Psalm 47:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

NIV: He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.

NASB: He chooses our inheritance for us, The pride of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

CSB: He chooses for us our inheritance -- the pride of Jacob, whom he loves. Selah

NLT: He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance, the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves. Interlude

KJV: He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

NKJV: He will choose our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

The psalmist reminds his audience of another reason to praise the Lord joyfully (Psalm 47:1–3). This relates to God's sovereign choice to make Israel His chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6–11). It also resonates with the gospel, which allows sinful men to be "adopted" as children of God (John 1:12; 1 Peter 1:3–4; Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:16–17; Revelation 21:7).

As far back as the Lord's first call to Abraham to leave his homeland and relatives, He promised a new home (Genesis 12:1–4). This was, of course, the Promised Land, the land of Canaan. Later, the Lord announced that Abraham's descendants "will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs [Egypt] and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years" (Genesis 15:13). However, He promised to return them to their land in the fourth generation (Genesis 15:16). This prophecy was fulfilled when the Hebrew slaves were liberated from Egypt and 40 years later entered Canaan, where the Lord subdued the Canaanites and settled His people in the land, giving each tribe of Israel a share of the land.

This verse includes the somewhat obscure term se'lāh. The word is related to others inferring "pause," as well as those which imply "praise." This may suggest a break without instruments, a pause, or some other transition.

Psalm 47:1–4 calls on everyone to worship the Lord joyfully. They are urged to do so by clapping their hands and singing loudly. The Lord is proclaimed as ruling the entire earth. He defeated Israel's enemy, and He loves His chosen people, Israel. These verses form an appropriate beginning to this psalm of praise.

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.