Psalms 97:10

Ye that love the Lord. — Notwithstanding certain points of similarity between this verse and Psalms 34:10; Psalms 37:28, and between Psalms 97:12 and Psalms 32:11, the psalmist shows himself at the close more than a compiler — a true poet.

Hate evil. — It is better to point for the indicative, They who love Jehovah, hate evil, in order to avoid the awkward transition in the next clause. This practical test of true religion can never be obsolete. Love of God implies the hatred of all He hates. A heathen writer has expressed this in a striking way. Philosophy, holding a dialogue with Lucian, is made to say, “To love and to hate, they say, spring from the same source.” To which he replies, “That, O Philosophy, should be best known to you. My business is to hate the bad, and to love and commend the good, and that I stick to.”