The Lord reigneth - The same commencement of a psalm occurs in
Psalms 97:1-12;
Psalms 99:1-9. The same idea is often found in the Scriptures.
1 Chronicles 16:31;
Psalms 47:8;
Isaiah 52:7;
Revelation 19:6. The thought seems abrupt here. It would appear as if the psalmist had been meditating on the dark things which occur in the world; the mysteries which abound; the things which seem irreconcilable with the idea that there is a just government over the world, and that suddenly the idea occurs, as a flash of lightning in a storm, that Yahweh reigns over all, and that all must be right. Amidst all these things God sits upon the throne; he orders all events; he sways his scepter over all; he orders all things according to his own will; he secures the accomplishment of his own purposes.
He is clothed with majesty - That is, he puts on, or wears this; he appears in this as a garb, or robe. The word rendered “majesty” means properly “loftiness,” and is applied to the swelling of the sea
Psalms 89:9, or to a column of smoke,
Isaiah 9:18. The idea here is, that God is exalted; and that he appears in such a manner as to indicate his proper dignity. See the notes at
Isaiah 6:1.
The Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself - There is an allusion here to the mode of dress among the Orientals - the custom of girding the loins when one labored, or walked, or ran. See the notes at
Matthew 5:38-41.