Chapter Ninety-Two

The entire group of psalms from 92 to 99 in the Hebrew Bible has no inscription naming the author; in the Greek Bible and in the Vulgate, however, seven consecutive psalms beginning with 92 and ending with 98 are attributed to David, while the 99th psalm in these Bibles too has no inscription naming the author. In all these psalms there are no historical indications of the time of their composition. But among them there is much in common: a grateful and praiseworthy tone in the presentation, the singing of the greatness of God, the depiction of the anticipated coming of His kingdom, and from this the appeal to people to follow and obey Him. All this indicates the origin of the psalms from one era and suggests a single author. From the fact that the content of the psalms presents great similarity with the prophecies of Isaiah set forth in the latter part (chapters 40–66) of his book (see on this matter Father Vishnyakov: Origin of the Psalter, pages 441–442), the composition of the psalms should be referred to a time close to the prophet Isaiah. The psalms nowhere speak of the destruction of Jerusalem, the devastation of Judah by pagan nations, the destruction of the temple; on the one hand, on the other—in the writer of the psalms is seen an elevation of religious feeling combined with faith in the coming of the kingdom of the Lord, which faith he preaches to the whole people, with the aim of instilling and fostering it in his countrymen and thereby contributing to their spiritual regeneration; from all this one can think that the time of composition of the psalms could have been such an era when there were as yet no signs of the impending destruction of Judah and when in the religious and moral life of the people there was an elevation that provoked and made possible the appearance of the aforesaid psalms. Only one such era was there, namely the time of the reign of Josiah, during which the autograph of the law of Moses was found and read publicly to the people, with the preaching of which the prophet Jeremiah went to the people, and during which the intensified efforts of the king were directed toward the restoration of true worship and the religious and moral regeneration of the people. For pious poets this time was the most favorable for psalmody and the composition of hymns.

Psalm 92 according to the Greek text, as well as in the Vulgate, is called the pre-sabbath psalm, which indicates the time of its liturgical performance. The psalm even now stands in Jewish prayer books as the morning prayer on Friday. The further continuation of the inscription—“when the land is inhabited”—which seems to indicate a connection of the psalm’s content with the biblical narrative of the fifth day of creation, when the crown of creation—man—appeared, in reality does not have such a connection.

The Lord Almighty and eternal is the King of the world, therefore the Universe “shall not be moved” (1–2). Rivers and seas raise their waves, but they are insignificant before God (3–4). All His promises will be fulfilled and the house of God will not be shaken (5).

Psalm 92:1. The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is firmly established, it cannot be moved. Psalm 92:2. Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity. The Lord is depicted as a powerful King of the Universe, which exists and is governed by His immutable laws. No one but the Lord Himself can change these laws, therefore the Universe is “firmly established.” It cannot “be moved,” no change can be produced upon it by any limited being, except by the will of the Lord, and since in His omnipotence the Lord is also eternal, such an order of the world’s life is also eternal and unchanging (2).

Psalm 92:3. The rivers raise their voices, O Lord; the rivers raise their voices, thundering. Psalm 92:4. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is mighty. By the raisings of the waves of rivers and the waves of seas, one should understand the hostile movements during the reign of King Josiah, which could threaten many dangers and military conflicts with them and Judah. Josiah was conscious of the weakness of his military forces to repel the enemy and the successful struggle with him, but faith in the help of the Lord strengthened him, and this faith he wanted to impart, through the author of the psalm, to all the people, when he said that the Lord is “mighty... beyond the roar... of the waves,” that with divine help the Hebrews have nothing to fear from numerous and mighty enemies.

Psalm 92:5. Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for all the days, O Lord. If the Hebrews remain faithful to the covenant with God, then the enemies are not able to cause harm either to the people themselves or to the holy temple. This is because the Lord is faithful to His promises given to the Hebrews and possesses, as Almighty, the power to always fulfill them; the forces of the enemies are nothing before Him.