Psalm 100:3
“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Psalm 100 calls all the earth to thankful worship. Verse 3 supplies the reasons: God is the LORD, our maker, and our shepherd, and we belong to Him.
What Does Psalm 100:3 Mean?
This verse gives the reason behind the joyful praise of the surrounding psalm: it tells us to "know" certain truths about God. Worship is built on knowledge, not mere emotion. The first truth is foundational -- "the LORD he is God." He alone holds that place; everything else flows from this recognition.
The second truth is that He is our maker: "it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves." We did not bring ourselves into being; we owe our existence to God. That dependence is not a burden but the basis of belonging. The verse then names the relationship in tender terms: "we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." The shepherd image is one of the warmest in Scripture -- it pictures God leading, feeding, and protecting His flock, and the sheep belonging to and depending on the shepherd. So the verse moves from majesty to intimacy: the LORD is the one true God, and that same God is our maker and our shepherd. Knowing this is what makes worship more than noise. We praise Him not as strangers but as people who belong to Him -- made by Him, claimed by Him, and cared for by Him like sheep under a shepherd's hand.
In the Original Language
"Know" renders the Hebrew yada, to know by experience and acknowledge; "sheep of his pasture" uses tson marith, picturing a flock under a shepherd's care and provision.
Cross References
Application
Ground your worship in what you know to be true: the LORD is God, He made you, and you belong to Him as a sheep cared for by its shepherd.