Psalm 97:7 (Worship Him)

The Prophecy

The mountains melt like wax before the LORD (YHVH) before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory.

All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship Him, all you gods!

Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD (YHVH).

Psalms 97:5-8 (ESV)

Fulfillment

Author of Hebrews

The book of Hebrews quotes this psalm and applies it to Jesus at His incarnation:

But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says:

“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

-- Hebrews 1:6 (NKJV)

However, this contradicts the Matthew and Luke's witnesses:

The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only shall you serve.’* ”

-- Matthew 4:8-10 (ESV), Luke 4:8

Therefore, the author of Hebrews are the only bible author to claim that angels are to worship Jesus. The angels are supposed to worship the LORD (YHVH) and not Jesus:

For I will proclaim the name of the LORD (Yahweh); ascribe greatness to our God! ... For the LORD (Yahweh) will vindicate His people ... “Rejoice with Him, O heavens; bow down to Him, all gods ...

-- Deuteronomy 32:3,36,43 (ESV)

Trinitarians

Despite this confusion, Trinitarians interpret this passage as proving Jesus' divine status, arguing that:

  • The command for angels to worship demonstrates Jesus shares divine nature
  • The title "firstborn" indicates Jesus' preeminence and deity
  • Worship is due only to God, therefore Jesus must be God

The passage is understood as prophesying that angels would worship the Messiah, establishing His equality with the Father.

Critics

Critical scholars view Psalm 97 as a hymn celebrating YHWH's sovereign reign over all creation, firmly rooted in Israelite monotheism. The psalm consistently identifies its subject as "the LORD" (YHWH) and calls all beings to worship Him because of His supreme majesty. The application in Hebrews represents later theological development rather than the psalm's original prophetic intent. Reading Trinitarian theology into a monotheistic psalm requires extracting phrases from their literary and historical context.

The Entire Psalm Addresses YHWH**

Throughout Psalm 97, the subject is consistently identified as "the LORD" (YHWH):

  • "The LORD reigns" (verse 1)
  • "Before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth" (verse 5)
  • "Because of your judgments, O LORD" (verse 8)
  • "For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth" (verse 9)

The psalm celebrates YHWH (traditionally understood as God the Father), not a separate Christ figure.

Further confusion is caused by the English translator's choice to replace God's Hebrew name YHVH with "the LORD", however in the Greek New Testament Jesus also has the title, "the Lord". By removing God's name it became unclear to English readers which Lord is which.

Immediate Context

The command "worship Him, all you gods" (verse 7) follows directly after describing YHWH's glory, power, and judgments. The pronoun "Him" refers to "the LORD" mentioned throughout the surrounding verses. Ancient translations render the Hebrew word elohim (translated as "gods") as "angels," but regardless of translation, they are commanded to worship the sovereign God YHWH.

Jesus' Consistent Pattern**: Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus:

  • Prayed to the Father (Matthew 6:9)
  • Affirmed "the Father is greater than I" (John 14:28)
  • Directed glory to the Father (John 17:1-5)
  • Called the Father "my God" even after resurrection (John 20:17)

Jesus' pattern was directing worship and honor to the Father, not claiming the kind of universal worship described in this psalm.

The Psalm's Theme

Psalm 97 celebrates YHWH's sovereign reign with cosmic imagery:

  • Mountains melt before Him (verse 5)
  • The earth trembles (verse 4)
  • He is "exalted far above all gods" (verse 9)
  • Fire goes before Him, consuming His adversaries (verse 3)

This is theophany—God revealing His glory and majesty. The psalm does not describe a future Messiah but celebrates God's present supreme sovereignty.

Monotheistic Context

For the original Jewish audience, this psalm celebrated the one true God (YHWH) in stark contrast to pagan idols and false gods. The command for angels and spiritual beings (elohim) to worship YHWH emphasizes His uniqueness and supremacy as the only true God. Reading this as worship of a second distinct divine person was not the original intent within ancient Israel's strict monotheistic framework.

Conclusion

Psalm 97 is a hymn celebrating YHWH's sovereign reign over all creation, calling all beings including angels to worship Him because of His supreme majesty and power. The psalm consistently identifies its subject as "the LORD" (YHWH) throughout, employing cosmic imagery to celebrate God's theophany and unique sovereignty.

While Hebrews applies this passage to Jesus as part of its theological argument for Christ's deity using midrashic interpretation, the original psalm does not distinguish between Father and Son but celebrates the one God of Israel within a strictly monotheistic framework.

No other author identifies this as messianic prophecy, and Jesus himself taught that worship belongs exclusively to "the Lord your God" (Matthew 4:10).

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