Psalm 98 · a question people ask
Why would "he comes to judge the earth" (98:9) be a reason to sing?
The psalm gives it as the reason, with the word for: "Let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth" (98:9). And it says how he will judge: "He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity" (98:9) (tap equity). Earlier the psalm said, "He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations" (98:2) (tap openly shown). The psalm doesn't say when he comes, and it doesn't say more about the judging than those words. Psalm 96 ends almost the same way (Psalm 96:13); the chapter on Psalm 96 sets the two endings side by side. Psalm 9 says, "He will judge the world in righteousness" (Psalm 9:8), with the same Hebrew words as 98:9's "He will judge the world with righteousness". The chapter on Psalm 9 sets those words beside what Paul said in Athens (Acts 17:31); this chapter doesn't draw that line again. Psalm 58 ends on the same subject: "Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth" (Psalm 58:11).
The verses
“The LORD has made known his salvation. He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations.”
“Let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.”
“before the LORD; for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, the peoples with his truth.”
“He will judge the world in righteousness. He will administer judgment to the peoples in uprightness.”