Like Psalms 91 and 92, Psalms 93-100 are without attribution in the Hebrew Masoretic Text. However, the Greek Septuagint translation titles Psalms 93-99 as being "of David." Indeed, two of these clearly are. The New Testament attributes Davidic authorship to Psalm 95 (see Hebrews 4:7). And Psalm 96 is taken from David's song to celebrate the ark's placement in the tabernacle in Jerusalem (compare 1 Chronicles 16:23-33).

One of the royal psalms (those which celebrate God as King), Psalm 93, as the Zondervan NIV Study Bible notes, is "a hymn to the eternal, universal and invincible reign of the Lord, a theme it shares with Psalm 47; 95-99. Together these hymns offer a majestic confession of faith in and hope for the kingdom of God on earth. They were probably composed for the liturgy of a high religious festival [likely the Feast of Trumpets or Tabernacles] in which the kingship of the Lord-over the cosmic order, over the nations and in a special sense over Israel--was annually celebrated.... And implicitly, where not explicitly, the Lord's kingship is hailed in contrast to the claims of all other gods; he is 'the great King above all gods' (Psalm 95:3).... Psalm 93 appears to have been separated from Psalm 95-99 to serve as a thematic pivot between Psalm 92 and 94 (as Psalm 47 was used as a pivot between Psalm 46 and 48). It celebrates Yahweh's secure cosmic rule that grounds his righteous and effective rule over human affairs-which is the joy (Psalm 92) and the hope (Psalm 94) of those who rely on him for protection against the assaults of the godless fools who live by violence."

Psalm 93 opens with the key of the royal psalms: "The Lord reigns" (verse 1; compare Psalm 96:10; Psalm 97:1; Psalm 99:1). The Nelson Study Bible comments: "In general, the royal psalms speak of the Lord as King in three different ways. He is King over creation, for He is the Creator (Psalm 74:12-17). He is King over the Israelites (Psalm 44:4), for He is their Savior. And He is the coming King, for He will eventually judge everyone (Psalm 47:7-8). Sometimes in people's minds God's kingdom is narrowly identified with the coming glorious rule of Jesus: God's present reign is ignored. But sometimes [in fact, more typically] the opposite is true. God's present rule can be emphasized so much that Jesus' coming is disregarded. The royal psalms consistently balance these two ideas: 'The Lord reigns' (Psalm 93:1), but the Lord is also coming to establish His permanent rule (Psalm 24:9 [compare Psalm 96:13; Psalm 98:9])" ("INDepth: The Royal Psalms," sidebar on Psalm 93). Indeed, these go hand in hand. It is God's perpetual sovereignty on His throne "from everlasting" (verse 2; compare Psalm 90:2)--His eternal omnipotence--that enables, and gives surety to the promises of, His unending reign to come.

Psalm 93:1-2 describes God robed in military victory regalia, His establishment of the world as unmovable (unable to be wrested from His control) and the persistence of His throne from past eternity. It is in this context that verses 3-4 speak of the rising "floods" and the "mighty waves of the sea." The threefold repetition of "floods" creates a poetic sense of waves pounding on the shore. Yet God is higher and mightier--and, given the context of verses 1-2, victorious over them. This recalls Psalm 89:9: "You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them." And Psalm 29:10: "The Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever." This all may reflect on one level God's power of creation that brought the world out of primordial chaos, when "darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). It likely also applies to when man later witnessed the vast destructive powers of the waters in the global Flood of Noah's day. Stories of that episode left people with the concept of the flooding waves as irresistible cosmic forces of destruction. Yet God is high above these forces-and is able to control them. And He rules the waves of the sea even now, having set the boundaries of how far they may come over the land (Job 38:8, Job 38:11). In other passages, floods, waters and seas also represent peoples and nations--including invading armies. God stands above all peoples and forces, ever the victor.

Some have noted a similarity in the descriptions here to the Canaanite god Baal, who "was supposed to have been victorious over the waters" (Nelson Study Bible, note on Psalm 93:3-4). Yet we should recognize that Baal was merely a counterfeit of the true God in some respects. Scripture sets the record straight in relating who is truly victorious over the waters--Almighty God. Moreover, consider God's testimonies and holiness in verse 5. The Nelson Study Bible notes on this verse: "While this psalm uses language resembling [to some degree] the worship of Baal to emphasize the greatness of God (Psalm 29), it also glorifies God with praises never attributed to Baal. None of the accolades of Baal speak of his testimonies. But God is superior to Baal, for he is faithful to His word. He is the gracious God who speaks to his people; He is the holy God of Scripture who is approached by His people; and he is the eternal God whom we worship, as did the people of ancient Israel."

The transition to verse 5 in Psalm 93 is interesting. Whereas verses 1-4 present God's revelation of His power and might through creation (compare Revelation 1:20), verse 5 of Psalm 93 says that God is also revealed through Scripture and His house. Such a transition from God's revelation of Himself through creation to revelation through His law and testimony is also found in Psalm 19:1-8. Psalm 93:5 declares that God's scriptural testimonies are trustworthy. They are as rock-solid and as firmly established as the world (compare verse 1). As for God's house, in the time of the psalm's composition it would have referred to either the tabernacle or temple of God--showing that God was revealed to His people through the worship system practiced there. God's house today, through which His holiness is revealed, is His Church. And, of course, His house in an ultimate sense signifies His eternal Kingdom and family.