What does the chapter actually say?
Identify the explicit claims before importing later doctrine or assumptions.
PSALMS • CHAPTER 47
Psalms 47
Prayer, praise, lament, kingship, justice, suffering, worship, wisdom, anger, hope, and Israel's poetic life with God.
READ THE CHAPTER
Psalms 47
WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE
The complete biblical text below is stored on this website.
You do not need to leave The Bible for Smart People to read it.
1
Oh clap your hands, all you nations.
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
2
For Yahweh Most High is awesome.
He is a great King over all the earth.
He is a great King over all the earth.
3
He subdues nations under us,
and peoples under our feet.
and peoples under our feet.
4
He chooses our inheritance for us,
the glory of Jacob whom he loved.
the glory of Jacob whom he loved.
5
God has gone up with a shout,
Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet.
Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet.
6
Sing praises to God! Sing praises!
Sing praises to our King! Sing praises!
Sing praises to our King! Sing praises!
7
For God is the King of all the earth.
Sing praises with understanding.
Sing praises with understanding.
8
God reigns over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne.
God sits on his holy throne.
9
The princes of the peoples are gathered together,
the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God.
He is greatly exalted!
the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God.
He is greatly exalted!
POETRY
Where this chapter fits
Psalms belongs to Israel's wisdom/poetic tradition, where literary form matters as much as historical setting.
Chapter numbers were added long after the biblical books were written.
Read this chapter together with what comes immediately before and after it.
ANCIENT TEXT, MODERN QUESTIONS
Historical claims should be compared with historical evidence.
Scientific claims should be compared with science.
Moral claims should be examined morally.
Theological claims require theological and philosophical argument.
QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING
Don't skip the hard parts.
What kind of literature is this?
Narrative, poetry, prophecy, law, letters, wisdom, and apocalypse communicate differently.
What historical evidence matters?
Ask whether names, places, institutions, events, customs, and chronology can be independently investigated.
What are the strongest competing interpretations?
Compare serious Jewish, Christian, academic, and skeptical readings rather than caricatures.
CONTINUE THE INVESTIGATION
You've reached the member analysis.
You can keep reading every Bible chapter on this site for free.
Membership unlocks the deeper analysis, historical context, competing interpretations, perspectives, and conclusion.
WANT TO KEEP READING FOR FREE?
Continue to Psalms 48
The complete biblical text of the next chapter is free to read.
You only need membership when you want the deeper analysis and side-by-side investigation.
READ NEXT CHAPTER FREEUNLOCK THE ANALYSIS
Already a member?
Sign in to continue →