“The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”
The proclamation 'The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his dominion rules over all' shifts the focus from the community to the cosmic order, asserting God's absolute sovereignty. The language of throne and dominion (malkhuth, kingdom/dominion) invokes royal imagery to express God's supreme authority over all existence. The phrase 'in the heavens' situates the throne in the transcendent realm, emphasizing God's distance and majesty. The parallel 'his dominion rules over all' (ume-malkhutho) suggests that the entire cosmos is subject to God's rule. This verse expands the horizon dramatically: having celebrated God's mercy toward the righteous and their descendants, the psalm now locates that mercy within the context of absolute cosmic sovereignty. The assertion that dominion 'rules over all' might suggest arbitrary power, but the preceding verses establish that this absolute sovereignty is exercised in mercy toward the creatures. Thus cosmic rule and tender compassion are shown to be compatible.
Church Fathers on Psalms 103:19
1. ...“Bless the Lord, O my soul! And all that is within me, His holy Name” Psalm 102:1. I suppose that he speaks not of what is within the body; I do not suppose him to mean this, that our lungs and liver, and so forth, are to burst forth into the voice of blessing of the Lord. There are lungs in our breast indeed, like a kind of bellows, which send forth successive breathings, which breathing forth of the air inhaled is pressed out into voice and sound, when the words are…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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