No author is given for Psalm 92, though some suggest that verses 10-11 may imply that one of the Davidic kings composed it. The psalm is described in the superscription as "A Song for the Sabbath day," the only psalm designated this way in the Psalter. The Zondervan NIV Study Bible notes on this title: "In the postexilic liturgy [worship service] of the temple, this psalm came to be sung at the time of the morning sacrifice on the Sabbath. (The rest of the weekly schedule was: first day, Psalm 24; second day, Psalm 48; third day, Psalm 82; fourth day, Psalm 94; fifth day, Psalm 81; sixth day, Psalm 93.)" This schedule is reflected in both the Talmud and the psalm headings in the Greek Septuagint (see Expositor's Bible Commentary, footnote on Psalm 92:1 and introductory note on Psalm 24). While the weekly Sabbath is a memorial to God's creation, culminating in mankind, it also looks forward to His completion of man's creation in the age to come. As shown in Hebrews 3-4, the Sabbath represents the time of God's Kingdom.

Psalm 90 began the present cluster of psalms with the troubles of life in this age, seeking God's compassion on those who abide in Him and looking forward to future reward. Psalm 91 followed with God's deliverance of those who dwell with Him, to be fully realized in an ultimate sense at the end of the present age. Now, Psalm 92 further progresses into God's ultimate deliverance of His people (those planted in His house), along with judgment on the wicked. This ties in well with the Sabbath as representative of the time when God's Kingdom will be established on earth. And it all serves to introduce Books IV and V of the Psalter, which in general look forward to that wonderful time.

Zondervan's introductory note on Psalm 92 calls it "a joyful celebration of the righteous rule of God. Its testimony to the prosperity of the righteous, 'planted in the house of the Lord' (v. 13), links it thematically with Psalm 91...while its joy over God's righteous reign relates it to the cluster of psalms that follow (Psalm 93-100; see especially Psalm 94). There are, in fact, reasons to believe that the editors of the Psalter brought together Psalm 92-94 as a trilogy that serves as a bridge between Psalm 90-91 and 95-99."

The psalmist sums up the reasons for praising God as His great works and His deep thoughts (verses 4-5). Senseless, foolish men don't grasp the enormity of God's work or the scope of His thinking. The psalmist draws on the metaphor of grass, used in Psalm 90:5-6 for the brevity of human life, to particularly describe the fate of evildoers: they will flourish briefly, be scattered and then perish (Psalm 92:7-9).

God has lifted up the psalmist's "horn," symbolic of his strength (verse 10; compare Psalm 75:4-5; Psalm 89:18, Psalm 89:24; Psalm 132:17). This imagery transitions to that of anointing oil, which was poured from a horn (see 1 Samuel 16:13). As noted above, the mention in Psalm 92 of anointing (verse 10) and evil enemies brought down (verse 11; compare Psalm 54:7; Psalm 59:10) has led some to see a king as the psalm's author--though priests were also anointed, as were some prophets, and these had enemies too. In any case, many view the reference here as prefiguring the future Anointed One or Messiah.

In its note on the conclusion of Psalm 92 (verses 12-15), Expositor's states: "How different is the tone of these verses from the lament of Psalm 90:5-6! The wicked are easily swept away whereas the 'righteous' (...cf. Psalm 1:6) are likened to a 'palm tree' and to 'a cedar of Lebanon' ([Psalm 92] v. 12). Both trees are symbolic of strength, longevity, and desirability (cf. v. 14; Isaiah 2:13; Isaiah 65:22; Hosea 14:5-6; Zechariah 11:2). The metaphorical representation of trees growing and bearing fruit 'in the courts' of the Lord ([Psalm 92] v. 13; cf. Psalm 84:2, 10) suggests the closeness of the righteous to their God (cf. Isaiah 61:3; Jeremiah 32:41). For a similar expression, see [Psalm] 52:8, where the psalmist [i.e., David] compares himself to 'an olive tree flourishing in the house of God.' For the imagery of fruitfulness and vigor, see Psalm 1:3. Whereas the wicked perish prematurely, the godly rejoice in the promise that the Lord's favor rests on them even in old age"--indeed, especially in old age, meaning even beyond this physical life in perpetual spirit existence. As previously mentioned, the ultimate Anointed One died young in physical terms, at age 33, but, now resurrected, He will live on forever and ever--as will all those firmly planted in God's house (today signifying His spiritual temple, His Church, and ultimately meaning His eternal Kingdom and family).