Psalm chapter 47
English Standard Version
1 Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! 2For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. 3He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah 5God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 8God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
New International Version
1For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. 3He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
New American Standard Bible
1Clap your hands, all you peoples; Shout to God with a voice of joy. 2For the Lord Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth. 3He subdues peoples under us And nations under our feet. 4He chooses our inheritance for us, The pride of Jacob whom He loves. Selah 5God has ascended with a shout, The Lord, with the sound of a trumpet. 6Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises. 7For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a psalm of wisdom. 8God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne. 9The princes of the people have assembled as the people of the God of Abraham, For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.
Christian Standard Bible
1For the choir director. A psalm of the sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry. 2For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over the whole earth. 3He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet.
New Living Translation
1Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! 2For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. 3He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet.
5God has ascended with a mighty shout. The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring. 6Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm. 8God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. 9The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere.
King James Version
New King James Version
1{To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.} Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! 2For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. 3 He will subdue the peoples under us, And the nations under our feet.
5 God has gone up with a shout, The Lord with the sound of a trumpet. 6Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. 9The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.
What does Psalm chapter 47 mean?
Many psalms appear to have been divinely inspired for more than one layer of meaning. Some refer to events which are immediate to the writer while also providing insights into the work of the Messiah. Psalm 47 might have been composed to celebrate a victory over Israel's enemies. A strong candidate for this is the rescue of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:22–26). A multi-nation army intended to attack Israel, but was defeated without God's people needing to fight at all. Language from that account closely resembles some phrases in this psalm (2 Chronicles 20:6–7, 21, 24–30). Another possibility is the defeat of Sennacherib during the rule of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19).The song opens with a call for all people to praise God with applause and loud singing. The writer makes note of the Lord's victory over "peoples" and "nations," which are often used in the Bible as a reference to Gentiles (Leviticus 26:33; 1 Samuel 8:5; Psalm 2:1; 79:6; Isaiah 52:10). In the end times, the Messiah will defeat every enemy (Revelation 19:11–15) and overcome evil forever (Revelation 22:5). Those who enjoy this kingdom are the adopted people of His kingdom (1 Peter 1:3–4; Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:16–17; Revelation 21:7) (Psalm 47:1–4).
The end of this short song continues to extol God's place as the sovereign King of the entire earth. His position is not merely that of a deity concerned with one people. He is the Master of the entire world. Here, again, imagery suggests all the people and cultures of the world coming to loyal worship of the God of Abraham (Revelation 7:9). In the end times, the entire world will be united under the rule of the Messiah (Psalm 47:5–9).
