Chapter Forty-Seven

How great is the Lord in His royal city, of which He is the Protector (2–4)! The enemies gathered, but perished, as perished also the ships of Tarshish (5–8). We ourselves saw one of the wonders of which we heard from our ancestors; we are filled with reverence before You (9–11). Let all the cities of Judah rejoice. Let them examine Jerusalem, saved by God from enemies and unharmed. This is God our Lord forever and ever (12–15).

Psalm 47:3. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion; on its north side is the city of the great King. Mount Zion is a beautiful elevation because on its north side is located the city of the great King, that is, the city of Jerusalem, where the temple is, and in it — the Lord Himself.

Psalm 47:4. God in her dwellings is made known as a refuge. All the dwellings of this city are under the protection of the Lord, and in them (the dwellings) it is known that He is their Protector.

Psalm 47:8. You have crushed the ships of Tarshish with an east wind. After speaking earlier of the defeat of the heathen nations, the writer points to the destruction of his own king’s ships, as a work of great protection and divine favor. In this fact the writer sees a punishment for his king’s alliance with the godless Ahaziah. This alliance and undertaking, had they succeeded, could have brought the kings closer together. Since Ahaziah was a godless king, this closeness could threaten the spread of godlessness among the Hebrew people. The destruction of the ships, therefore, is a sign of God’s care. The care of the Lord for His people and is the expression of His great preventive love and mercy, deserving praise.

Psalm 47:9. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. The wonders which the Lord accomplished in the past history of the Hebrew people and of which oral accounts were preserved, were repeated now. This wonder is the deliverance of the city from the attacks of numerous and formidable enemies.

Psalm 47:11. As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. “Your right hand is full of righteousness” — You dealt with the enemies as they deserved.

Psalm 47:12. Let Mount Zion rejoice, and let the daughters of Judah be glad because of Your judgments, O Lord. “The daughters of Judah” — the cities of Judea. “Because of Your judgments” — because of those determinations which You pronounced over our enemies.

Psalm 47:13. Go around Zion and encircle it; count its towers. Psalm 47:14. Set your heart upon her fortifications; consider her palaces, so that you may tell the next generation, The writer with admiration draws the attention of his contemporaries to the integrity of the fortifications and towers of Jerusalem. This fact is significant. By personal inspection, be convinced that the enormous armies of enemies caused no harm to Jerusalem. God did not permit anything to suffer from them.