Introduction: Eschatological Expectation in Liturgical Poetry
Psalm 96 celebrates the kingship of YHWH and His coming judgment over all the earth. The final verse, 96:13, brings the psalm to a climax with a powerful prophetic declaration, repeated for emphasis:
לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָ֨ה כִּ֬י בָ֗א כִּ֥י בָא֮ לִשְׁפֹּ֪ט הָ֫אָ֥רֶץ יִשְׁפֹּֽט־תֵּבֵ֥ל בְּצֶ֑דֶק וְ֝עַמִּ֗ים בֶּאֱמוּנָתֹֽו׃
Before the LORD, for He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth! He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His faithfulness.
The verse features the poetic repetition of כִּי בָא (“for He is coming”) and the use of aspectually significant verb forms that frame the judgment of YHWH as both imminent and certain. Through participial force, perfective nuance, and parallel structure, the psalmist affirms eschatological justice in a liturgical setting.
Grammatical Feature Analysis: Repetition and Verb Aspect
The key grammatical feature in this verse is the repetition of the perfect verb בָא (“he has come” / “he is coming”). Though the perfect form typically expresses past action, here it carries a prophetic present/future sense, common in poetic and prophetic Hebrew. This usage affirms the certainty and imminence of divine judgment (cf. Joüon-Muraoka §112; Waltke-O’Connor §30.1.1b).
The double repetition כִּי בָא כִּי בָא intensifies the declaration, adding rhetorical urgency. The particle כִּי (“for”) introduces causal explanation—i.e., the reason creation rejoices is because YHWH is coming to judge. The repeated form בָא reinforces that this is not a vague future but an anticipated reality already in motion.
Following this is the infinitive construct לִשְׁפֹּט (“to judge”), expressing purpose. This is followed by the imperfect verb יִשְׁפֹּט (“he will judge”), which in parallel Hebrew poetry often expresses either volition or certainty. The structure יִשְׁפֹּט תֵּבֵל בְּצֶדֶק pairs the world (tevel) with the divine attribute of righteousness, and likewise וְעַמִּים בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ pairs “nations” with “his faithfulness.” Both parallel lines use prepositional phrases to highlight the ethical character of God’s judgment.
Exegetical Implications of Verb Form and Repetition
The repeated perfect בָא and the imperfect יִשְׁפֹּט together construct a theological tension: divine judgment is both a current certainty and an unfolding future event. This overlap of verbal aspect corresponds with the already/not yet motif found throughout biblical eschatology.
The perfect aspect asserts that God’s coming is determined and irreversible; the imperfect affirms that this arrival leads to a judicial process that will bring equity to the world. The prepositional complements בְּצֶדֶק and בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ deepen the theological significance: divine judgment is not arbitrary but grounded in YHWH’s covenantal integrity.
Rabbinic and medieval Jewish commentaries (e.g., Rashi, Radak) highlight this repetition as a sign of certainty and joy—creation rejoices because YHWH’s justice will restore moral order. The syntax reinforces that the coming is not merely prophetic declaration but theological reassurance to the worshipping community.
Cross-Linguistic and Literary Comparisons
In Akkadian and Ugaritic poetry, repetition of key verbs is a common technique to amplify divine action or liturgical climax. Similar usage appears in prophetic literature (cf. Isaiah 13:6–9), where repetition emphasizes imminence and severity. In Arabic, repetition (known as takrār) is also a poetic device used for rhetorical and emotional impact.
The Greek Septuagint translates כִּי בָא as ὅτι ἥκει (“for He has come”), using a perfect indicative to reflect the prophetic perfect. This maintains the declarative force of the Hebrew original and reflects the translators’ recognition of the performative and theological force of aspect.
Theological and Literary Significance of Repetitive Syntax
Psalm 96:13’s climactic repetition reflects the psalm’s liturgical and cosmic context. The celebration of YHWH’s kingship in the preceding verses culminates in this declaration of universal judgment. The repetition is both grammatical and liturgical: a phrase to be chanted, remembered, and awaited.
Importantly, this judgment is not one of destruction but of righteousness and faithfulness—two key covenantal attributes. The verse teaches that divine justice is not merely retributive but restorative, and that the entire cosmos anticipates this moment. The grammar thus shapes both expectation and hope.
Poetic Aspect and Prophetic Hope in Psalm 96:13
Psalm 96:13 uses Hebrew aspect and poetic repetition to render divine judgment a living reality. The perfect form בָא becomes a future declaration grounded in eternal certainty. The imperfect יִשְׁפֹּט opens the future to divine righteousness. Together, they construct a grammar of eschatological joy and theological trust.
In this way, Hebrew syntax becomes liturgical theology: what is coming is already present in the divine will. What the world awaits is already unfolding in the certainty of YHWH’s kingship. And what the psalmist proclaims is not speculation—but certainty, rendered in grammar and praise.
