Skip to content

David

Psalm 66

To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm.

Play PsalmReady
Share:

Scripture (KJV)

1Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:

2Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.

3Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.

4All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.

5Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.

6He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

7He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

8O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:

9Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.

10For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.

11Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.

12Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

13I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,

14Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

15I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.

16Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

17I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.

18If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

19But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

20Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

Summary

Psalm 66 is a communal and individual thanksgiving hymn that calls all lands to make a joyful noise to God. The first half summons all the earth to worship, recalling how God turned the sea into dry land and rules by His power forever. The people bless God who holds their soul in life, even though He has proved and tried them as silver, brought them through fire and water, and then brought them out into a wealthy place. The second half turns personal: David will go into God’s house with burnt offerings and pay his vows. He invites all who fear God to hear what God has done for his soul, testifying, "I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue." The famous verse 18 warns that if we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us, yet David closes with confidence: "Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me."

The major themes are joyful praise, God’s mighty works, testing and deliverance, personal testimony, and answered prayer. Practically, the psalm teaches that God refines His people through fire and water and then brings them to a place of abundance. The great lesson is that God hears the prayer of those who do not regard iniquity in their hearts.

Key Themes

A Prayer from Psalm 66

I make a joyful noise to You, O God. All the earth shall worship You and sing to Your name. Come and see the works of God: He turned the sea into dry land. He holds my soul in life and suffers not my feet to be moved. You have proved me and tried me as silver; You brought me through fire and water and out into a wealthy place. I will go into Your house with burnt offerings and pay my vows. Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me; but verily God has heard me and attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflection Questions

  1. 1How does God’s refining through "fire and water" end in "a wealthy place"?
  2. 2What does it mean to "regard iniquity in my heart"?
  3. 3How can I declare what God has done for my soul?
  4. 4Where have I seen God not turn away my prayer or His mercy?

Related Psalms

Support BookofPsalms.org

If you find BookofPsalms.org helpful and would like to support the website, you may make a voluntary contribution through PayPal. Your support helps pay for the operation, hosting, maintenance, development, content, security, and continued improvement of BookofPsalms.org.

Independent Website & Contribution Disclosure

BookofPsalms.org is an independently operated, privately owned website. BookofPsalms.org is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or operated by any church, denomination, ministry, religious organization, charity, or nonprofit organization.

All funds contributed through BookofPsalms.org are received by the privately owned company that operates the website. Funds may be used by the company to support website hosting, maintenance, development, content creation, administration, advertising, technology, and other business and operating expenses.

Contributions are voluntary and are NOT tax-deductible charitable donations. BookofPsalms.org does not represent contributions as charitable donations or contributions to a nonprofit, church, ministry, or tax-exempt religious organization.

Receive weekly Psalms and prayers

A gentle Psalm, an original prayer, and a short reflection—delivered once a week.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.