Psalms 47 (ASV)

Chapter Text

47:1 Oh clap your hands, all ye peoples; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

47:2 For Jehovah Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth.

47:3 He subdueth peoples under us, And nations under our feet.

47:4 He chooseth our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom he loved. Selah

47:5 God is gone up with a shout, Jehovah with the sound of a trumpet.

47:6 Sing praise to God, sing praises: Sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: Sing ye praises with understanding.

47:8 God reigneth over the nations: God sitteth upon his holy throne.

47:9 The princes of the peoples are gathered together [To be] the people of the God of Abraham: For the shields of the earth belong unto God; He is greatly exalted. Psalm 48 A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "clap", "hands", "peoples", "shout", "voice", "triumph", "jehovah", and "most". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "clap" and "hands", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local ASV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "clap" and "hands" carries the first interpretive weight. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "clap" and "hands" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.