PSALMS 147

READING CYCLE THREE(see “Guide
to Good Bible Reading“)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT
PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are
responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in
the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in
interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations
above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original
author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one
and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 147:1-6
 ¹Praise the Lord!
 For it is good to sing praises
to our God;
 For it is pleasant and
praise is becoming.
 ²The
Lord
builds up Jerusalem;
 He gathers the outcasts of
Israel.
 ³He heals the
brokenhearted
 And binds up their wounds.
 ⁴He counts the
number of the stars;
 He gives names to all of them.
 ⁵Great is our Lord
and abundant in strength;
 His understanding is infinite.
 ⁶The
Lord
supports the afflicted;
 He brings down the wicked to
the ground.

147:1-6 This first strophe (Ps.
147:1-6), like Psalm 146, lists several characteristics of God which can be
ascertained by His acts (this Psalm is post-exilic).

1. for Israel

a. builds up Jerusalem

b. gathers her outcasts (i.e., exiles, cf. Isa.
11:12; Ezek. 39:28)

2. for the needy

a. heals the broken hearted (possibly refers to
repentant Israel in exile, cf. Ps. 51:17,18)

b. supports the afflicted (i.e., often used of
faithful followers)

c. brings down the wicked

(1) foreign nations

(2) unfaithful covenant partners

3. against paganism (i.e., astral idolatry)

a. counts the number of stars (Gen. 1:16; Isa.
40:26, i.e., not gods, cf. Ps. 8:3)

b. calls them by name (i.e., controls them)

c. YHWH is abundant in strength (cf. Isa. 40 26e)

d. YHWH has infinite understanding (BDB 108, cf.
Isa. 40:28)

147:1

NASB“becoming”
NKJV“beautiful”
TEV, REB“fitting”
JPSOA“glorious”

This adjective
(BDB 610) can mean

1. beautiful – Sol. 1:5; 2:14; 4:3; 6:4

2. fitting, appropriate when used of praise to God
– Ps. 33:1; 93:5; Pro. 17:7

147:4b “He gives names to all of them”
The naming of something demonstrates authority over it (cf. Gen. 2:18-20).

147:6 “to the ground” This can be
understood in several ways.

1. the defeated enemy bowing to the ground

2. a circumlocution for death/Sheol

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 147:7-11
 ⁷Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
 Sing praises to our God on the
lyre,
 ⁸Who covers the
heavens with clouds,
 Who provides rain for the
earth,
 Who makes grass to grow on the
mountains.
 ⁹He gives to the
beast its food,
 And to the young ravens
which cry.
 ¹⁰He does not
delight in the strength of the horse;
 He does not take pleasure in
the legs of a man.
 ¹¹The
Lord
favors those who fear Him,
 Those who wait for His
lovingkindness.

147:7-11 As the first strophe began
with “praise” (Piel
imperative), this one (Ps.
147:7-11) begins with “singing.”

1. sing – BDB 777, KB 854, Qal imperative

2. sing praises – BDB 274, KB 273, Piel imperative

The object of this singing is YHWH and His great acts.

1. as sustainer of creation and the normal cycles
of nature (cf. Ps. 104:10-17)

a. clouds

b. rain

c. plant growth

d. food for animals (cf. Ps. 104:27b; 136:25)

2. who He does not trust and who He does

a. negative (cf. Ps. 33:16-17)

(1) military power (i.e., the horse)

(2) strength of men (lit. legs)

b. positive

(1) those who fear (see
Special Topic: Fear [OT])
Him

(2) those who wait on His lovingkindness (see
Special Topic: Lovingkindness [hesed])

147:9b The UBS Text Project (p. 1176)
mentions a cultural proverb which asserted that ravens do not feed their young
well (cf. Job 38:41), but here it is asserted that the compassionate provider
God does!

It may also be significant that the raven (BDB 788) was
considered an unclean bird (cf. Lev. 11:15) but God still cares for them!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 147:12-20
 ¹²Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
 Praise your God, O Zion!
 ¹³For He has
strengthened the bars of your gates;
 He has blessed your sons
within you.
 ¹⁴He makes peace in
your borders;
 He satisfies you with the
finest of the wheat.
 ¹⁵He sends forth His
command to the earth;
 His word runs very swiftly.
 ¹⁶He gives snow like
wool;
 He scatters the frost like
ashes.
 ¹⁷He casts forth His
ice as fragments;
 Who can stand before His cold?
 ¹⁸He sends forth His
word and melts them;
 He causes His wind to blow and
the waters to flow.
 ¹⁹He declares His
words to Jacob,
 His statutes and His
ordinances to Israel.
 ²⁰He has not dealt
thus with any nation;
 And as for His ordinances,
they have not known them.
 Praise the Lord!

147:12-20 This third strophe (Ps.
147:12-20) also starts off with
imperatives of praise.

1. praise – BDB 986, KB 1387, Piel imperative

2. praise – BDB 237, KB 248, Piel imperative

He is worthy of praise because of His covenant fidelity (esp. Leviticus 26;
Deuteronomy 27-30) towards Israel (i.e., Jerusalem. . .Zion).

1. strengthens the fortifications of Jerusalem
(i.e., gate bars)

2. blesses

a. the children of the city (i.e., health, their
number)

b. the people inside the city (TEV)

3. brings peace to the land

4. provides a good crop

5. controls the weather (Ps. 147:16-18) so as to
sustain agricultural abundance (i.e., covenant promises, cf. Ps. 147:19)

6. His special relationship (i.e., revelation) to
the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

147:14b “the finest of wheat” This is
a metaphor of agricultural abundance (cf. Ps. 81:16) because grain was such a
staple of the ANE diet.

147:15 God’s word is personified as
running rapidly (i.e., going into all creation). In Hebrew thought God’s word
was a creative power (cf. Genesis 1). Once given, it would accomplish its
purpose (cf. Isa. 45:23; 55:11).

147:19 “words. . .statutes. . .ordinances”
See SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR GOD’S REVELATION.

147:20b “they have not known them”
God’s revelation was a special gift. It was meant to be lived out as a witness
to the nations. Israel failed in this! See
Special Topic: YHWH Eternal
Redemptive Plan.

The UBS Text Project rates this phrase as “C” (considerable
doubt). It recommends it as over against the NEB, “he does not let them know.”
This difference is

1. MT, NASB – ידעום – בל

2. NEB, REB – ידיעם – בל

147:20c The Psalm closes as it
began—”Hallelujah”!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide
commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of
the Bible. Each of us must walk n the light we have. You, the Bible, and the
Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a
commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think
through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be
thought provoking, not definitive.

1. How do you explain Ps. 145:6,8-13 focusing on
“all men” and Psalm 147 focusing on Israel (esp. Ps. 147:19-20)?

2. Why is Ps. 147:4 so theologically significant
in an ANE setting?

3. How is Ps. 147:7-9 related to Leviticus 26 and
Deuteronomy 27-30?

4. God’s sustaining providence described in Ps.
147:16-18 provides nature with consistent patterns. How did this affect the
development of the “scientific method” in western culture?

5. Does Ps. 147:20 imply that God does not share
Himself or His revelation with Gentiles?

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