Psalms 47King James Version
O clap your hands, all ye people. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises with understanding.
A short, exuberant enthronement psalm. Clap your hands, all peoples; shout with the voice of triumph. God is a great King over all the earth, he subdues nations, he chooses inheritances. God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with a trumpet. He reigns over the nations. The princes of the peoples are gathered with the people of the God of Abraham. Brief, nearly breathless, entirely praise.
God's kingship is not limited to Israel but extends over every nation, and the appropriate response is shouting and clapping, not reverent quiet.
verse: "God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet." The ascent of God as victorious king became a christological text for the Ascension of Jesus.
Superscription: 'To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.' One of the enthronement psalms (47, 93, 95-99) associated with liturgy celebrating YHWH's kingship. The clapping and shouting suggest an outdoor processional context. 'God is gone up' (v5) links to ark-procession narratives and ultimately to ascension theology.
All peoples commanded to clap and shout; God as most high, great King, subduer of nations; the princes of the peoples gathered with the God of Abraham's people; Jacob as the beloved.
Psalm 47 is used in Jewish liturgy on Rosh Hashanah (New Year) as part of the theme of divine kingship. Acts 1:9-11 (the Ascension) is read against this psalm in Christian tradition. The call to 'all ye people' (not just Israel) was significant for early Christian mission theology. The shields of the earth (v9) became a text for Christian understanding of earthly authority under divine sovereignty.
For when worship feels like an obligation rather than a release. This psalm is for when you need permission to be loud, exuberant, and completely undignified in joy.
1[To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.] O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
2For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
3He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
4He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
5God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
7For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
8God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
9The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.