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Psalm 100

Psalm 100 grounds its call for joyful worship in YHWH’s ownership of his people and enduring goodness.

An unnamed psalmist calls all lands to shout for joy to YHWH and come before him with singing. The heading identifies the song as a psalm of thanksgiving. Its gates and courts suggest worship at the sanctuary, though no occasion is named. The calls to serve, enter, and give thanks rest on who God is: the maker and shepherd of his people, whose goodness, loving kindness, and faithfulness endure across generations.

gratitudepraise and worship
Read
1A Psalm of thanksgiving. Shout for joy to the LORD, all you lands!
2Serve the LORD with gladness. Come before his presence with singing.
3Know that the LORD, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name.
5For the LORD is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected. Tap a number for its page.
Key verses
Psalm 100:3The command to know YHWH anchors worship in his identity as God and his people’s belonging to him.
Psalm 100:5The closing verse supplies the reason for thanksgiving: YHWH’s goodness, enduring loving kindness, and faithfulness across generations.
Psalm 100:1The opening summons extends beyond Israel, calling all lands to join in joyful praise of YHWH.
Where this chapter reaches

Isaiah shares the picture of God tending his people as a shepherd, while Deuteronomy shares the themes of belonging to God and his enduring faithfulness. The thanksgiving language also appears in 1 Chronicles, and Colossians connects singing to God with gratitude.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

How does the picture of sheep in God’s pasture shape your reading of the commands to worship?

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Which reason for thanksgiving in verse 5 stands out to you, and why?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 100

Who wrote Psalm 100?

Psalm 100 does not name its author. Its heading identifies it as a psalm of thanksgiving, without giving a date or historical occasion. The references to gates and courts suggest sanctuary worship, but they do not establish who composed it or when it was first sung.

What does entering God's gates with thanksgiving mean in Psalm 100?

The gates and courts are the language of a sanctuary, most likely the temple in Jerusalem. Verse 4 pictures worshippers entering with thanks and praise. Verse 5 explains the reason for that praise: YHWH is good, and his loving kindness and faithfulness endure.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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What the Bible says about gratitude →What the Bible says about worship →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).