Psalms 147 - Printer Friendly

Like the prior psalm (Psalm 146:1, 10), this song begins and ends with the phrase "praise the Lord!" This is translated from the Hebrew expression halelu-yāh. The last five psalms in this book all begin and end with this word (Psalms 146, 148—150). The psalm may have been written to celebrate the successful rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple (Nehemiah 6:15; 12:27, 44–45). This happened after the people returned from seventy years of exile in Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–21).

The psalmist calls for praise of God and notes that wor-ship is a pleasure for God's people. The song celebrates the Lord's work in restoring Israel from exile, creating the universe, and for caring for the weak and disadvantaged (Psalm 147:1–6).

Next the song encourages worship because of the Lord's obvious power. He controls the weather and provides food for all animals. Despite these creations, the Lord is most interested in the reverence and respect of His people (Proverbs 1:7; 1 Samuel 15:22). Be-cause God shows loyal, dedicated love, He is glorified when we trust in Him completely (Psalm 147:7–11).

Finally, the psalmist calls on the people of Israel to worship. This summons refers to Zion, anoth-er name for Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Kings 8:1). God has shown care for the Israelites (Psalm 78:1–4; 136:10–16). He proves His power with His control of nature and the weather. The Lord also demonstrates His great-ness by choosing an unworthy people (Deuteronomy 7:6–8; 9:6)—Israel—to receive His Word and His laws (Exodus 19:5–6).

Psalm 147:1–6 summons the congregation to praise the Lord in song. For those who love God, offering this type of worship is a pleasure. The psalmist thanks the Lord for restoring Jerusalem (Ezra 1:3–4) and gathering the na-tion's exiles (Ezra 2:1). He describes the Lord as compassionate, all-knowing, and all-powerful.

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.