the top of this page).
• These issues are explored and laid out in detail in the Poetic Feature included in the Participants section in the overview at the top of this page.
  • An alternative, simpler explanation for the clause-final position of this vocative is other word-order factors wherein both cola begin with a clause-initial imperative, an arrangement that is programmatic throughout the psalm (with 7 clause-initial imperatives in vv. 1-4).

Translation Notes

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• The phrase for a thank offering (לְתוֹדָה) probably refers to the presentation of a thank offering (known as a toda sacrifice) that was part of an Israelite thanksgiving ceremony. Thanksgiving and thanksgiving songs would also have been present for such moments.
  • Modern versions render the Hebrew preposition ְל lǝ either as:
    • a) “for understood as the purpose of the psalm. This is our preferred rendering. See

ESV, NIV, NASB, BFC, PDV .

• • • b) Or “of” perceived as the content of the psalm. See NLT, HCSB, ASV, LSG).
    • The term ‘thank offering’ may require the recipient to be made explicit in some languages. The context suggests that YHWH is the recipient: offering/giving/saying thanks to God.
    • For more details on the superscription and its implications, see The Meaning of לְתוֹדָה in Ps 100:1.

Legends

Grammatical diagram

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Grammatical Term	Definition	Diagram	Example
Clausal Additions
Subject	The subject performs the action of the active verb or receives the action of a passive verb. With intransitive verbs	Indicated at the beginning of the main clausal line, and followed by a vertical line that crosses over the main clause line (separating the subject from the predicate).
Direct Object	Object that receives the direct action of a (transitive) verb	Indicate with a vertical line up from main clausal line
Predicate adjective/ Subject complement	A word used with a linking verb (ex. "to be"), renaming or restating the subject. Can be a whole prepositional phrase.	Indicate with a vertical slanted line up from the main clausal line. It can be on a stand if it is an embedded clause.
Object Complement	Word following a direct object to state what it has become.	Indicate with a vertical slanted line up from the main clausal line.
Infinitives	Can be subject, adverbial, or an infinitive construct.	Indicate with double vertical lines that cross the main clausal line. If used adverbially (ie. an embedded clause), place on a stand.
Participles	A verbal noun/adjective that can be used in three positions: (1) substantival; (2) attributive; (3) predicative.	Indicate with a round vertical line. Substantival participles are placed on a stand (they are embedded). Attributive participles are placed with a rounded line underneath what is modified.
Modifiers
Adjectives	A word modifying a noun to indicate quality, quantity, extent, or differentiating something from something else.	Indicate with a slanted line down from what is modified.
Adverbs	A word that modifies a verb, adverb, adjective, prepositional phrase, clause, or sentence to express a relation (ex. manner, quality, or time).	Indicate with a slanted line down from what is modified.
Construct relationships	Construction can express many different relationships between two (or more) nouns. English grammarians call this construction a ‘Construct’ (our term) or ‘Genitive’ phrase; Hebrew grammarians call it smīḵūt (סְמִיכוּת).	Indicate with a stair-step down from the modified word/clause/phrase.
Prepositional phrases	A phrase that consists of a preposition and its object and has adjectival or adverbial value	Indicate with a slanted vertical line connecting to a new clause.
Connectives	(1) Coordinating conjunctions join together words or word groups of equal grammatical rank (2) Subordinating conjunctions join a main clause and a clause which does not form a complete sentence by itself.	Indicate with a dashed line down from a vertical line marker.
Embedded clause	A clause inside another clause which can include substantival participles, adverbial infinitives, and prepositional phrases.	Indicate using stilts.
Particles
Subordinating particle	Indicates a dependent clause.	Indicate with a dashed line down from the antecedent to the pronoun.
Apposition	A word that is functioning as an explanatory equivalent as another in the sentence	Place on a line apart from the diagram but next to the word it is the equivalent of with an equal sign in between.
Vocative	Indicating a person being addressed (usually with a 2nd person verb)	Place on a line apart from the diagram next to the '()' indicating the gapped subject an equal sign in between.

Master Diagram

Shapes and colors on grammatical diagram

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	Prepositional phrase	Construct chain	Construct chain within a prepositional phrase	Phrase-level waw	Article and כֹּל
Diagram Shading
Definition	- A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus its object. The phrase usually modifies the clause or another constituent in the clause.	- A construct chain, also called a 'genitive phrase', is a grammatical encoding of the relationship 'A of B,' in which A is a phonologically modified noun (in the construct state), and B is a phonologically unmodified noun (the absolute state).	- Some construct chains occur within prepositional phrases	- A waw conjunction can join units of all sizes. Phrase level waw join units at the word or phrase level (i.e., below the level of the clause).	- Definite articles tell you something about the identifiability or inclusiveness about the word it is attached to - כֹּל is a quantifier that tells you about the scope of a word it is attached to

Expanded paraphrase

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• Close but Clear (CBC) translation
• Assumptions which provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences

Bibliography

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Howard, David, Jr. 1997. The Structure of Psalms 93–100. Biblical and Judaic Studies 5. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.

Jenni, Ernst. 1992. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 1: Die Präposition Beth. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer.

———. 2000. Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 3: Die Präposition Lamed. Stuttgart: Verlag W. Kohlhammer.

Keel, Othmar. 1997. The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms. Winona Lake, Ind: Eisenbrauns.

Labuschagne, Casper J. 2008. “Psalm 100 - Logotechnical Analysis.” Numerical Features of the Psalms and Other Selected Texts. August 5, 2008. https://www.labuschagne.nl/ps100.pdf.

Lohfink, Norbert, and Erich Zenger. 2000. The God of Israel and the Nations: Studies in Isaiah and the Psalms. Translated by Everett Kalin. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press.

Lugt, Pieter van der Lugt. 2013. Cantos and Strophes in Biblical Hebrew Poetry III: Psalms 90–150 and Psalm 1. Vol. 3. 3 vols. Oudtestamentische Studiën 63. Leiden: Brill.

Ryken, Leland, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, Colin Duriez, Douglas Penney, and Daniel G. Reid, eds. 1998. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press.

Sakenfield, Katharine Doob. 1978. The Meaning of Hesed in the Hebrew Bible. Michigan: Scholars Press.

Tate, Marvin E. 1998. Psalms 51-100. WBC 20. Dallas, Tex: Word Books.

Zenger, Erich (and Frank-Lothar Hossfeld). 2005. Psalms 2: A Commentary on Psalms 51-100. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.

Footnotes

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