Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
Psalm 149 belongs to a group of psalms associated with the Jews' return from Babylonian captivity and the joy, sorrow, and anxiety of the returning exiles. The word translated dance represents a Hebrew word that can refer to a musical instrument with a merry sound, of which this verse is one of at least two scriptural instances. The verse calls God's people to praise His name with dancing and music, with joyful song on instruments including the timbrel and harp. This praise with dance and musical instruments is part of the saints' rejoicing in God.
The dancing it commends is religious worship, as in David's time, to be directed to God's glory rather than personal amusement or worldly approval. It is to be practiced in the proper place and season, with moderation and proper conduct. By calling for praise through dance and song with timbrel and harp, the verse shows that the psalms were meant not only to be read and studied but also sung. This praise belongs to all His saints, both those who are alive when the Lord comes and those who have been resurrected. The psalm shows that God's people on the earth are saints, with the name saint belonging to all living servants of God who yield themselves to the will of God, not to a special class made by kings and emperors or by pope and cardinals through a slow and difficult process reaching over centuries.
In the context of the promise of authority over the nations, the verse's praise points to persecuted saints sharing Christ's eternal triumph over sin and oppression. It describes the overcomers executing judgment with Christ at the close of sin's reign. It shows the executive phase of judgment, distinct from the investigative judgment of the thousand years. It describes the final triumph of the saints with Christ over the wicked nations at the end of the thousand years, when final judgment is executed.
Psalm 149 belongs to a group of psalms associated with the Jews' return from Babylonian captivity and the joy, sorrow, and anxiety of the returning exiles. The word translated dance represents a Hebrew word that can refer to a musical instrument with a merry sound, of which this verse is one of at least two scriptural instances. The verse calls God's people to praise His name with dancing and music, with joyful song on instruments including the timbrel and harp. This praise with dance and musical instruments is part of the saints' rejoicing in God.
The dancing it commends is religious worship, as in David's time, to be directed to God's glory rather than personal amusement or worldly approval. It is to be practiced in the proper place and season, with moderation and proper conduct. By calling for praise through dance and song with timbrel and harp, the verse shows that the psalms were meant not only to be read and studied but also sung. This praise belongs to all His saints, both those who are alive when the Lord comes and those who have been resurrected. The psalm shows that God's people on the earth are saints, with the name saint belonging to all living servants of God who yield themselves to the will of God, not to a special class made by kings and emperors or by pope and cardinals through a slow and difficult process reaching over centuries.
In the context of the promise of authority over the nations, the verse's praise points to persecuted saints sharing Christ's eternal triumph over sin and oppression. It describes the overcomers executing judgment with Christ at the close of sin's reign. It shows the executive phase of judgment, distinct from the investigative judgment of the thousand years. It describes the final triumph of the saints with Christ over the wicked nations at the end of the thousand years, when final judgment is executed.