Psalms 66:5 Commentary: Come and See God's Awesome Works

Psalm 66 is a song of corporate thanksgiving, likely composed for use in the temple after a national deliverance. The superscription assigns it to the Chief Musician, but the psalm is anonymous. Many commentators place its setting either after the return from Babylon (so Rudinger, cited by Calvin) or in Hezekiah's reign following the destruction of Sennacherib's army (Venema, also in Calvin). The psalm moves from a universal call to praise (verses 1, 4) to a specific rehearsal of God's deeds (verses 5, 7), then to a more personal testimony (verses 8, 20).

In verse 5, the phrase 'Come and see' deliberately recalls Psalm 46:8, the only other place where the Hebrew word for 'works' (mifʿalot) appears. This lexical echo suggests an intentional link: both psalms invite witnesses to survey the results of God's intervention. Verse 6 makes the reference explicit: God turned the sea to dry land, and they went through the river on foot. This alludes to the exodus crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and, with 'the river,' the crossing of the Jordan into Canaan (Joshua 3). These two events formed Israel's foundational story, the nation's birth and its entrance into the promised land.

The phrase 'children of men' (bene adam) is universal, not limited to Israel. The psalm calls the whole earth to take note. In the ancient Near East, a king's mighty deeds were proclaimed to neighboring peoples as propaganda. Here God's mighty deeds are declared so that all nations may recognize His sovereignty. The word translated 'awesome' (nora) comes from the verb 'to fear,' and carries a sense of inspiring reverence or terror, the same root used in verse 3 ('How awesome are your deeds!'). The deeds of God are not merely impressive; they confront observers with His absolute claim over the world and its history.

The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 66:5. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The Douay Rheims version supplied in the reference data departs substantially from the Hebrew ('Let the nations be glad and rejoice'), but this appears to be a misidentification of the verse; all other supplied translations (WEB, KJV, ASV, BSB, YLT, Darby, Geneva) agree closely with the Masoretic Text. The reading is secure.

Psalm 66:5 has been used across Christian traditions as a call to corporate testimony. The early church read it christologically, finding in 'the works of God' the mighty acts of Christ. John Gill (18th century Baptist) explicitly applied the verse to the Messiah's miracles and redemptive work. The verse also features in the liturgy of many churches as an invitation to worship, an echo of its original summons. During the Reformation, Calvin and the Geneva Bible stressed the historical deliverance of Israel as the pattern. In modern worship, the verse is often paired with Psalm 46:8 as a call to behold what God has done in salvation history. Its universal scope ('children of men') has supported missionary readings that anticipate the worship of all nations.

Three-point outline

1. The Invitation. 'Come and see' is a command to move toward God's works, not away from them. It assumes that seeing God’s deeds leads to worship. The plural imperative opens the door to corporate testimony, we do not go alone.
2. The Deeds. These are specifically God's 'awesome' acts, grounded in history: the exodus and the crossing of the Jordan (v.6). They are not abstract truths but events in space and time. The size of the acts matches the size of the God who performs them.
3. The Audience. The works are done 'toward the children of men', all humanity. The psalm widens the circle beyond Israel to the whole world. Every person is given a reason to fear and praise.

Five-point outline

1. Universal call (v.1, 4), all the earth invited
2. Eye-witness invitation (v.5), come and see
3. Foundational redemption (v.6), sea turned to dry land
4. Present sovereignty (v.7), He rules by His might forever
5. Warning to the rebellious (v.7b), do not exalt yourselves

Illustration hooks

• A parent who survived a serious illness and now gathers the family to show them the hospital discharge papers, an invitation to look at the evidence, not just hear about it.
• Visiting a battlefield memorial where the terrain itself tells the story of what happened. The guide says 'Come, see the place where the line held.'
• A community recovering from a natural disaster: neighbors point to the high-water mark on the wall and say 'We thought we would lose everything, but help came.'

Questions your congregation is asking

• How do I see God at work when my current circumstances look nothing like deliverance?
• Is this psalm only for big, national rescues, or can it apply to my personal story?
• What does it mean for God to be 'terrible' or 'awesome' in a way that is good news, not bad news?

This verse is an open invitation to look at what God has done. It begins with a command, 'Come and see', and ends by calling what we see 'awesome work.' The surrounding verses (1, 4 and 6, 7) place this invitation in a global context: the whole earth is called to sing praise, and the specific deeds are the exodus and the crossing of the Jordan. Use these questions to help your group move from looking to proclaiming.

Discussion questions

1. Read Psalm 66:5 aloud slowly. What words or phrases stand out to you on first hearing? Why?
2. The verse says 'Come and see God’s deeds.' What do you think the psalmist has in mind, specific historical events, ongoing providence, or both? How does verse 6 help you decide?
3. The Hebrew word for 'awesome' (nora) can mean 'fearful' or 'reverence-inspiring.' In what sense is God's work toward the children of men awesome rather than terrifying?
4. Compare Psalm 66:5 with Psalm 46:8. Both use the same rare word for 'works' (mifʿalot). What does this echo suggest about the psalmist’s intention?
5. The call goes out to 'the children of men', all humanity. Why do you think the psalmist widens the audience beyond Israel? What does this say about God’s character and His purpose for His people?
6. How does remembering what God did in the past (exodus, Jordan crossing) strengthen faith for present struggles? Share a time when recalling a past act of God helped you trust Him in a difficult situation.
7. Verse 7 says 'He rules by His might forever.' How does this statement about God's ongoing rule connect to the invitation in verse 5 to 'come and see'? What does it mean to see God's rule today?