The Meaning of Psalms 96:4 Explained

Psalms 96:4

KJV: For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

YLT: For great is Jehovah, and praised greatly, Fearful He is over all gods.

Darby: For Jehovah is great and exceedingly to be praised; he is terrible above all gods.

ASV: For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared above all gods.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For the LORD  [is] great,  and greatly  to be praised:  he [is] to be feared  above all gods. 

What does Psalms 96:4 Mean?

Study Notes

feared
.
fear of the Lord
The "fear of the Lord," a phrase of the O.T. piety, meaning reverential trust, with hatred of evil.

Context Summary

Psalm 96:1-13 - "the Lord Reigneth"
This psalm is found also in 1 Chronicles 16:1-43. Note the thrice-repeated command, Sing, sing, sing, Psalms 96:1-2; the corresponding, thrice-repeated, Give, give, give, Psalms 96:7-8; the triple call for joy from heaven, sea, and land, Psalms 96:11-12. It is good to read these psalms; they impart the burning devotion of these olden saints. They break on our lethargy as the bugle-call on the sleeping soldier. Notice that we call men to a Jubilate, not a Miserere, when we invite them to come home to God.
What a stately procession escorts the King to the throne of the world! He comes to reign in equity. Righteousness and truth which had fled the world return with Him. Honor and majesty are His avant-couriers. Strength and beauty stand in His court-circle. When we are brought into the divine Kingdom, and are at one with God, we detect the unison of nature in her song of praise. The seas provide the bass; the quivering leaves, the song of buds, the hum of insect life provide the tenors and altos; while the stars in their courses sing the treble. To the anointed ear, the new song has already begun. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 96

1  An exhortation to praise God
4  for his greatness
8  for his kingdom
11  for his general judgment

What do the individual words in Psalms 96:4 mean?

For great Yahweh [is] and to be praised greatly to be feared He [is] above all gods
כִּ֥י גָ֘ד֤וֹל יְהוָ֣ה וּמְהֻלָּ֣ל מְאֹ֑ד נוֹרָ֥א ה֝֗וּא עַל־ כָּל־ אֱלֹהִֽים

גָ֘ד֤וֹל  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh  [is] 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וּמְהֻלָּ֣ל  and  to  be  praised 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Pual, Participle, masculine singular
Root: הָלַל 
Sense: to shine.
מְאֹ֑ד  greatly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
נוֹרָ֥א  to  be  feared 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
ה֝֗וּא  He  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
עַל־  above 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
אֱלֹהִֽים  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).