Psalms 100:2 (ASV)

Passage

Serve Jehovah with gladness: Come before his presence with singing.

Nearby Context

Psalms 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah, all ye lands.

Psalms 100:2 Serve Jehovah with gladness: Come before his presence with singing.

Psalms 100:3 Know ye that Jehovah, he is God: It is he that hath made us, and we are his; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psalms 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, And into his courts with praise: Give thanks unto him, and bless his name.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "serve", "jehovah", "gladness", "come", "before", "presence", and "singing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "serve" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Make a joyful noise unto Jehovah all..." into verse 3's "Know ye that Jehovah he is God...", so "serve" and "jehovah" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "serve" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.