ה' מָלָךְ יִרְגְּזוּ עַמִּים; יֹשֵׁב כְּרוּבִים תָּנוּט הָאָרֶץ

The Lord reigns, and when God’s sovereignty is revealed, peoples tremble. When He is sitting, seated amidst the cherubs that are atop the Holy Ark in the Temple and serve as God’s throne on earth, as it were, the earth shudders.

ה' בְּצִיּוֹן גָּדוֹל וְרָם הוּא עַל כָּל הָעַמִּים

The Lord is great in Zion, and He is above all the peoples.

יוֹדוּ שִׁמְךָ גָּדוֹל וְנוֹרָא – קָדוֹשׁ הוּא

They acknowledge Your great and awesome name; it is holy.

וְעֹז מֶלֶךְ מִשְׁפָּט אָהֵב אַתָּה כּוֹנַנְתָּ מֵישָׁרִים מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בְּיַעֲקֹב אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ

The might of the King is that He loves justice. God’s strength manifests itself through His love of justice, not in arbitrary exercise of power. You set it straight in place; You wrought judgment and justice in Jacob. God’s revelation on earth is based on law, order, and fairness, and thus the world is set “straight in place.”

רוֹמְמוּ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַהֲדֹם רַגְלָיו קָדוֹשׁ הוּא

Exalt the Lord our God and bow down at His footstool. These verses portray God as if He is sitting on His throne, His feet resting on His “footstool,” the Temple, thereby imparting sanctity to it. He is holy.

מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן בּכֹהֲנָיו ושְׁמוּאֵל בְּקֹרְאֵי שְׁמוֹ קֹרִאים אֶל ה'וְהוּא יַעֲנֵם

The psalmist proceeds to describe God’s greatness as manifested in history: Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel among those who called His name. Beyond being a leader, Samuel was also responsible for the revival of Judaism in his generation. They called to the Lord, and He answered them.

בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן יְדַבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם שָׁמְרוּ עֵדֹתָיו וְחֹק נָתַן לָמוֹ

Through a pillar of cloud He spoke to them, because they kept His precepts and the statutes of the Torah that He gave them as leaders.

ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ אַתָּה עֲנִיתָם אֵל נֹשֵׂא הָיִיתָ לָהֶם ונֹקֵם עַל עֲלִילוֹתָם

Lord our God, You answered them; You answered their prayers. You were a forgiving God to them, but You also took vengeance for their misdeeds. This is proper, since God rules the world with justice.

רוֹמְמוּ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְהַר קָדְשׁוֹ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ

Exalt the Lord our God and bow down at His holy mountain, the site of the Temple. For the Lord our God is holy, and it is fitting to show reverence to anything connected with Him.