Psalm 47:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

NIV: Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.

NASB: Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises.

CSB: Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise!

NLT: Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises!

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

NKJV: Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

Four times in this psalm the writer calls upon his audience to worship and celebrate the Lord with songs. The first time he solicits praise to God (Psalm 47:1). The next three times, two of which are in this verse, he calls for praise to God as our King (Psalm 47:7). Some commentators connect this to a real-world victory, such as those over Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35–37) or during the rule of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:22–26). Others see it as general praise, or as part of a prophetic celebration of the Messiah's rule over the entire earth.

God's role as King extends to all aspects of creation. He commands myriad angels. He created all things. He merely spoke and everything came into existence (Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 11:3). The same God knows the sparrow's fall and has promised to meet every need His people have. He is omnipotent. omniscient, omnipresent, and immutable. He never changes (Malachi 3:6). His faithfulness, love, mercy, and grace continue unchanged forever. He deserves to be praised forever. As King, He has the right to rule the world and everything in it, including human beings. His kingdom is universal, and someday it will be an earthly kingdom ruled by the Messiah. It will be marked by peace, justice, and righteousness (Isaiah 9:7). All praise is due His holy name!

Psalm 47:5–9 expands on God's absolute rule over the entire earth. The psalmist depicts the Lord on His heavenly throne. This psalm may have been written in response to a real-world event where God demonstrated His power over all people (2 Kings 19; 2 Chronicles 20). Someday, the Lord's appointed heir, Jesus Christ, will establish His kingdom on earth, and Gentiles will join the Jews in praising Him.

Psalms 45, 46, and 47 seem to share common themes. This song begins with an appeal for praise. God is depicted as the sovereign Ruler of the entire earth, not merely the nation of Israel. This psalm may refer to literal historical events (2 Kings 19; 2 Chronicles 20) or it might be purely prophetic. In either case, it depicts the eventual state of the world in the end times: ruled under the God of Abraham.

If this is inspired by real-world events, two possibilities stand out. One is the defeat of Sennacherib during the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19). The other is the miraculous defeat of a multi-nation attack on Israel during Jehoshaphat's rule (2 Chronicles 20). Phrasing in this psalm closely resembles the account of Jehoshaphat's rescue. The descriptions given in this passage are also seen as prophecies of the Messiah's eventual rule over the entire earth.

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.