Psalms 99:3

My Notes

What Does Psalms 99:3 Mean?

The psalmist calls for praise of God's "great and terrible name." The word "terrible" (yare) doesn't mean evil or bad—it means awe-inspiring, fearsome, worthy of reverence. God's name inspires both worship and trembling. It's great (commanding admiration) and terrible (commanding fear). Both responses are appropriate simultaneously.

The declaration "for it is holy" provides the reason: God's name deserves this dual response because it is holy—set apart, other, transcendent. Holiness is the quality that makes something simultaneously attractive and terrifying. You're drawn to it and overwhelmed by it at the same time. You want to come closer and you're afraid to come closer—and both impulses are correct.

The call to "let them praise" extends to all people ("them" in context refers to the peoples mentioned earlier in the psalm). God's holy name isn't just Israel's to praise—it's for all nations to acknowledge. The greatness and terribleness of God's name transcend ethnic and national boundaries.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Have you lost the sense of God being 'terrible'—awe-inspiring to the point of trembling? What would it take to recover it?
• 2.Is your worship more comfortable or more awe-filled? What would shift if you let God's holiness feel both great and fearsome?
• 3.How do you hold together the approachability of God (He invites you near) and the terribleness of His holiness (proximity is overwhelming)?
• 4.What does it mean to praise a name that is holy—not casually, not familiarly, but with the weight its holiness deserves?

Devotional

God's name is great. And terrible. Both at the same time. Not terrible in the modern sense of "bad," but in the older sense of "awe-inspiring to the point of trembling." A name so holy that praising it requires both joy and fear.

We've largely lost the concept of "terrible holiness" in modern worship. We're comfortable with God being great—powerful, impressive, worthy of admiration. But "terrible"—the kind of holiness that makes you tremble, that stops you in your tracks, that makes you wonder if you can survive the encounter—that's been softened out of most people's theology.

But it's essential. A God who is only great without being terrible is a God you can manage. A God who inspires admiration but not awe is a God you'll eventually take for granted. The terrible-ness of God's holiness is what prevents familiarity from becoming contempt. It's what keeps worship from becoming casual. It's the weight behind every prayer that reminds you: the being you're addressing is not safe. He's good, but He's not safe.

When was the last time you trembled in God's presence? When did worship feel dangerous rather than comfortable? This verse invites you back to a posture that holds both great and terrible in tension—praising a God whose holiness is simultaneously the most beautiful and the most fearsome thing you'll ever encounter.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture