Psalm 47:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

NIV: God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

NASB: God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.

CSB: God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

NLT: God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne.

KJV: God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

NKJV: God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.

This psalm has praised God for His absolute authority over all the earth. Some commentators see this as a general praise. Others find prophetic parallels to the eventual rule of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Still others suggest it refers to an actual instance of God's mighty power rescuing Israel from her enemies. The phrase "the nations" is often used in the Bible to mean the entire world outside of Israel (Leviticus 26:33; 1 Samuel 8:5; Psalm 2:1; 79:6; Isaiah 52:10). The God of Israel is not merely concerned with a single people, but is the Creator and Lord of the whole earth. Praise for God's power might come in reference to His demonstrated power over those who attacked Israel.

It's possible Psalm 47 was written in response to the miraculous defeat of enemy forces during the reign of Jehoshaphat. Multiple enemy nations joined to attack Israel, but were defeated without God's chosen people needing to fight at all (2 Chronicles 20). Language and phrases used in that account closely resemble those used is this psalm.

Another incident involved Sennacherib, an Assyrian king. He bragged that God Himself could not stop the conquest of Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:10–13). However, King Hezekiah of Judah believed the true God was able to deliver the city. He prayed, "O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth" (2 Kings 19:15). He asked God to save the people of Jerusalem from the enemy (2 Kings 19:19). God answered Hezekiah's prayer, demonstrating the truth of this verse: that He reigns over the nations and sits on His holy throne. The King of Assyria was mighty, but he and his thousands of soldiers were unable to withstand the judgment of the God who is almighty. The Lord struck a fatal blow to the Assyrian soldiers and ended their siege of the city (2 Kings 19:35–37).

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.