1 In a pillar of cloud He spoke to them ;
They kept His testimonies,
And the law which He gave them.
8 Jahve our God, Thou hast answered them ;
A forgiving God wast Thou unto them,
And one taking vengeance of their deeds.
9 Exalt ye Jahve our God,
And prostrate yourselves at His holy mountain,
For holy is Jahve our God.
This is the third of the Psalms (Psa 93:1-5, Psa 97:1-12, Psa 99:1-9) which begin with the watchword מלך ה. It falls into three parts, of which the first (Psa 99:1-3) closes with קדושׁ הוּא, the second (Psa 99:4, Psa 99:5) with קדושׁ הוּא, and the third, more full-toned, with אלחנוּ קדושׁ ה - an earthly echo of the trisagion of the seraphim. The first two Sanctuses are two hexastichs; and two hexastichs form the third, according to the very same law by which the third and the sixth days of creation each consists of two creative works. This artistic form bears witness against Olshausen in favour of the integrity of the text; but the clare-obscure of the language and expression makes no small demands upon the reader.
Bengel has seen deepest into the internal character of this Psalm. He says, “The 99th Psalm has three parts, in which the Lord is celebrated as He who is to come, as He who is, and as He who was, and each part is closed with the ascription of praise: He is holy.” The Psalm is laid out accordingly by Oettinger, Burk, and C. H. Rieger.
Verses 1-3
The three futures express facts of the time to come, which are the inevitable result of Jahve's kingly dominion bearing sway from heaven, and here below from Zion, over the world; they therefore declare what must and will happen. The participle insidens cherubis (Psa 80:2, cf. Psa 18:11) is a definition of the manner (Olshausen): He reigns, sitting enthroned above the cherubim. נוּט, like Arab. nwd, is a further formation of the root na, nu, to bend, nod. What is meant is not a trembling that is the absolute opposite of joy, but a trembling that leads on to salvation. The Breviarium in Psalterium,
