Psalm 47

1 Ein Psalm der Kinder Korah, vorzusingen. Frohlocket mit Händen, alle Völker, und jauchzet Gott mit fröhlichem Schall!

2 Denn der HERR, der Allerhöchste, ist erschrecklich, ein großer König auf dem ganzen Erdboden.

3 Er zwingt die Völker unter uns und die Leute unter unsre Füße.

4 Er erwählt uns unser Erbteil, die Herrlichkeit Jakobs, den er liebt. (Sela.)

5 Gott fährt auf mit Jauchzen und der HERR mit heller Posaune.

6 Lobsinget, lobsinget Gott; lobsinget, lobsinget unserm König!

7 Denn Gott ist König auf dem ganzen Erdboden; lobsinget ihm klüglich!

8 Gott ist König über die Heiden; Gott sitzt auf seinem heiligen Stuhl.

9 Die Fürsten unter den Völkern sind versammelt zu einem Volk des Gottes Abrahams; denn Gottes sind die Schilde auf Erden, er hat sie erhöht.

Psalm 47 Commentary

Chapter 47

The people exhorted to praise God.

Verses 1-4 The God with whom we have to do, is a God of awful majesty. The universal and absolute sovereignty of a holy God would be too terrible for us even to think of, were it not exercised by his Son from a mercy-seat; but now it is only terrible to the workers of iniquity. While his people express confidence and joy, and animate each other in serving him, let sinners submit to his authority, and accept his salvation. Jesus Christ shall subdue the Gentiles; he shall bring them as sheep into the fold, not for slaughter, but for preservation. He shall subdue their affections, and make them a willing people in the day of his power. Also it speaks of his giving them rest and settlement. Apply this spiritually; the Lord himself has undertaken to be the inheritance of his people. It shows the faith and submission of the saints. This is the language of every gracious soul, The Lord shall choose my inheritance for me; he knows what is good for me better than I do.

Verses 5-9 Praise is a duty in which we ought to be frequent and abundant. But here is a needful rule; Sing ye praises with understanding. As those that understand why and for what reasons they praise God, and what is the meaning of the service. It is not an acceptable service, if it is not a reasonable service. We are never to forget the end of Messiah's exaltation, so continually do the prophets dwell upon the conversion of the nations to the gospel of Christ. Why do we vainly fancy that we belong to him, unless the Spirit reign in our hearts by faith? Lord, is it not thy glory and delight to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins, now that thou art exalted as a Prince and a Saviour? Set up thy kingdom in our hearts. Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. And so sweetly constrain all the powers and faculties of the souls of thy redeemed, into holy love, fear, and delight in thee, that praise with the understanding may rise from every heart, both here and for ever, to Thee, our God.

Chapter Summary

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.