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Selected Verse: Psalms 97:12 - King James

Verse	Translation	Text
Ps 97:12	King James	Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

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Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - See the notes at Psa 33:1. And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness - Margin, "to the memorial" (compare Psa 30:4). The idea is, "to the memory of his holiness;" that is, when his holiness comes before the mind; when it is remembered; when it is thought of. Give thanks or rejoice, (a) that God is holy; that he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; that there is One eternally pure who presides over the universe; that there is One who will always do what is right; (b) that such a Being is our God - our covenant-keeping God; that we may look to him, trust in him, enjoy him. Wicked people do not rejoice that there is a God at all, and especially that God is a "holy God;" but it is one of the characteristics of true piety to rejoice in the thought that there is a God, and that he is perfectly holy, and hence, to feel conscious happiness whenever his name is mentioned, and whenever his attributes are referred to. The highest source of joy for man is that there is a God, and that God is exactly what he is, pure and holy. It would be a source of deepest sorrow if there were no God, or if God were in any respect, even the slightest, a different being from what he is.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - See the notes at Psa 33:1.

And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness - Margin, "to the memorial" (compare Psa 30:4). The idea is, "to the memory of his holiness;" that is, when his holiness comes before the mind; when it is remembered; when it is thought of. Give thanks or rejoice,

(a) that God is holy; that he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; that there is One eternally pure who presides over the universe; that there is One who will always do what is right;

(b) that such a Being is our God - our covenant-keeping God; that we may look to him, trust in him, enjoy him.

Wicked people do not rejoice that there is a God at all, and especially that God is a "holy God;" but it is one of the characteristics of true piety to rejoice in the thought that there is a God, and that he is perfectly holy, and hence, to feel conscious happiness whenever his name is mentioned, and whenever his attributes are referred to. The highest source of joy for man is that there is a God, and that God is exactly what he is, pure and holy. It would be a source of deepest sorrow if there were no God, or if God were in any respect, even the slightest, a different being from what he is.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - It is your privilege to be happy. Exult in him through whom ye have received the atonement. Rejoice; but let it be in the Lord. All other joy is the mirth of fools, which is as the crackling of thorns under a pot - it is a luminous blaze for a moment, and leaves nothing but smoke and ashes behind. At the remembrance of his holiness - But why should you give thanks at the remembrance that God is holy? Because he has said, Be ye holy; for I am holy: and in holiness alone true happiness is to be found. As he, therefore, who hath called you is holy; so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. False Christians hate the doctrine of Christian holiness; they are willing to be holy in another, but not holy in themselves. There is too much cross-bearing and self-denial in the doctrine of holiness for them. A perfect heart they neither expect nor wish. The analysis considers the whole Psalm as relating to Jesus Christ and the last judgment: so it was understood by several of the ancient fathers. The reader may take it in either sense.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826

Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous - It is your privilege to be happy. Exult in him through whom ye have received the atonement. Rejoice; but let it be in the Lord. All other joy is the mirth of fools, which is as the crackling of thorns under a pot - it is a luminous blaze for a moment, and leaves nothing but smoke and ashes behind.

At the remembrance of his holiness - But why should you give thanks at the remembrance that God is holy? Because he has said, Be ye holy; for I am holy: and in holiness alone true happiness is to be found. As he, therefore, who hath called you is holy; so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. False Christians hate the doctrine of Christian holiness; they are willing to be holy in another, but not holy in themselves. There is too much cross-bearing and self-denial in the doctrine of holiness for them. A perfect heart they neither expect nor wish.

The analysis considers the whole Psalm as relating to Jesus Christ and the last judgment: so it was understood by several of the ancient fathers. The reader may take it in either sense.

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