Chapter Forty-Six

All nations must revere God, Who showed His strength in the trampling of the enemies of Jacob, whom He loved (2–5). The Lord ascended to Zion with trumpet sounds. Sing praise to Him, the King of all the earth (6–8). By defeating the princes of the heathen nations, the Lord showed that He is “exalted” over them (9–10).

Psalm 46:2. Clap your hands, all peoples; shout to God with a voice of joy. In the defeat of the heathen nations, the writer of the psalm saw clear proof that the God of the Hebrews is the true God. In this, according to him, all heathen peoples should be actually convinced, which is why the writer invites them to rejoice along with him, since they have now learned where the true God is.

Psalm 46:4. He has subdued peoples and tribes under our feet. “Subdue... under feet” — to completely disable, to make an enemy powerless and harmless.

Psalm 46:5. He chose for us our inheritance, the beauty of Jacob, whom He loved. “Chose for us our inheritance,” that is, Palestine, which God designated for the possession of the Hebrew people. This inheritance is “the beauty of Jacob,” in which the Hebrew takes pride, as a rich and fertile (region) portion.

Psalm 46:6. God ascended with shouts of joy, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. The ascent of God — the carrying of the Ark of the Covenant after the campaign against enemies into the Jerusalem Temple. This procession was usually accompanied by the singing of hymns with the accompaniment of musical instruments.

Psalm 46:8. For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises, all of you with understanding. “Sing praises all of you with understanding” — thoughtfully, worthily of God.

Psalm 46:10. The princes of the peoples have gathered to the people of the God of Abraham, for to God belong the shields of the earth; He is greatly exalted. “The princes of the peoples have gathered to the people of the God of Abraham” with conquering aims. These peoples were ruled by their “shields” — the military commanders and kings, whose skill and strength the armies relied upon. But since these shields are “God’s,” receiving this power with the knowledge and permission of the Lord, that is, depending on Him, then in a struggle with this God they, as the weaker and dependent, naturally must perish, which is what happened: “He is greatly exalted over them.”