The Psalms - Psalm 47
Praising the King of All the Earth
by Rev. Jim Jester
August 3, 2025
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 46:1-3, UASV
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth changes, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its turbulence. [Interlude]”
NEW SERIES INTRODUCTION
The Book of Psalms is not divided into chapters as the other books of the Bible are; but rather, it is a collection of compositions (songs or psalms) written by various authors at different times. Each psalm stands on its own as a separate composition. The Book of Psalms is the hymn-book of the Bible.
Psalm 47 is the first of a new series on the Kingship of God.
INTRODUCTION
Psalm 47 is a song of praise to God, as the King of the whole earth. It has been recognized as one of the “accession psalms,” because it depicts God as assuming his kingdom, and taking his seat upon his throne (Ps. 47:5-8).
The title tells us both the audience and the authors of the psalm: “To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.” Some believe that “the Chief Musician” is the LORD God Himself, and others suppose him to be a leader of choirs or musicians in David’s time, such as Heman the singer or Asaph (I Chr. 6:33; 16:5-7; 25:6). Korah was a descendant of Levi (Ex. 6:16-24), and therefore the sons of Korah were Levites. Most assume that the specific sons of Korah addressed here and in the titles of ten other psalms were Levitical singers in the tabernacle/temple ceremonies, and perhaps they were performers of the psalm rather than the authors of it; King David being the author.
Psalm 47 is divided by selah (rest or Interlude) after verse four into two stanzas that complement each other. The first stanza is about God’s love for His people; for whom He subdued nations (v. 3). The second stanza is about God’s holiness: He sits as King on his holy throne and reigns over all nations (v. 8).
This psalm connects to the previous psalm in which the remnant was calmed by the thought of God’s presence in the city of God (Ps. 46:5). The occasion is likely God’s intervention in the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib, in which He killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (Isa. 37:36-37). Some believe it was composed to celebrate the victory of Jehoshaphat over the combined forces of the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites (II Chron. 20). But whatever the occasion, the people certainly had a reason to rejoice; thus the reason for the composition of Psalm 47. It prophetically has in mind the ascension of the Messiah to His throne and celebrates His reign over the whole earth.
THE COMMAND TO PRAISE (v. 1)
“Oh, clap your hands, all you people!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!” (Ps. 47:1)
Oh, clap your hands: The clapping of hands draws attention to something, usually as an outward expression of inward joy. The Bible uses it both in a negative and positive way.There is both clapping for praise (Ps. 98:8, Isa. 55:12) and clapping in derision (Job 27:23, Lam. 2:15, Nam. 3:19). Clapping the hands and shouting were a part of the ceremony of installing an Israelite king to office (2 Ki. 11:12; 9:13; 2 Sam. 15:10). This is something all nations of Israel can do: If they cannot speak the same language, they can, at least, understand clapping.
All you people: Some translations translate this as “peoples,” but the KJV does not, and the Brenton Septuagint renders it as “nations.” This command is not universal to everyone for all others would not be expected to praise the God of Israel. It would not be true praise.So the people here, or the nations, are the nations within the covenant. The covenant context must always be considered when interpreting Scripture. We should view this passage as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to bless all his “families” of the earth through his Descendant, the Messiah (Gen. 12:2-3).
James Boice comments: “Psalm 47 follows quite naturally after Psalm 46. Psalm 46 is focused on the security of God’s people, noting how God had delivered them from one of their great enemies. It challenged the nations to observe that deliverance and stand in awe before God. Now, in Psalm 47 God says to those same people: ‘Rejoice and be happy; the King of Israel is also the King of all the Earth.’” Yes, context is important. Here is the latter half of Psalm 46:
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. [Interlude]
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. [Interlude] (Ps. 46:7-11)
Did you notice that verses 7 and 11 are identical? I call this a “sandwich” psalm. In this psalm it is evident that the “God of Jacob” (mentioned twice) is the God of Israel, the covenant people, not all the races on the planet. Both psalms are addressing the same people. Whether the psalmist, David, deliberately designed these two psalms (46 & 47) to fit together this way we do not know for sure, although both psalms declare “for the sons of Korah,” it would appear to indicate so. Psalms do not always follow each other in some way, but in this case it seems evident that the Holy Spirit meant it to be.
Shout to God: Most people are not against shouting or enthusiastic outbursts. Interestingly, the word “enthusiasm” comes from two words, “in” and “Theo” meaning “in God.” So, expressing your joy should be a natural thing to take place. The world has no problem with a loud exclamation at a football game, so why not God’s people expressing their joy at church? The psalmist here, did not have in mind sleepy singing or whispered prayers.
THE REASON FOR PRAISE (v. 2):
“For the LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.” (Ps. 47:2)
The LORD Most High is awesome: The psalmist expressed this without proof; as a self-evident fact. He considered it obvious to everyone, as much as water is wet and fire is hot. The KJV uses “terrible,” i.e., awful to think about because of His vast power and absolute holiness.
He is a great King over all the earth: Both the office and the realm are important. He is a “great King,” in that He is the King of Kings and the highest monarch. His realm extends “over all the earth,” and He is sovereign in all places.
The pagan gods of the ancient world (Baal, Molech, Ashtoreth, and so forth) were imagined to be territorial gods. Their authority was limited to a nation or a region. The psalmist proclaimed that the LORD God (Jesus) is not like one of these imagined gods.
GOD’S CARE FOR HIS CHOSEN (v. 3-4):
“He will subdue the people under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.”(Ps. 47: 3-4) [Interlude]
He will subdue the people under us: Here the reference is to recent victories (Ps. 18:47) of King David. “And the nations” (rather, and nations)“under our feet.” David subdued all the nations between the river of Egypt and the Euphrates, and left the inheritance of this empire to Solomon (I Ki. 4:21).
The psalmist prophetically speaks of the time when Israel’s descendants would be above the other nations (races). The reign of the great King would be exercised over all the earth, and Israel would assume its destined place of leadership among them. The psalmist knew that this great King would be Jesus, the Messiah; yet he looked ahead to the hope of Messiah. We look back at the fulfillment of this promise.
He will choose our inheritance for us: Rather, “He hath chosen, our inheritance for us.”God originally chose the land of Canaan as the inheritance of his people (Gen. 12:1-7), and gave it to Abraham. Later on, he enlarged the gift, making the boundaries as they became under David and Solomon (Gen. 15:18).
The psalmist was confident in the wisdom of God. He was happy to let the great King “choose our inheritance.” It is a glorious fact that our great King Jesus has chosen the inheritance of His people. Ephesians 1:3-6 is just one passage that describes some of His choosing for us, his people:
• He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.
• He chose us to be holy and blameless before Him in love.
• He chose us to be adopted as sons into His family.
We sometimes want to choose our own blessings. One has health, another has wealth, a third has great talents; each wishes he had what the other has. Yet it is far better to let God choose our blessings. We sometimes want to choose our own calling. One sees the calling of another and thinks that the calling of the other is better, or he wants to imitate the calling of another instead of running his own race. We sometimes want to choose our own crosses. We think that our own problems are so much worse than others, and we think that we could bear any number of crosses —except for the one He chose for us.
David knew that his King chose his inheritance at each stage of his life, and he showed contentment with that inheritance:
• As an anonymous shepherd boy.
• As a warrior against Goliath.
• As a fugitive running from Saul.
• As a king over Israel.
• As a disciplined and corrected sinner.
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves: This explains why we can be at peace with the inheritance He chooses. We know that for Jesus’ sake, God is for us and not against us. He loves us as His chosen; because He chose us we are happy to let Him “choose our inheritance for us.”
“Whom He loves” provokes a question: Why does God so love Jacob? Why does God so love the church? He loves them because they are His family according to His covenant.
THE FACT OF PRAISE (v. 5):
“God has gone up with a shout,
The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.” (Ps. 47:5)
God has gone up with a shout: The going up here refers to ascending to a royal throne. The idea here is that the great King has taken His throne and therefore receives a shout of praise. Jesus ascended the royal throne in heaven after He finished His work for us on the cross and proved it by the empty tomb. He can only go “up with a shout” because He came down in humility to fight for His people.
The LORD with the sound of a trumpet: In the world of ancient Israel, the “trumpet” made the strongest and clearest sound; it was the sound of victory. When the occasion was such as to call for a public showing of thanksgiving at the house of God (II Chr. 20:28), then he “goes up” also “with the sound of the trumpet,” which was always sounded by the priests on great occasions of joy and gladness.
THE CALL TO PRAISE (v. 6-7):
“Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.” (Ps. 47:6-7)
Sing praises: In this context, this is almost a command. It is a fitting command in light of the glory of “the King of all the earth.” God might have given speech without the gift of song. There are a small number of tone-deaf people in the world; but what is the case of some, is not the case of all. So God gave the gift of song and music to men, and the highest use of this gift is to praise Him who gave it.
The historian, Rawlinson, said, “Let a thousand people speak at once; all thought and feeling are drowned in hubbub. But let them sing together in perfect time and tune; both thought and feeling are raised to a pitch of energy else inconceivable.”
This word “praises” is used four times in this short verse, and shows at once the earnestness and happiness of the people.
The King of all the earth: The idea from the second verse is repeated for emphasis. God’s glorious authority is global.
Sing praises with understanding: Praise is appropriately offered with singing and should also be made “with understanding.” God wants our worship to be intelligent, not mindless. It is not necessary to be smart to worship God, but we should worship Him with all our being, which includes our mind (Mk. 12:30). The Apostle Paul had this phrase in mind when he wrote in I Cor. 14:15, “I will also sing with the understanding.”
THE REIGN OF THE KING (v. 8):
“God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.” (Ps. 47:8)
God reigns over the nations: God had manifested his kingly power over the heathen nations (races) by subduing great numbers of them, and making them subject to Israel. The LORD is not King of all the earth in only a passive or ceremonial sense. He “reigns over the nations” and moves history toward His desired destination. History is His story.
God sits on His holy throne: When John had his heavenly vision, as recorded in Revelation 4, 5, he described everything in heaven in relation to this throne. The center of heaven — indeed, the center of all creation — is this occupied throne in heaven. It is a “holy” throne, where the holiness of God has been perfectly satisfied by the work of Jesus on the cross. Therefore, it is both a holy throne and a throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).
THE KING IS EXALTED ABOVE NATIONS (v. 9):
“The 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.” (Ps. 47:9)
The princes of the people have gathered: In the mind of the psalmist, the leaders of God’s people gather to receive and exalt the King of all the earth. Moses pronounced a blessing upon the tribes (the nations) of Israel in Deuteronomy chapter 33. God uses the princes of the earth to bless his people: “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.” (Pro. 8:15)
A forerunner of God’s throne is literally seen in the glories of the British Empire and their succession of kings. Although it is a wasteland of wickedness and corruption today, it shall be restored someday by our Lord Jesus the Christ.
The shields of the earth belong to God: The “shields” are the “princes” of the first clause of this verse, whose business it is to protect and defend their subjects. This is Godly government. If government does not protect a person’s rights given by God, then that government is illegitimate. We in America have been painfully aware of this for quite a number of years.
He is greatly exalted: The perfect submission to God of all his rational beings is his highest glory. When all nations bow down and do Him service, when rebellion and resistance to his will are ended, then his exaltation will be complete.
CONCLUSION
Are we praising or rebelling against the government of God and his Kingship? The kingdom of God is perfectly holy, and is tasked to bless mankind. Rebellion against it is sin against all that is true and right in the universe. Consider the madness of rebellion against it.“He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet” (I Cor. 15:25).Men must yield to be rescued by His grace, or be crushed by His power. “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry” (Ps. 2:12). Cease your rebellion, accept the mercy of the King, serve Him as a loyal subject, and unite in praising Him because of His glorious management of the world.
Let all who know God and own His scepter sing His praises forever; for while we dwell under the shadow of such a throne there is eternal reason for thanksgiving. Even so come Lord Jesus.
