What does Psalm 147:17 mean?
Please see our chapter commentary on Psalm 147; verse-level content coming soon!Psalm 147:12–20 calls on Jerusalem—also known as Zion (2 Samuel 7:5; 1 Kings 8:1)—and its people to thank God for His work on their behalf. Thanks to God, Israel has the opportunity to experience peace and prosperity. Only Israel, God's chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6) were blessed to be directly given the Lord's commands (Ex-odus 19:5–6).
This psalm praises the Lord God for many of His great acts and attributes. These include His power as shown in the crea-tion of the universe, His authority over weather and nature, His unlimited knowledge, and His mercy, love, and loyal care. Only Israel was privileged to be given God's Word in the years before Christ. The first and last phrases of this psalm are the Hebrew expression halelu-yāh, a command to "praise the Lord!"
