Psalm 47 – Yahweh is worshipped as King of all the nations on earth

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)

Psalm 47 (NIV, 1984)

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
 	shout to God with cries of joy.
2 How awesome is the LORD Most High,
 	the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdued nations under us,
 	peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
 	the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.		Selah 

5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
 	the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
 	sing praises to our King, sing praises.

7 For God is the King of all the earth;
 	sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations;
 	God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
 	as the people of the God of Abraham,
   for the kings of the earth belong to God;
 	he is greatly exalted.

Notes

1. As usual, I have adapted the NIV 1984 version by changing LORD to Yahweh and removing the paragraph spaces.

2. It is now ready to look for the idea promoted in each line, to see if this is in association with neighbouring lines, thus forming a strophe and then to look for parallels with other strophes. All this contribute to the theme of the psalm.

Psalm 47 (adapted)

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
 	shout to God with cries of joy.
2 How awesome is Yahweh Most High,
 	the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdued nations under us,
 	peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
 	the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. 	Selah
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
 	Yahweh amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
 	sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
 	sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations;
 	God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
 	as the people of the God of Abraham,
   for the kings of the earth belong to God;
 	he is greatly exalted.

3. In the following version these ideas and parallels are colour-coded.

4. The psalm is introduced with two two-line strophes each with their own distinct idea that contrasts with a parallel strophe that also has two lines. These are arranged in a chiastic pattern with a single two-line strophe X in the centre that emphasises that Yahweh is the one to be worshipped by all nations throughout the earth.

5. And here is a copy you can download and manipulate to test alternative layouts.

Yahweh is worshipped as King of all the nations on earth

Psalm 47 (version 1)

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

A1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
                                    shout to God with cries of joy.
2 How awesome is Yahweh Most High,
                                    the great King over all the earth!
B3 He subdued nations under us,
                                    peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
                                    the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.                   Selah
X5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
                                    Yahweh amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises
                                    sing praises to our King, sing praises.
B17 For God is the King of all the earth;
                                    sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations;
                                    God is seated on his holy throne.
A19 The nobles of the nations assemble
                                    as the people of the God of Abraham,
   for the kings of the earth belong to God;
                                    he is greatly exalted.

6. Only during King David’s reign did Israel dominate the neighbouring nations (strophe B) so that suggests the Psalm dates from the middle years of David’s reign.

7. Worship is national/communal rather than personal.

8. In what sense has Yahweh ‘ascended’ (strophe X)?  Could it be linked to ‘seated on his holy throne’ (strophe B1)?

9. Although I am publishing my findings now the study is incomplete without a detailed analysis of the individual strophes and their interrelationships. Further study may confirm the preliminary assessment but that cannot be assumed as it is possible that further insights may point to a different format. Why not have a go? Please report back and your findings can be published here.

Written: 30 January 2021

Published: 4 June 2026