The Meaning of Psalms 96:11 Explained

Psalms 96:11

KJV: Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

YLT: The heavens joy, and the earth is joyful, The sea and its fulness roar.

Darby: Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;

ASV: Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let the heavens  rejoice,  and let the earth  be glad;  let the sea  roar,  and the fulness  thereof. 

What does Psalms 96:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 96:1-13 - "the Lord Reigneth"
This psalm is found also in 1 Chronicles 16:1-43. Note the thrice-repeated command, Sing, sing, sing, Psalms 96:1-2; the corresponding, thrice-repeated, Give, give, give, Psalms 96:7-8; the triple call for joy from heaven, sea, and land, Psalms 96:11-12. It is good to read these psalms; they impart the burning devotion of these olden saints. They break on our lethargy as the bugle-call on the sleeping soldier. Notice that we call men to a Jubilate, not a Miserere, when we invite them to come home to God.
What a stately procession escorts the King to the throne of the world! He comes to reign in equity. Righteousness and truth which had fled the world return with Him. Honor and majesty are His avant-couriers. Strength and beauty stand in His court-circle. When we are brought into the divine Kingdom, and are at one with God, we detect the unison of nature in her song of praise. The seas provide the bass; the quivering leaves, the song of buds, the hum of insect life provide the tenors and altos; while the stars in their courses sing the treble. To the anointed ear, the new song has already begun. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 96

1  An exhortation to praise God
4  for his greatness
8  for his kingdom
11  for his general judgment

What do the individual words in Psalms 96:11 mean?

Let rejoice the heavens and let be glad the earth let roar the sea and all its fullness
יִשְׂמְח֣וּ הַ֭שָּׁמַיִם וְתָגֵ֣ל הָאָ֑רֶץ יִֽרְעַ֥ם הַ֝יָּ֗ם וּמְלֹאֽוֹ

יִשְׂמְח֣וּ  Let  rejoice 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׂמַח  
Sense: to rejoice, be glad.
הַ֭שָּׁמַיִם  the  heavens 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וְתָגֵ֣ל  and  let  be  glad 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person feminine singular
Root: גִּיל  
Sense: to rejoice, exult, be glad.
הָאָ֑רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
יִֽרְעַ֥ם  let  roar 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָעַם 
Sense: to thunder.
הַ֝יָּ֗ם  the  sea 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָם  
Sense: sea.
וּמְלֹאֽוֹ  and  all  its  fullness 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מְלֹא  
Sense: fullness, that which fills.