New Living Translation
Psalms 50:4
4He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people.
Psalms 50:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
- New International Version (NIV)He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:
- English Standard Version (ESV)He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
- New King James Version (NKJV)He shall call to the heavens from above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people:
Context of Psalms 50:4
2From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance. 3Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him. He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people. 5“Bring my faithful people to me— those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.” 6Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge. Interlude
Read all of Psalms 50Psalms 50:4 word by word
יִקְרָ֣א אֶל־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם מֵעָ֑ל וְאֶל־הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ לָדִ֥ין עַמּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 50:4
- Psalms 50:6Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge. Interlude
- Deuteronomy 4:36He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it.
- Deuteronomy 30:19“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
- Deuteronomy 31:28“Now summon all the elders and officials of your tribes, so that I can speak to them directly and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
- Deuteronomy 32:1“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak! Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
- Isaiah 1:2Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth! This is what the Lord says: “The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.
- Micah 6:1Listen to what the Lord is saying: “Stand up and state your case against me. Let the mountains and hills be called to witness your complaints.
- Psalms 96:13before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.
- Psalms 98:9before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.
- Isaiah 11:3He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
- John 5:22In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge,
Commentaries on Psalms 50:4
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4He shall call to the heavens from above - He will call on all the universe; he will summon all worlds. The meaning here is, not that he will gather those who are in heaven to be judged, but that he will call on the inhabitants of all worlds to be his witnesses; to bear their attestation to the justice of his sentence. See Psalm 50:6. The phrase “from above” does not, of course, refer to the heavens as being above God, but to the heavens as they appear to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-6The Lord is coming to bring justice. This hope encourages his faithful people. However, those who have been unfaithful will not receive blessings when the heavens and earth testify against them (see Deuteronomy 30:19; 31:28; 32:1; Isaiah 1:2). The Lord comes to restore order to the world (see Psalms 5:8; 22:31; 33:5; 40:9; 50:6; 71:16; 97:6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-231-4. The description of this majestic appearance of God resembles that of His giving the law (compare Ex 19:16; 20:18; De 32:1).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 50:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 50
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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