Psalm 98:8
New International Version
Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;

New Living Translation
Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy

English Standard Version
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together

Berean Standard Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy

King James Bible
Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

New King James Version
Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together

New American Standard Bible
May the rivers clap their hands, May the mountains sing together for joy

NASB 1995
Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy

NASB 1977
Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the mountains sing together for joy

Legacy Standard Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy

Amplified Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the mountains sing together for joy and delight

Christian Standard Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains shout together for joy

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains shout together for joy

American Standard Version
Let the floods clap their hands; Let the hills sing for joy together

Contemporary English Version
Order the rivers to clap their hands, and all the hills to sing together.

English Revised Version
Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Let the rivers clap their hands and the mountains sing joyfully

Good News Translation
Clap your hands, you rivers; you hills, sing together with joy before the LORD,

International Standard Version
let the rivers clap their hands in unison; and let the mountains sing for joy

Majority Standard Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy

NET Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands! Let the mountains sing in unison

New Heart English Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing for joy together.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

World English Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing for joy together.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Floods clap hand, together hills cry aloud,

Young's Literal Translation
Floods clap hand, together hills cry aloud,

Smith's Literal Translation
The rivers shall clap the hand: the mountains shall rejoice together.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The rivers shall clap their hands, the mountains shall rejoice together

Catholic Public Domain Version
The rivers will clap their hands, the mountains will exult together,

New American Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy,

New Revised Standard Version
Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The rivers will clap hands together and the mountains will sing
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let the floods clap their hands; Let the mountains sing for joy together;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The rivers shall clap their hands together; the mountains shall exult.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Sing to the LORD a New Song
7Let the sea resound, and all that fills it, the world, and all who dwell in it. 8Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy 9before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.…

Cross References
Isaiah 55:12
You will indeed go out with joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Isaiah 44:23
Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O depths of the earth. Break forth in song, O mountains, you forests and all your trees. For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, and revealed His glory in Israel.

Isaiah 49:13
Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; break forth in song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and He will have compassion on His afflicted ones.

Isaiah 35:1-2
The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. / It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

Isaiah 42:10-12
Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise from the ends of the earth—you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them. / Let the desert and its cities raise their voices; let the villages of Kedar cry aloud. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them cry out from the mountaintops. / Let them give glory to the LORD and declare His praise in the islands.

Romans 8:19-22
The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. / For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope / that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. ...

Luke 19:40
“I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”

Psalm 96:11-13
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea resound, and all that fills it. / Let the fields exult, and all that is in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy / before the LORD, for He is coming—He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.

Psalm 93:3-4
The floodwaters have risen, O LORD; the rivers have raised their voice; the seas lift up their pounding waves. / Above the roar of many waters—the mighty breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is majestic.

Psalm 89:5-6
The heavens praise Your wonders, O LORD—Your faithfulness as well—in the assembly of the holy ones. / For who in the skies can compare with the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD?

Psalm 65:12-13
The pastures of the wilderness overflow; the hills are robed with joy. / The pastures are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are decked with grain. They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.

Psalm 47:1
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout unto God with a voice of triumph.

Psalm 19:1-4
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. / Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. / Without speech or language, without a sound to be heard, ...

Revelation 5:13
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!”

Revelation 19:6
And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.


Treasury of Scripture

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

let the floods

Psalm 47:1
To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

2 Kings 11:12
And he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

Isaiah 55:12
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

hills

Psalm 65:12,13
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side…

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Aloud Clap Cry Floods Glad Hand Hands Hills Joy Joyful Mountains Rivers Sing Sounds Streams Together
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Aloud Clap Cry Floods Glad Hand Hands Hills Joy Joyful Mountains Rivers Sing Sounds Streams Together
Psalm 98
1. The psalmist exhorts the Jews
4. The Gentiles
7. And all the creatures, to praise God














Let the rivers clap their hands
This phrase is a vivid example of personification, a literary device where human characteristics are attributed to non-human entities. In the Hebrew text, the word for "rivers" is "נְהָרוֹת" (neharot), which refers to flowing bodies of water. Rivers, in the ancient Near Eastern context, were often seen as symbols of life and sustenance, providing water for agriculture and daily living. The act of clapping hands is a universal gesture of joy and celebration. In this context, it suggests that all of creation is joining in a symphony of praise to God. The imagery of rivers clapping their hands evokes a sense of overwhelming joy and unity in worship, as if even the natural world cannot contain its excitement for the Lord's righteous reign.

let the mountains sing together for joy
The phrase "mountains sing together for joy" continues the theme of creation participating in worship. The Hebrew word for "mountains" is "הָרִים" (harim), which often symbolizes strength, stability, and permanence. Mountains, with their grandeur and majesty, are depicted as joining in the chorus of praise. The idea of mountains singing is another example of personification, emphasizing the universal scope of God's glory. In biblical times, mountains were also seen as places of divine encounter, such as Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The imagery of mountains singing together suggests a harmonious and collective response to God's presence and power, reinforcing the message that all of creation is called to acknowledge and celebrate the Creator.

(8) Clap their hands.--This expression, descriptive of the lapping sound of waves, occurs also in Isaiah 55:12.

Let the hills be joyful together.--

"Far along,

From peak to peak, the rattling crags among,

Leaps the live thunder! Not from one long cloud,

But every mountain now hath found a tongue,

And Jura answers through her misty shroud

Back to the joyous Alps who call to her aloud."

BYRON: Childe Harold, canto iii.

Verse 8. - Let the floods clap their hands. This bold metaphor occurs only here and in Isaiah 55:12, where the "trees" are asked to "clap their hands." Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; or, sing for joy together; i.e. join with the rest of nature in expressing gladness.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Let the rivers
נְהָר֥וֹת (nə·hā·rō·wṯ)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5104: A stream, prosperity

clap
יִמְחֲאוּ־ (yim·ḥă·’ū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 4222: To rub, strike the hands together

their hands,
כָ֑ף (ḵāp̄)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 3709: Hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot), a pan

let the mountains
הָרִ֥ים (hā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

sing together
יַ֝֗חַד (ya·ḥaḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 3162: A unit, unitedly

for joy
יְרַנֵּֽנוּ׃ (yə·ran·nê·nū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7442: To give a ringing cry


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OT Poetry: Psalm 98:8 Let the rivers clap their hands (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 98:7
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