Psalms / Chapter 47

Psalms 47

10 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Psalm 47 is a brief, exuberant enthronement psalm of the Sons of Korah celebrating God's kingship over all the earth. The psalm opens with a call for all peoples to clap their hands and shout, declares God as the Most High and great King, and culminates in God ascending his throne amid shouts and the blast of the shofar. The nations gather as the people of the God of Abraham, and God is exalted as ruler over all.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Psalm 47 is the primary psalm associated with Rosh Hashanah in Jewish liturgy — it is recited seven times before the shofar blasts. The psalm's universalism is striking: it does not merely claim that God rules Israel but that all peoples (kol ha-ammim) are summoned to praise him, and that the nobles of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham (v. 10). The promise to Abraham that 'in you all the families of the earth will be blessed' (Genesis 12:3) finds liturgical expression here. The phrase alah Elohim bitru'ah ('God has gone up with a shout,' v. 6) envisions a divine enthronement procession — God ascending to his throne like a king entering his palace. In Christian liturgy, this verse was applied to the Ascension of Christ.

Translation Friction

The term Elyon ('Most High,' v. 3) is an ancient Canaanite divine title adopted into Israelite theology (cf. Genesis 14:18-20, Deuteronomy 32:8). Its use here reinforces God's supremacy over all peoples and all other claimed deities. The phrase am Elohe Avraham ('the people of the God of Abraham,' v. 10) rather than 'the people of God' or 'Israel' is deliberate — Abraham is the patriarch of many nations (Genesis 17:4-5), not just Israel. The inclusion of 'nobles of the peoples' (nedive ammim) in God's people pushes past ethnic boundaries. The verb alah ('to go up,' v. 6) may reflect a liturgical ritual in which the Ark of the Covenant was carried up to the Temple mount, symbolizing God's enthronement.

Connections

The enthronement psalms (47, 93, 95-99) share the declaration 'The LORD reigns' (or its equivalent). Psalm 47 connects to Psalm 24:7-10 (the gates lifting for the King of glory), to Psalm 68:19 (God ascending on high), and to the Sinai theophany (Exodus 19:16-19) with its shofar blasts. The gathering of nations echoes Isaiah 2:2-3, where all nations stream to Zion. Paul's argument in Romans 4 that Abraham is the father of all who believe, not merely of circumcised Jews, follows the trajectory this psalm begins.

Psalms 47:1

לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ לִבְנֵי־קֹ֥רַח מִזְמֽוֹר׃

For the choirmaster. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.

KJV To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Verse 1 continues the psalm's thematic and structural development.
Psalms 47:2

כׇּל־הָ֭עַמִּים תִּקְעוּ־כָ֑ף הָרִ֥יעוּ לֵ֝אלֹהִ֗ים בְּק֣וֹל רִנָּֽה׃

All you peoples, clap your hands! Shout to God with a voice of ringing joy!

KJV O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The universalism of kol ha-ammim ('all the peoples') is not hypothetical — it is an imperative. The psalm commands all nations to worship, not merely predicts that they will. This is a bold liturgical claim: the God of Israel deserves the worship of every human community.
Psalms 47:3

כִּֽי־יְהוָ֣ה עֶלְי֣וֹן נוֹרָ֑א מֶ֥לֶךְ גָּ֝ד֗וֹל עַל־כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome — a great King over all the earth.

KJV For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

נוֹרָא nora
"awesome" — fearsome, terrible, awe-inspiring, dreadful, to be revered

nora (from yare, 'to fear') describes that which properly inspires fear and awe. When applied to God, it means God's presence is overwhelming — not frightening in a hostile sense but so far beyond human categories that the natural response is trembling reverence.

Translator Notes

  1. Three titles accumulate: YHVH ('the LORD' — the covenant name), Elyon ('Most High' — supreme over all), and nora ('awesome, fearsome, to be dreaded'). melekh gadol al kol ha-arets ('a great king over all the earth') is the enthronement declaration — God is not merely Israel's king but the king of the entire world. The title 'great king' (melekh gadol) echoes the Assyrian royal title sharru rabu, deliberately claiming for Israel's God the supremacy that earthly empires claimed for their rulers.
Psalms 47:4

יַדְבֵּ֣ר עַמִּ֣ים תַּחְתֵּ֑ינוּ וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗ים תַּ֣חַת רַגְלֵֽינוּ׃

He subdues peoples under us and nations beneath our feet.

KJV He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. yadber ammim tachtenu ('he subdues peoples under us') uses davar in its rare sense of 'to drive, to subdue, to lead' (cf. Deuteronomy 33:3). The image is of conquest — but conquest achieved by God, not by Israel's military. The nations under Israel's feet reflects the ancient Near Eastern image of a conqueror placing his foot on the neck of the defeated (cf. Joshua 10:24).
Psalms 47:5

יִבְחַר־לָ֥נוּ אֶת־נַחֲלָתֵ֑נוּ אֶ֥ת גְּא֨וֹן יַעֲקֹ֖ב אֲשֶׁר־אָהֵ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃

He chooses our inheritance for us — the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah.

KJV He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. nachalatenu ('our inheritance') refers to the promised land, given as a permanent possession. ge'on Ya'aqov ('the pride/excellency of Jacob') likely refers to the land of Israel or to the Temple — the thing that makes Jacob's descendants distinct and honored. asher ahev ('whom he loved') — God's choice of this inheritance is rooted in love, not obligation.
Psalms 47:6

עָלָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים בִּתְרוּעָ֑ה יְ֝הוָ֗ה בְּק֣וֹל שׁוֹפָֽר׃

God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the blast of a ram's horn!

KJV God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

שׁוֹפָר shofar
"ram's horn" — ram's horn, trumpet, horn-blast instrument

The shofar is the most ancient Israelite instrument, made from a ram's horn. Its blast signals God's presence (Sinai), the start of war (Joshua 6), the coronation of kings (1 Kings 1:34), and the beginning of sacred time (Leviticus 25:9, Rosh Hashanah). It is the sound that bridges heaven and earth.

Translator Notes

  1. In Jewish liturgy, this verse grounds the practice of blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah — the day traditionally understood as the anniversary of God's enthronement as King. The psalm is recited seven times before the shofar blasts begin.
  2. Christian liturgy applied this verse to the Ascension of Christ (Acts 1:9-11), reading the ascending God as the risen Lord returning to his heavenly throne. The early church fathers (particularly Augustine and Chrysostom) commented extensively on this connection.
Psalms 47:7

זַמְּר֣וּ אֱלֹהִ֣ים זַמֵּ֑רוּ זַמְּר֖וּ לְמַלְכֵּ֣נוּ זַמֵּֽרוּ׃

Sing praise to God — sing praise! Sing praise to our King — sing praise!

KJV Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The fourfold repetition of zammeru ('sing praise!') is the psalm's ecstatic center. The verb zamar ('to sing, to make music') appears four times in rapid succession, creating a cascade of praise. The shift from Elohim ('God') to malkenu ('our King') in the parallel lines identifies God as Israel's personal sovereign — not merely the cosmic king but our king.
Psalms 47:8

כִּ֤י מֶ֖לֶךְ כׇּל־הָאָ֥רֶץ אֱלֹהִ֗ים זַמְּר֥וּ מַשְׂכִּֽיל׃

For God is King of all the earth; sing praise with a maskil!

KJV For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. melekh kol ha-arets ('king of all the earth') restates the universal claim of verse 3. zammeru maskil ('sing a maskil') — the maskil here may mean 'sing with understanding/skill' or 'sing an instructive song.' The five-fold occurrence of zamar in verses 7-8 (four imperatives plus this one) is unprecedented in the Psalter.
Psalms 47:9

מָלַ֣ךְ אֱ֭לֹהִים עַל־גּוֹיִ֑ם אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים יָשַׁ֤ב ׀ עַל־כִּסֵּ֬א קׇדְשֽׁוֹ׃

God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

KJV God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The declaration malakh Elohim ('God reigns/has become king') echoes the enthronement shout YHVH malakh ('the LORD reigns') in Psalms 93:1, 96:10, 97:1, and 99:1. This formula is the theological heart of the enthronement psalm genre.
Psalms 47:10

נְדִ֘יבֵ֤י עַמִּ֨ים ׀ נֶאֱסָ֗פוּ עַם֮ אֱלֹהֵ֢י אַבְ֫רָהָ֥ם כִּ֣י לֵ֭אלֹהִים מָֽגִנֵּי־אֶ֗רֶץ מְאֹ֣ד נַעֲלָֽה׃

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.

KJV The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The identification of the gathered nations as am Elohe Avraham ('the people of the God of Abraham') rather than 'the people of Israel' is theologically significant. Abraham is the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5), not only of Israel. This psalm envisions the nations entering Abraham's covenant family — a vision that Paul will develop in Romans 4 and Galatians 3.
  2. maginne erets ('shields of the earth') is an unusual phrase. magen can mean 'shield' (a defensive weapon) or 'patron, protector' (a metaphorical usage). If it means 'patrons/rulers,' the verse says earth's rulers belong to God. If 'shields,' the verse says earth's defenses are God's property. Either reading reinforces God's sovereignty.
Chapter 46 Psalms index Chapter 48