Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 47 (MT) / Psalm 46 (LXX) is a Korahite enthronement psalm celebrating YHWH's universal kingship. 'God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet' (v. 5) is read in Christian tradition as ascension-prophecy (cf. Acts 1:9 and the rising-with-the-last-trumpet of 1 Thess 4:16). The psalm's call to 'all peoples' — repeated twice (vv. 1, 9) — emphasizes universal divine-kingship extending beyond ethnic Israel.
Notable Variants
47:5 'God has gone up with a shout' → Ascension-Day liturgical reading; 47:1 'clap your hands, all peoples' as universalist call-to-praise; 47:9 'princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham' as Gentile-inclusion text.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 47 = LXX Ps 46. 10 verses (MT/LXX), 9 verses (English).
For the choirmaster. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
Superscription tracks MT.
All you peoples, clap your hands! Shout to God with a voice of ringing joy!
'Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!' tracks MT. 'All peoples' (kol-ha'ammim / pantes ta ethnē) — universalist-call-to-praise, a feature of enthronement-psalms (47, 93, 95–99). The Gentile-inclusion theology anticipates Romans 15:11's 'praise the Lord, all you Gentiles' (citing Ps 117:1).
For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome — a great King over all the earth.
'For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth' tracks MT. Cosmic-kingship — 'over all the earth' — the universal-reign that Matthew 28:18 ('all authority in heaven and on earth') Christologically completes.
He subdues peoples under us and nations beneath our feet.
'He subdued peoples under us' tracks MT.
He chooses our inheritance for us — the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah.
'He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves' tracks MT. The 'pride of Jacob' (ge'on Ya'akov) — the covenant-people's glory — paired with divine-love (ahev / agapē).
God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the blast of a ram's horn!
Masoretic (WLC)
עָלָה אֱלֹהִים בִּתְרוּעָה יְהוָה בְּקוֹל שׁוֹפָר
God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet
Septuagint (LXX)
ἀνέβη ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἀλαλαγμῷ κύριος ἐν φωνῇ σάλπιγγος
God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet
ASCENSION-DAY READING. 'God has gone up' (anebē ho theos) became the standard Christian liturgical reading for Ascension Day (the fortieth day of Easter). Luke 24:51 ('while he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven,' anephereto eis ton ouranon) and Acts 1:9 ('a cloud took him out of their sight') provide the narrative counterpart.
TRUMPET-ESCHATOLOGY. The 'sound of a trumpet' (en phōnē salpingos) — LXX Ps 47:5's trumpet anticipates 1 Thessalonians 4:16's 'the Lord himself will descend from heaven … with the sound of the trumpet (en salpingi) of God, and the dead in Christ will rise.' The same trumpet-motif appears at 1 Corinthians 15:52 ('the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable') and Matthew 24:31 ('they will gather his elect … with a loud trumpet call'). The psalmic-trumpet-enthronement becomes the Messianic-return-resurrection signal.
The Ascension-enthronement-Parousia pattern is unified: Christ who went up with a trumpet (ascension, Ps 47) will return with a trumpet (parousia, 1 Thess 4) to complete his cosmic-reign.
Sing praise to God — sing praise! Sing praise to our King — sing praise!
'Sing praises to God, sing praises' tracks MT. The five-fold 'sing praises' (zammeru / psalate) in v. 7 emphasizes the psalm-as-praise-vehicle.
For God is King of all the earth; sing praise with a maskil!
'For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!' tracks MT. Maskil — 'with understanding' — colophon calling for thoughtful-praise.
God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
'God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne' tracks MT. The 'holy throne' image — divine-enthronement-over-nations — anticipates Revelation 4's throne-vision.
The nobles of the peoples have gathered as the people of the God of Abraham, for the shields of the earth belong to God — he is greatly exalted.
'The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham' tracks MT. The 'God of Abraham' formula — patriarchal-covenant title — with Gentile-princes gathering as Abraham's-people anticipates the Abrahamic-blessing-to-the-nations (Gen 12:3, 22:18) and Paul's Galatians 3:29 ('if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring').