Psalms 147
1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
14 He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?
18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.
20 He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Psalms 147.
What stands out about Jerusalem's rebuilding joined to counting stars in Psalm 147?
Psalm 147 builds its movement around Jerusalem's rebuilding joined to counting stars, healing the brokenhearted, snow, frost, wind, and divine instruction. Tracking repeated words, parallel lines, changes of speaker, and image clusters shows how the poem develops before assigning a later interpretation.
What world does Psalm 147 ask the reader to picture?
The poem evokes rebuilt jerusalem and the created cosmos. Those settings may be literal, remembered, ritual, or metaphorical; distinguishing those possibilities is part of reading Hebrew poetry carefully.
Research PathsCurated links for exploring this chapter 3
History & Daily Life1
- Persian-Period Jerusalem at the Givati ExcavationsCity of David
Describes excavated Persian-period remains connected with the era of return and reconstruction after Jerusalem’s destruction. The archaeological setting helps illuminate Psalm 147’s combination of restored walls, strengthened gates, gathered exiles, renewed security, and agricultural provision without proving a precise date for the psalm.
Language & Literature1
- Translation Commentary on Psalm 147:1–3Translation Insights and Perspectives
Explains the Hebrew wording of Psalm 147’s opening praise, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the gathering of displaced Israelites, and the healing of broken hearts. It also discusses why the verbs are often understood against a postexilic setting.
Artifacts & Manuscripts1
- Seal Impressions from the Time of Ezra and NehemiahCity of David
Illustrated report on seal impressions and pottery associated with Persian-period Jerusalem. The finds help readers picture the small community rebuilding among the ruins after the Babylonian destruction, a plausible historical world for Psalm 147’s references to rebuilding Jerusalem and gathering dispersed Israelites.
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