Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Psalm 93 Bible study: The LORD reigns
Psalm 93 says mighty twice in one verse: the breakers of the sea are mighty, and "the LORD on high is mighty" (93:4). And the word for the majesty the LORD wears (93:1) is the word Psalm 89 uses for the pride of the sea, which he rules (Psalm 89:9).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“Above the voices of many waters, the mighty breakers of the sea, the LORD on high is mighty.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In Psalm 93:4 the WEB calls both the breakers of the sea and the LORD mighty.”
Is that in Psalm 93, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Clothed with majesty
Psalm 93 has no title. It opens, "The LORD reigns! He is clothed with majesty! The LORD is armed with strength" (93:1). Reigns is malakh (tap reigns); Psalm 47's study of the word follows it through the six psalms that have it. Here is what almost everyone misses: in Hebrew the verse says clothed twice (lavash, tap clothed). The first is in "He is clothed with majesty"; the second stands in the words the WEB gives as "The LORD is armed with strength" (93:1), beside azar, which Brown-Driver-Briggs gives as "gird, encompass, equip" (tap armed). And majesty is ge'ut (tap majesty). Psalm 89 has the same word of the sea: "You rule the pride of the sea" (Psalm 89:9). The majesty the LORD wears in Psalm 93 is, in Psalm 89, the sea's pride, which he rules.
Where it leads to Jesus
God's Kingdom is at hand
Psalms 93:1leads toMark 1:14-15
Jesus "came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God’s Kingdom" (Mark 1:14), "and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”" (Mark 1:15). Psalm 93 begins, "The LORD reigns!" (Psalm 93:1), and says to him, "Your throne is established from long ago" (Psalm 93:2). Jesus doesn't name Psalm 93, and Mark doesn't point to it, so setting the two together is a reading. It rests on a shared subject, God's reign, not on the word reigns or Kingdom alone, and no link between the Hebrew and the Greek is claimed. One reading hears one reign in both: the God the psalm says already reigns is the God whose Kingdom Jesus announces as good news, at hand, with a call to repent and believe. Another keeps each to its own setting: the psalm sings of a throne "established from long ago" (Psalm 93:2) and a LORD who is above the floods now (Psalm 93:3-4); Jesus announces God's Kingdom as at hand and calls his hearers to repent and believe (Mark 1:15), without pointing to this psalm. These notes don't choose between them, and they don't make the psalm a prophecy of Jesus' preaching.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 93
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 93 is waiting in Favor
- Established, twice
- The floods, and the LORD on high
- From the waters to his words
- "Your God reigns!"
- Established on the floods, established in the heavens
- 5 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 93 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
מָלַךְmalakhsay ma-LAKH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "be, or become king, or queen, reign". "The LORD reigns! He is clothed with majesty!" (93:1). The Psalms have the verb six times in Hebrew, and this is the first of three psalms that open with it (Psalm 93:1, 97:1, 99:1). Psalm 47's study of the word gives all six. Psalm 96 sends the same words out: "Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”" (Psalm 96:10).
For your group
Psalm 93 Bible study questions
- 1"The floods lift up their waves" (93:3). What feels loudest in your life right now, and what would change if you held on to "the LORD on high is mighty" (93:4) above it?
- 2"Your throne is established from long ago" (93:2). When things around you keep shifting, what helps you remember what doesn't?
- 3"Your statutes stand firm" (93:5). Which of God's words has held firm for you, and how could you lean on it this week?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 93 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Psalm 93 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 93 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Psalm 93
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home