Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 47
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Psalms 47
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Psalms 47
"Oh clap your hands, all ye peoples; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph." — Psalms 47:1 (ASV)
Of triumph. —Or, of exultation, as the Septuagint and Vulgate. For the hand-clapping at a time of national rejoicing, such as the coronation of a king, see 2 Kings 11:12 ; and for the “shout,” compare to Numbers 23:21, the shout of a king; and 1 Samuel 10:24. With the Hebrews, as with our own English forefathers, this sign of popular assent,
“In full acclaim,
A people’s voice,
The proof and echo of all human fame,”
played a large and important part.
"For Jehovah Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth." — Psalms 47:2 (ASV)
Most high. —Or, possibly, a predicate, is exalted.
Terrible. —Literally, feared. (Compare to 2 Chronicles 20:29).
"He subdueth peoples under us, And nations under our feet." — Psalms 47:3 (ASV)
Our inheritance. —The Septuagint read, “his inheritance,” suggesting that originally the passage may have read, He chooses us for His inheritance, an even more common thought in the Hebrew mind than that of the present text, that Jehovah chose Canaan as an inheritance for Israel.
"He subdueth peoples under us, And nations under our feet. He chooseth our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom he loved. Selah" — Psalms 47:3-4 (ASV)
Shall subdue ... shall choose. —Rather, subdues, chooses, indicating a continued manifestation of the Divine favour.
"He chooseth our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom he loved. Selah" — Psalms 47:4 (ASV)
The excellence of Jacob. —This phrase, which literally means the loftiness of Jacob, is used in Nahum 2:2 of the national glory, in Ezekiel 24:21 of the Temple, but in Amos 6:8 has a bad sense, “the pride of Jacob.” Here, as the text stands, it is to be understood of the country. (Compare to Isaiah 13:19.)
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