Psalms 66:2 · Bible study
Psalms 66:2 Commentary: The Meaning of 'Make His Praise Glorious'
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Psalm 66:2: What does it mean to 'make his praise glorious'? Hebrew insights, cross-references, and commentary on worshiping God's awesome name.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Summons all people to sing praises that give due honor to God’s name and character.
- Key words: zamar (sing praises), kavod (glory/weight), shem (name), tehillah (praise).
- Main debate: The syntax of 'make his praise glorious', whether tehillato is predicate accusative (make praise glorious) or second object (give glory as his praise). Either way both sides affirm praise must be God-honoring.
- Theological theme: The universal scope of worship, God’s name is worthy of praise from all the earth.
- Best use: A call to intentional, weighty worship in public and private; excellent for opening a service or a lesson on the nature of praise.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Sing to the glory of his name! Offer glory and praise!
KJV King James Version 1769
Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Sing forth the glory of his name: Make his praise glorious.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Praise ye the honour of His name, Make ye honourable His praise.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Sing forth the glory of his name, make his praise glorious;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Cantad la gloria de su nombre: poned gloria en su alabanza.
Cantai a glória do nome dele; reconhecei a glória de seu louvor.
Chantez la gloire de son nom,
Lobsinget zu Ehren seinem Namen; rühmet ihn herrlich!
Psalmzingt de eer Zijns Naams; geeft eer Zijn lof.
Cantate la gloria del suo nome, rendete gloriosa la sua lode!
Wykrzykuj Bogu wszystka ziemo! Śpiewajcież psalmy na chwałę imienia jego, ogłaszajcie sławę i chwałę jego.
Боже! будь милостив к нам и благослови нас, освети нас лицем Твоим,
歌頌 他名 的榮耀！用讚美 的言語將他的榮耀 發明！
Make a song in honour of his name: give praise and glory to him.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 66:2
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Psalm 66:2 summons worship that honors God's name with intentional, weighty praise. Adam Clarke says to 'let his glorious and merciful acts be the subject of your songs.' Barnes explains that 'sing forth the honor of his name' means to 'celebrate in appropriate praise the honor due to his name,' and that 'make his praise glorious' (Hebrew śîmû kāvôd tehillātô) literally calls the worshiper to 'give him honor; give him praise', to make the act of praise itself magnificent. Keil and Delitzsch prefer the rendering 'give glory as His praise,' noting that the phrase appears elsewhere (Josh 7:19; Isa 42:12) in contexts of ascribing to God the weight of his due. The two verbs, zammeru (sing praises) and simu (make/set), form a poetic parallelism: first summoning song, then calling for that song to be saturated with glory. No commentator disputes the core conviction: praise must be worthy of the God whose name is revealed in awesome deeds.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Tehillato as predicate accusative: Praise should be made glorious; supported by Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown.
- Tehillato as second object (apposition): Give glory, which is his praise; supported by Keil, Hengstenberg.
What is clear: Both readings agree that the worshiper must actively ascribe glory to God through praise that is weighty, intentional, and worthy of the divine name.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'make his praise glorious' | Praise must be done in a way that honors God and ascribes glory to him. | The exact Hebrew syntax: some see it as 'make praise glorious' (tehillato as predicate) while others prefer 'give glory as his praise' (two objects). The difference is grammatical but both agree the act of praise must be magnificent. |
| Who is called to praise? | All the earth (v.1) is summoned, implying a universal invitation. | Some commentators emphasize that this is a prophecy of Gentile inclusion in Christian worship; others see it as a general call to all people based on God’s common grace. |
| The role of music in praise | Singing is the primary expression, but the emphasis is on the heart and intentionality behind the music. | Some read the verbs as literally musical (sing, make music with instruments), while others broaden them to include any public acknowledgment of God's glory. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 66 is anonymous, titled 'A Song. A Psalm' (v.1). The open summons to 'all the earth' (v.1) is striking, a universal call that moves beyond Israel alone. Calvin calls it a 'general declaration' that the psalm then applies to specific acts of deliverance: the exodus crossing of the sea (v.6), God's testing of Israel (vv.10, 12), and an individual testimony of answered prayer (vv.16, 20). Lange notes that the psalm cannot be dated with certainty; Venema connects it to Hezekiah's deliverance from Sennacherib, while Rudinger places it after the Babylonian exile. The Hebrew verb śîm ('make, set, place') appears here with two accusatives, a construction that the commentaries parse in slightly different ways. 'The glory of his name' is a frequent Old Testament phrase (1 Chron 29:13; Neh 9:5; Ps 79:9), tying God's name to his self-revelation in power and mercy. The opening verses (1, 4) set the stage for the rest of the psalm: public, corporate celebration of God's mighty acts. This is not private devotion but a summons for the whole inhabited world to join the song.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 66:2. The Hebrew text is stable across the manuscript tradition. The only variation is in English translation and grammatical parsing of the phrase śîmû kāvôd tehillātô.
Reception History
Jewish tradition has incorporated this verse into the daily and festival liturgy as part of the Pesukei d'Zimra (verses of song), emphasizing praising God's name for his mighty acts. Early Christian writers saw in the universal call a foreshadowing of the Gospel reaching the Gentiles; the psalm was often read at Epiphany or during missionary sermons. Calvin, in his commentary, highlights God's universal sovereignty and the duty of all people to praise him. The verse has been set to music in many hymnals, typically as a call to worship. More broadly, the phrase 'make his praise glorious' has been used by preachers to challenge congregations to offer God their best, not out of obligation, but because the object of praise deserves it.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Target: God’s Name. The phrase 'the glory of his name' points to God’s character and saving acts. Worship is directed to who God is and what he has done.
- The Action: Singing and Giving Glory. The verbs zammeru (sing praises) and simu (make/set) require active, intentional response, not passive appreciation.
- The Quality: Glorious Praise. 'Make his praise glorious' demands that the praise itself be weighty, costly, and worthy of the God it addresses. It is not about emotional intensity but about truth and substance.
Five-point outline
- Exhortation to All Nations (vv.1, 2). The call is global, not tribal.
- The Nature of True Worship: Glory to his name (v.2a).
- The Means of Worship: Song and public declaration (v.2b).
- The Standard of Worship: Praise that is 'glorious', ascribing the honor due to God.
- The Outcome: God exalted among the peoples (v.4).
Illustration hooks
- A choir tuning instruments before a concert, preparation and intentionality in offering their best sound.
- A child carefully wrapping a gift for a parent, the gift itself may be small, but the effort and love make it honor-filled.
- A crowd at a victory parade shouting as one, public, unanimous celebration of a worthy event.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I know if my personal praise is 'glorious' enough for God?
- Does God need my praise, or is this verse for my benefit?
- What does it mean to praise God's name when I am suffering and don't feel like singing?
Leading a Discussion
This verse challenges us to consider the quality of our worship, not whether we sing loudly enough, but whether our praise is weighted with the glory of God. As a group, explore what it means to 'make his praise glorious' in your own setting.
Discussion questions
- Read Psalm 66:1, 4 aloud. What stands out to you about this call to worship?
- Why do you think the psalmist uses the phrase 'the glory of his name' instead of simply 'God'?
- The Hebrew verb śîm (make/set) implies intentional action. How intentional is your praise most days?
- How does the history of God's deliverance (vv.5, 7) affect the way you understand the command to praise?
- What would it look like for your church to 'make his praise glorious' corporately?
- How does this verse connect praising God with remembering his deeds?
- One commentator says praising God 'makes him known.' In what ways does our praise affect those who don't yet know God?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Chronicles 29:10 | Therefore David blessed Yahweh before all the assembly; and David said, “You are blessed, Yahweh, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. |
| I Chronicles 29:13 | Now therefore, our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. |
| Nehemiah 9:5 | Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, “Stand up and bless Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting! Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! |
| Psalms 47:6 | Sing praises to God! Sing praises! Sing praises to our King! Sing praises! |
| Psalms 47:7 | For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with understanding. |
| Psalms 72:18 | Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. |
| Psalms 79:9 | Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake. |
| Psalms 96:3 | Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that the proper way to honor God's name in song is to make His glorious and merciful deeds the subject of our praise. For him, this means recounting specific acts of majesty and compassion, not offering general or vague expressions.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that praising God means actively giving Him honor through songs, music, and shouts. For him, the command to make praise glorious is about the external, public expression of celebration, not just internal acknowledgment. Praise requires visible, joyful proclamation.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator reads this as a universal summons: the whole earth is called to worship God by celebrating a fresh revelation of His character. The command to "make His praise glorious" means ascribing glory to the very act of praising Him, not merely praising loudly.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Sing forth the glory of his name: make his praise glorious.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill clarifies that the "name" to be honoured is not a specific title of Christ but Christ himself or the Gospel through which he is known. Giving him honour means ascribing divine perfections, offering worship, and giving him the glory of salvation, all expressed through heartfelt song.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains that to "make his praise glorious" means actively offering praise that brings honor to God. The praise itself must be excellent and fitting, not merely spoken, so that it genuinely glorifies Him. This is about intentionally shaping praise to be worthy of its object.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch focus on the exact meaning of "give glory" in this verse, preferring to render it "give glory as His praise" — that is, honor directed to God in the form of praise. They also note that the singular predicate ("what a terrible affair") precedes the plural subject, a construction seen elsewhere in the Psalms.