Psalms 99:3 Meaning: The Great and Awesome Name of God

The verb behind “let them praise” is the Hebrew yadah, which means to give thanks or confess. It carries the sense of holding out your hands in gratitude. This is not distant admiration; it is personal, thankful praise that comes from people who have seen God act. The two adjectives describing His name are gadol (great) and nora (awesome). Nora comes from the word for fear, but it means something more like “fearful in a way that leads to reverence.” It is the same word used in Deuteronomy when Israel is told not to be afraid of their enemies because God is a “great and awesome God.” The fear here is not terror; it is the wonder you feel when something is bigger and better than you can grasp. And then the final two words: qadosh hu, holy is He. The pronoun can refer back either to “name” or to God Himself. Either way, the point is the same: at the center of everything is a holiness that is not like ours. It is a goodness so pure it draws our praise.

Christian readers have long noticed that the same refrain in verses 5 and 9 uses the words “He is holy,” making it likely that verse 3 also points directly to God. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes this, and most modern translations now read “Holy is He.” Older English versions like the King James kept “for it is holy,” understanding the name itself as holy. Adam Clarke, a Methodist commentator, treated the phrase as a chorus sung three times. Jewish tradition has also emphasized the holiness of God's name, a theme carried into prayers like the Kaddish. Both readings agree on the central truth: God's holiness is the reason He is praised. The difference is a matter of emphasis, not of substance.

The word “terrible” in older translations misleads many readers. They think it means God is frightening in a destructive way, the way we call a storm terrible. In fact, the Hebrew word nora means “to be feared” in the sense of awe and reverence. It is the same word used when Nehemiah calls God “the great and awesome God” and then gets up to fight for his people. The fear here is not the kind that makes you run away. It is the kind that makes you fall on your knees in wonder.

This week, try this: pick one thing that feels overwhelming, a problem at work, a worry about someone you love, a fear about the future. Instead of letting it grow in your mind, name it as part of God's greatness. Say aloud: “Lord, Your name is great and awesome. This situation is not bigger than You.” Then thank Him for something specific about His holiness, maybe that He never changes, that He is always good, that He sees what you cannot. The ancient call to praise was meant for all peoples. You are one of them. You can answer it with your own small, honest prayer of thanks.