Psalm 100

Psalm 100 belongs to Book IV of the Psalms (Psalms 90–106). Psalms 93 and 95–99 carry forward a series of royal hymns proclaiming that "the LORD reigneth," and Psalm 100 is commonly read as a brief hymn that brings this sequence to a close. Whereas the immediately preceding Psalm 99 exalts the holy King, Psalm 100 summons all the earth to come before that King.

Structure

• Verses 1–2 call all the earth to make a joyful noise unto the LORD, to serve him with gladness, and to come before his presence with singing.
• Verse 3 bids the hearers know that the LORD is God. He is the one who made us; we are his people and the sheep he tends.
• Verse 4 calls them to enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts (the temple courts) with praise, to give thanks to him, and to bless (extol) his name.
• Verse 5 states the reason for praise: the LORD is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his faithfulness endures to all generations.

Key Verses

• Psalm 100:3 "It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" — by confessing God as both Creator and Shepherd, this verse sets forth the ground of worship.
• Psalm 100:4 "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving" — widely quoted because it presents thanksgiving and praise as the proper attitude in which to come to worship.
• Psalm 100:5 "His mercy is everlasting" — this echoes a confession repeated throughout the Psalter (e.g., Psalms 106 and 136).

People and Places

• The LORD (Jehovah): the God of Israel and the object of the praise to which this psalm calls.
• Temple in Jerusalem: the "gates" and "courts" of verse 4 are understood to refer to the gates and courts of the temple.

Points for Reflection

• The Hebrew word todah in the superscription "A Psalm of Thanksgiving" can mean both a song of thanks and a thank offering. For this reason, some interpreters regard the psalm as a song sung when a thank offering was presented.
• Depending on the Hebrew manuscript tradition, verse 3 can also be read "and not we ourselves." The King James Version follows this reading, while the Korean Revised Version follows the reading "and we are his."
• The word "mercy" in verse 5 translates hesed, which denotes steadfast, covenant-keeping love.
• The opening verse, addressed to "all the earth" (KJV "all ye lands"), is read as an invitation to worship that extends beyond Israel to all nations. The shepherd-and-sheep imagery of verse 3 is often read in connection with the New Testament image of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11–15).
• In Judaism this psalm is known to be recited in weekday morning prayers. In Anglican Morning Prayer, including that of the Anglican Church of Korea, it is used under the name "Jubilate," taken from its opening Latin word.

In the Korean Church

• It is frequently used as a sermon text for Thanksgiving and First Harvest Thanksgiving, and verse 4 is often quoted as the theme for Thanksgiving Sunday.
• It is also commonly read as a call to worship at the beginning of services.
• "Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving," which sets the words of verse 4 directly to music, is widely sung as a gospel song.
• The tune composed for this psalm in the sixteenth-century Genevan Psalter is known as "Old Hundredth." The Doxology "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow," hymn no. 1 in the New Hymnal, is sung to this tune.