Psalms 47:1-8

God the King of the Earth.

1 O 1clap your hands, all peoples; 2Shout to God with the voice of joy.
2 For the LORD Most High is to be 3feared, A 4great King over all the earth.
3 He 5subdues peoples under us And nations under our feet.
4 He chooses our 6inheritance for us, The 7glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.
5 God has 8ascended with a shout, The LORD, with the 9sound of a trumpet.
6 10Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to 11our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the 12King of all the earth; Sing praises 13with a skillful psalm.
8 God 14reigns over the nations, God sits on 15His holy throne.

Psalms 47:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Thus psalm is thought by some to be written on occasion of the ark being brought from the house of Obededom to the city of David, to the place he had prepared for it; which was attended with singing and dancing, with shouting, and the sound of a trumpet, 2 Samuel 6:12; but it rather seems to be penned on account of the ascension of Christ to heaven, prophetically spoken of in this psalm; and of the spread of the Gospel, and the conquests it made in the Gentile world upon Christ's ascension; as the whole psalm shows: and even Aben Ezra and Kimchi apply it to the times of the Messiah; and so do some of their most ancient writers, who particularly interpret Psalm 47:5 of him, as may be seen in the note upon it.

Cross References 15

  • 1. Psalms 98:8
  • 2. Psalms 106:47
  • 3. Deuteronomy 7:21; Nehemiah 1:5; Psalms 66:3, 5; Psalms 68:35
  • 4. Malachi 1:14
  • 5. Psalms 18:47
  • 6. 1 Peter 1:4
  • 7. Amos 6:8; Amos 8:7; Nahum 2:2
  • 8. Psalms 68:18
  • 9. Psalms 98:6
  • 10. Psalms 68:4
  • 11. Psalms 89:18
  • 12. Zechariah 14:9
  • 13. 1 Corinthians 14:15
  • 14. 1 Chronicles 16:31; Psalms 22:28
  • 15. Psalms 97:2

Footnotes 6

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