1 A Canticle of David himself, when the house was built after the captivity. Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "O come, let us sing unto the Lord" (ver. 1). He calleth us to a great banquet of joy, not one of this world, but in the Lord. For if there were not in this life a wicked joy which is to be distinguished from a righteous joy, it would be enough to say, "Come, let us rejoice;" but he has briefly distinguished it. What is it to rejoice aright? To rejoice in the Lord.
2 Sing to the Lord and bless his name. Announce his salvation from day to day.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "Let us prevent His face by confession" [Psalm 95:2]. Confession has a double meaning in Scripture. There is a confession of him who praises, there is that of him who groans. The confession of praise pertains to the honour of Him who is praised: the confession of groaning to the repentance of him who confesses.
3 Announce his glory among the Gentiles, his miracles among all peoples.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "And make a joyful noise unto Him with Psalms." We have already said what it is "to make a joyful noise:" the word is repeated, that it may be confirmed by the act: the very repetition is an exhortation.
4 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised. He is terrible, beyond all gods.
Jerome · AD 420 For our salvation the Son of God is made the Son of man. Nine months he awaits his birth in the womb, undergoes the most revolting conditions and comes forth covered with blood, to be swathed in rags and covered with caresses. "He who clasps the world in his fist" is contained in the narrow limits of a manger.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 What does the Psalm add? "In His hand are all the corners of the earth" [Psalm 95:4]: we recognise the corner stone: the corner stone is Christ. There cannot be a corner, unless it has united in itself two walls: they come from different sides to one corner, but they are not opposed to each other in the corner.
5 For all the gods of the Gentiles are demons, but the Lord made the heavens.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "For the sea is His and He made it" [Psalm 95:5]. For the sea is this world, but God made also the sea: nor can the waves rage save only so far as to the shore, where He has marked their bounds.
6 Confession and beauty are in his sight. Sanctity and magnificence are in his sanctuary.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "O come, let us worship, and fall down to Him; and mourn before the Lord our Maker" [Psalm 95:6]....Perhaps you are burning with the consciousness of a fault; blot out with tears the flame of your sin: mourn before the Lord: fearlessly mourn before the Lord, who made you; for He despises not the work of His own hands in you. Think not you can be restored by yourself.
Bonaventure · AD 1257 We ought to say: Lord, you are the one whom we ought to adore, whom we ought to serve; you are the one who created me; you are the one who redeemed me. Come, let us adore and fall down and weep before the Lord who made us, for he is the Lord our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
7 Bring to the Lord, you natives of the nations, bring to the Lord glory and honor.
Hebrews · AD 69 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "For He is the Lord our God" [Psalm 95:7]. But that we may without fear fall down and kneel before Him, what are we? "We are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand." See how elegantly he has transposed the order of the words, and as it were not given its own attribute to each word; that we may understand these very same to be the sheep, who are also the people.
Fulgentius of Ruspe · AD 533 Indeed, no one should continue longer time in his sins out of hope for the mercy of God, since no one wishes to be ill for a longer time in the body because of the hope for future health.
8 Bring to the Lord glory for his name. Lift up sacrifices, and enter into his courts.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 Therefore, "Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts" [Psalm 95:8]. O my people, the people of God! God addresses His people: not only the people of His which He shall not cast off, but also all His people.
9 Adore the Lord in his holy court. Let the entire earth be shaken before his face.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "As in the provocation, and in the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers proved Me" (ver. 9). Let such be no more your fathers: imitate them not. They were your fathers, but if ye do not imitate them, they shall not be your fathers: yet as ye were born of them, they were your fathers.
10 Say among the Gentiles: The Lord has reigned. For he has even corrected the whole world, which will not be shaken. He will judge the peoples with fairness.
Ambrose of Milan · AD 397 "See, O people, the grace of Christ about you. Even while you are harassed on earth, you have possessions in heaven. There, then, let your heart be, where your possession is." This is the rest that is due the just and is denied the unworthy.
John Chrysostom · AD 407 Did not the prophet, speaking in behalf of God, say to you, "Forty years I was offended with that generation, and I said, 'These always err in heart.' " How was it, then, that at that time God did not turn away from you?
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 "Forty years long was I very near unto this generation, and said, It is a people that do always err in their hearts; for they have not known My ways" [Psalm 95:10]. The forty years have the same meaning as the word "always." For that number forty indicates the fullness of ages, as if the ages were perfected in this number.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth exult; let the sea and all its fullness be moved.
Augustine of Hippo · AD 430 ...We began with exulting joy: but this Psalm hath ended with great fear: "Unto whom I sware in My wrath, that they should not enter into My rest" (ver. 11). It is a great thing for God to speak: how much greater for Him to swear?
12 The fields and all the things that are in them will be glad. Then all the trees of the forest will rejoice
13 before the face of the Lord: for he arrives. For he arrives to judge the earth. He will judge the whole world with fairness and the peoples with his truth.