Psalm 96 Catholic: Sing to the Lord a New Song, and Meaning

Psalm 96, “Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord, all the earth,” calls every nation to praise the Lord, the King who comes to judge the world with justice. Its joy, “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad,” is the song the Church sings at Midnight Mass on Christmas. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 95. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.

Psalm 96 in the Douay-Rheims Bible

A canticle for David himself, when the house was built after the captivity. Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing ye to the Lord and bless his name: shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people.
For the Lord is great, and exceedingly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils: but the Lord made the heavens.
Praise and beauty are before him: holiness and majesty in his sanctuary.
Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles, bring ye to the Lord glory and honour:
Bring to the Lord glory unto his name. Bring up sacrifices, and come into his courts:
Adore ye the Lord in his holy court. Let all the earth be moved at his presence.
Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned. For he hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved: he will judge the people with justice.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof:
The fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful. Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice
Before the face of the Lord, because he cometh: because he cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with justice, and the people with his truth.

Psalm 96 or Psalm 95?

The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 95 is Psalm 96 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Cantate Domino canticum novum. See how many psalms are there?

What the psalm means

A new song: God’s saving deeds are always new, so our praise must be new too.
For all nations: “Declare his glory among the Gentiles,” a missionary psalm.
The one true God: the idols are nothing, “but the Lord made the heavens.”
“The Lord hath reigned”: God is King of the whole world. An old Latin version read “the Lord hath reigned from the wood,” and the Church’s Passion hymn Vexilla Regis sings that God “reigned from the tree” of the Cross.
All creation rejoices: the heavens, the earth, the sea and “all the trees of the woods” rejoice “because he cometh.”

How the Church uses Psalm 96

At Christmas Midnight Mass, with the response “Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.” See Christmas Mass.
In the old Roman Missal, “Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad” was the offertory chant of Midnight Mass.
On other Sundays, including the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) and the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A).

A prayer with Psalm 96

Written for this page:

Lord, I sing to you a new song; I bless your name day after day.
Let all the earth know your glory and your wonders.
Come, Lord Jesus, King of all creation:
let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad, for you come to save us. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Psalm 96 read at Christmas?

Because it rejoices that the Lord “cometh,” and the Church sings it at Midnight Mass to welcome the birth of Christ.

What is the “new song”?

The praise of those who have experienced God’s salvation; for Christians, the song of the redeemed in Christ (Apocalypse 5:9).

More psalms and prayers

Texts and sources

Scripture: Psalm 95 (96), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayer was written for this page.