Psalm 147:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.

NIV: He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you.

NASB: For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your sons among you.

CSB: For he strengthens the bars of your city gates and blesses your children within you.

NLT: For he has strengthened the bars of your gates and blessed your children within your walls.

KJV: For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

NKJV: For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you.

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!"

In Hebrew, only the psalms use the phrase halelu-yāh, which literally means "praise the Lord!" Psalm 147 begins and ends with this phrase. This song uses many images and themes seen across the other psalms. Zion is Jerusalem, the capital of Israel (2 Samul 5:7; 1 Kings 8:1). God gave Jacob the new name Israel, and Jacob's sons became the tribes of that nation. Only these people—God's cho-sen people (Deuteronomy 7:6)—were privileged to receive His statements in the Old Testament era (Exodus 19:5–6). References to the restoration of Jerusalem (Ezra 1:3–4) and the gathering of exiles (Ezra 2:1) refer to the return from Babylonian captivity (2 Chronicles 36:17–21).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 1/20/2025 7:00:08 AM