Psalm 47:9 Kommentar

The scope of this psalm is to stir us up to praise God, to stir up all people to do so; and, I. We are directed in what manner to do it, publicly, cheerfully, and intelligently (Psa 47:1, Psa 47:6, Psa 47:7). II. We are furnished with matter for praise. 1. God's majesty (Psa 47:2). 2. His sovereign and universal dominion (Psa 47:2, Psa 47:7-9). 3. The great things he had done, and will do, for his people (Psa 47:3-5). Many suppose that this psalm was penned upon occasion of the bringing up of the ark to Mount Zion which Psa 47:5 seems to refer to ("God has gone up with a shout"); - but it looks further, to the ascension of Christ into the heavenly Zion, after he had finished his undertaking on earth, and to the setting up of his kingdom in the world, to which the heathen should become willing subjects. In singing this psalm we are to give honour to the exalted Redeemer, to rejoice in his exaltation, and to celebrate his praises, confessing that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. To the chief musician. A psalm for the sons of Korah.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 47 To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Thus psalm is thought by some to be written on occasion of the ark being brought from the house of Obededom to the city of David, to the place he had prepared for it; which was attended with singing and dancing, with shouting, and the sound of a trumpet, Sa2 6:12; but it rather seems to be penned on account of the ascension of Christ to heaven, prophetically spoken of in this psalm; and of the spread of the Gospel, and the conquests it made in the Gentile world upon Christ's ascension; as the whole psalm shows: and even Aben Ezra and Kimchi apply it to the times of the Messiah; and so do some of their most ancient writers, who particularly interpret Psa 47:5 of him, as may be seen in the note upon it.

Here he shows the extent of the gospel’s influence, reaching not only simple people but even the very wearers of the crown and those seated on a royal throne.

"The princes of the peoples are gathered together unto the God of Abraham" [Psalm 47:9]. The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. [Exodus 3:6] True it is, God said this, and thereupon the Jews prided themselves, and said, "We are Abraham's children;" [John 8:33] priding themselves in their father's name, carrying his flesh, not holding his faith; by seed cleaving to Him, in manners degenerating. But the Lord, what said He to them so priding themselves? "If you are Abraham's children, do the works of Abraham." [John 8:39] Again..."The princes of the peoples:" the princes of the nations: not the princes of one people, but the princes of all people have "gathered together unto the God of Abraham." Of these princes was that Centurion too, of whom but now when the Gospel was read ye heard. For he was a Centurion having honour and power among men, he was a prince among the princes of the peoples. Christ coming to him, he sent his friends to meet Him, nay unto Christ truly passing over to him he sent his friends, and asked that He would heal his servant who was dangerously sick. And when the Lord would come, he sent to Him this message: "I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but say in a word only, and my servant shall be healed." "For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers." [Luke 7:6-7] See how he kept his rank! First he mentioned that he was under another, and afterwards that another was under him. I am under authority, and I am in authority; both under some I am, and over some I am....As though he said, If I being set under authority command those who are under me, You who is set under no man's authority, canst not Thou command Your creature, since all things were made by You, and without You was nothing made. "Say," then, said he, "in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof."...Admiring at his faith, Jesus reprobates the Jews' misbelief. For sound to themselves they seemed, whereas they were dangerously sick, when their Physician not knowing they slew. Therefore when He reprobated, and repudiated their pride what said he? "I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west," not belonging to the kindred of Israel: many shall come to whom He said, "O clap your hands, all you nations;" "and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." Abraham begot them not of his own flesh; yet shall they come and sit down with him in the kingdom of heaven, and be his sons. Whereby his sons? Not as born of his flesh, but by following his faith. "But the children of the kingdom," that is, the Jews, "shall be cast into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." [Matthew 8:12] They shall be condemned to outer darkness who are born of the flesh of Abraham, and they shall sit down with him in the kingdom of heaven, who have imitated Abraham's faith.

The promises to the patriarch Abraham, he is saying, took effect. Now the Lord of all promised to bless all the nations in his progeny. Accordingly, both these nations and their rulers abandoned their ancestral gods and are assembled with the God of Abraham, and they call this God theirs.

And not only are the nations subject to Him, but also their princes; hence he says, "the princes of the peoples," namely of all [peoples], "are gathered together," through faith and love, "with the God of Abraham." And he says "Abraham," because he was the beginning of belief in both Father and Son. Mt. 3: "God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these stones." Ps. 71: "The kings of Arabia," etc. And the reason why they have been gathered is that "the strong gods of the earth have been greatly exalted." And this can be understood in two ways. In one way, of the Jews; for they were gods, because they were instructed about God. Jn. 10: "He called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken." Likewise they were strong, because steadfast in the faith of one God. But they were "of the earth," because their eyes and their affections were always on earthly things. These "have been exalted" through pride, "greatly," to such an extent that they refused the doctrine of Christ. And so the apostles went to the Gentiles. In another way, the "strong gods" are the apostles. They are called gods on account of their judicial power. And in the Old Testament judges were called gods. Ex. 22: "You shall not detract from the gods" -- "Bring them before the gods," that is, before the judges. And they are called strong, on account of their constancy in suffering. Rom. 8: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" "Of the earth," that is, still existing in earthly things. 2 Cor. 4: "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." "And they have been greatly exalted" -- through preaching. Mk. 16: "They went forth and preached everywhere." Likewise through the working of miracles. Likewise through the attainment of glory. Jerome has: "because the gods are shields of the earth," because the apostles were the protectors of all peoples.

Praise is given to God for victory, perhaps that recorded (Ch2 20:20-30); and His dominions over all people, Jews and Gentiles, is asserted. (Psa 47:1-9) clap . . . hands . . . people--literally, "peoples," or "nations" (compare Deu 32:43; Psa 18:49; Psa 98:9).

princes--who represent peoples. For-- even--supply, "as," or, "to"--that is, they all become united under covenant with Abraham's God. shields--as in Hos 4:18, "rulers" [Margin]. Next: Psalms Chapter 48

(Heb.: 47:10) In the mirror of the present event, the poet reads the great fact of the conversion of all peoples to Jahve which closes the history of the world. The nobles of the peoples (נדיבי with the twofold meaning of generosi), the "shields (i.e., the lords who are the defenders of their people) of the earth" (Hos 4:18), enter into the society of the people of the God of Abraham; πέρας αἱ πρὸς τὸν πατριάρχην Ἀβραὰμ ἔλαβον ὑποσχέσεις, as Theodoret observes. The promise concerning the blessing of the tribes of the nations in the seed of the patriarch is being fulfilled; for the nobles draw the peoples who are protected by them after themselves. It is unnecessary to read עם instead of עם with Ewald, and following the lxx and Syriac; and it is also inadmissible, since one does not say נאסף עם, but ל or אל. Even Eusebius has rightly praised Symmachus and Theodotion, because they have translated the ambiguous ἀμ by λαὸς (τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἀβραάμ), viz., as being a nominative of the effect or result, as it is also understood by the Targum, Jerome, Luther, and most of the Jewish expositors, and among modern expositors by Crusius, Hupfeld, and Hitzig: They gather and band themselves together as a people or into a people of the God of Abraham, they submit themselves with Israel to the one God who is proved to be so glorious. (Note: It is also accented accordingly, viz., נאספו with Rebia magnum, which (and in this respect it is distinguished from Mugrash) makes a pause; and this is then followed by the supplementing clause with Zinnor, Galgal, and Olewejored.) The conclusion (v. 11) reminds one of the song of Hannah, Sa1 2:8. Thus universal homage is rendered to Him: He is gone up in triumph, and is in consequence thereof highly exalted (נעלה, 3rd praet., the result of consequence of the עלה in Psa 47:6).