Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
Sing ... extol him that rideth upon the heavens. The Hebrew, 'extol' х caalal (H5549)], means also 'make a way for;' raise up a road for. So the Septuagint, Vulgate and Arabic. Though the Pilpel conjugation in Proverbs 4:8, and Exodus 9:17 the Hithpael, occur in the sense extol; yet in the Qal no instance occurs of this sense. Moreover, the sense, 'make a way for Him,' accords with Isaiah 57:14; Isaiah 62:10, and especially Isaiah 40:3. The sense ultimately is the same; for the preparing of the way before Jah, whereby He comes to us in the wilderness of trials, is mainly to extol Him, and joyfully attribute to Him His glory. So in the case of Jehoshaphat's enemies (2 Chronicles 20:19-22; Psalms 50:15-23). In Isaiah 40:3 the preparing the way is different-namely, by repentance. Then, instead of "upon the heavens," many translate 'that rideth forward in the deserts' х `ªraabowt (H6160), which translate, 'upon the Western regions,' from `ereb (H6153), the evening. Some then explain that hereby it is foretold that Christ would transfer His Church toward the Western nations. But it is rather from `ªraabaah (H6160), a desert (Isaiah 40:3; cf. Luke 3:4)], i:e., as the ark formerly led the people in the desert, so now again God rideth forward for the help of His people, leading them safely through the deserts of conflict and trial. There is an allusion to the wilderness journey also in Psalms 68:7. The Chaldaic, however, supports the English version, "extol Him ... the heavens." So Psalms 68:33; also Deuteronomy 33:26, which is exactly parallel.
By his name JAH - literally, 'in Yaah (H3050) (is) His name.' The concentrated essence of all that is expressed by 'Yahweh,' first used in Moses' song, Exodus 15:2, Hebrew.