Psalms 147:12

12 Jerusalem, worship God! Zion, praise your God!

Psalms 147:12 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 147:12

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem
The inhabitants of it, as Kimchi; not Jerusalem in a literal sense, for this respects future time, as Aben Ezra; the world to come, the times of the Messiah: and intends the spiritual Jerusalem, as Arama; that which is free, the mother of us all; the Gospel church, and the members of it; which have great reason to praise the Lord, for their special blessings and peculiar privileges; see ( Galatians 4:26 Galatians 4:27 ) ( Hebrews 12:22 Hebrews 12:23 ) ; praise thy God, O Zion;
not the house and family of David, as R. Obadiah; nor the priests and Levites in the temple, as others; but the same as before, the church and people of God; the Mount Zion God has loved and chose for his habitation; the city of our solemnities in Gospel times; the perfection of beauty and joy of the whole earth; whose God and King is Christ; and whom Zion and all her children should praise, being her incarnate God, Immanuel, God manifest in the flesh. With this verse, the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, begin the psalm.

Psalms 147:12 In-Context

10 He's not impressed with horsepower; the size of our muscles means little to him.
11 Those who fear God get God's attention; they can depend on his strength.
12 Jerusalem, worship God! Zion, praise your God!
13 He made your city secure, he blessed your children among you.
14 He keeps the peace at your borders, he puts the best bread on your tables.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.