“The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 89:12 Mean?
Ethan praises God as Creator with geographic specifics: "The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name." God made the compass points themselves — north and south are His invention. And then two specific mountains are named: Tabor in the southwest and Hermon in the northeast. Together they bracket the land of Israel from corner to corner.
The personification of mountains rejoicing is a recurring biblical image — creation itself celebrates its Maker. Tabor and Hermon don't just exist; they praise. The rocks themselves are not silent; they respond to God's name with joy.
The pairing of cosmic scope (creating directional categories) and geographic specificity (naming individual mountains) shows God's engagement at every scale. He's the God of the compass and the God of specific peaks. He operates at the level of universal direction and particular geography simultaneously.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Is it easier for you to believe in God at the cosmic scale or the personal scale? Why?
- 2.What 'mountain' in your life does God know by name?
- 3.What does it mean that creation itself rejoices in God's name?
- 4.How does the pairing of universal scope and specific geography affect your view of God's involvement in your life?
Devotional
God created north and south. Not just the land that's in the north or the south — the directions themselves. The categories of spatial orientation are His invention. Before there was a north to go to, God created the concept.
And then, immediately, the psalm names specific mountains: Tabor and Hermon. From the abstract (directional categories) to the concrete (particular peaks with particular names). God operates at both scales simultaneously — the God who invented north is the God who shaped Tabor.
This is important because it's easy to believe in a God who made the universe in general and harder to believe He cares about your specific mountain. The universal God feels accessible as an idea. The particular God — the one who knows the name of your specific struggle, your specific geography, your specific peak — feels harder to trust.
But the psalm holds both together. North and south: cosmic scope. Tabor and Hermon: named particulars. He who made the compass points also made the hills you can see from your window. He who ordered the universe also ordered your life.
And the mountains rejoice. Not because they're commanded to, but because that's what creation does when it encounters its Creator. The rocks praise because they can't help it. What would it look like for you to praise like a mountain — not from obligation but from the sheer reality of who made you?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Thou hast a mighty arm,.... Christ is the arm of the Lord, and a mighty one he is, and so is the Gospel, which is the…
The north and the south, thou hast created them - All that there is in the north and in the south - in the northern and…
These verses are full of the praises of God. Observe,
I. Where, and by whom, God is to be praised. 1. God is praised by…
The north and the south The furthest extremities of the world. Cp. Job 26:7.
Tabor and Hermon These mountains are named,…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture