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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.

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Psalms 147

Psalm 147 is a hymn celebrating God as healer and sustainer while emphasizing care from individuals to cosmic order, exemplifying the theological concerns of Book 5. The psalmist employs vivid imagery and direct address to God, establishing the intimate dialogue between worshiper and the divine that characterizes the psalmic tradition. The theological assertions center on God's character as both judge and redeemer, creating a comprehensive vision of divine justice and mercy integrated with human experience. The psalm reflects on both personal circumstance and communal identity, suggesting that individual faith finds validation through shared experience with the covenant community. The liturgical context indicates this psalm's function in worship where personal piety integrates with communal celebration of God's acts and attributes. The concluding movement typically affirms confidence in God's faithfulness, exemplifying the psalmic pattern of transformation through prayer and remembrance of divine acts throughout history.

Psalms 147:1

Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. The opening celebrates the goodness and fittingness of praise itself; singing becomes an appropriate response to God's graciousness. How good it is creates invitation for others to join in praise; the psalmist's own conviction draws others into participation. Fitting suggests that praise is not arbitrary but the naturally appropriate human response to divine graciousness. This verse frames praise as both pleasurable and morally fitting.

Psalms 147:2

The revelation that God delights in those who fear Him establishes that human faithfulness brings joy to the divine heart. The verse situates pleasure in faithful ones within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:3

The divine utterance becomes the instrument through which creation and human community are healed and renewed. The verse situates restoration through God's word within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:4

God's specific compassion toward those whose hearts are broken and spirits crushed expresses divine solidarity with human suffering. The verse situates care for broken-hearted within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:5

The revelation that God delights in those who fear Him establishes that human faithfulness brings joy to the divine heart. The verse situates pleasure in faithful ones within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:6

The divine utterance becomes the instrument through which creation and human community are healed and renewed. The verse situates restoration through God's word within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:7

God's specific compassion toward those whose hearts are broken and spirits crushed expresses divine solidarity with human suffering. The verse situates care for broken-hearted within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:8

The revelation that God delights in those who fear Him establishes that human faithfulness brings joy to the divine heart. The verse situates pleasure in faithful ones within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:9

The divine utterance becomes the instrument through which creation and human community are healed and renewed. The verse situates restoration through God's word within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:10

God's specific compassion toward those whose hearts are broken and spirits crushed expresses divine solidarity with human suffering. The verse situates care for broken-hearted within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:11

The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. God's pleasure in the faithful establishes that relationship with God brings joy to the divine heart. Fear and hope represent the fundamental postures of covenant relationship: reverence for God's majesty and trust in divine faithfulness. This verse affirms that human faithfulness is not merely obedience to external command but becomes source of divine pleasure. The reciprocal nature of relationship is established: as humans delight in God, God delights in them.

Psalms 147:12

The divine utterance becomes the instrument through which creation and human community are healed and renewed. The verse situates restoration through God's word within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:13

God's specific compassion toward those whose hearts are broken and spirits crushed expresses divine solidarity with human suffering. The verse situates care for broken-hearted within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:14

The revelation that God delights in those who fear Him establishes that human faithfulness brings joy to the divine heart. The verse situates pleasure in faithful ones within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:15

The divine utterance becomes the instrument through which creation and human community are healed and renewed. The verse situates restoration through God's word within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:16

God's specific compassion toward those whose hearts are broken and spirits crushed expresses divine solidarity with human suffering. The verse situates care for broken-hearted within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:17

The revelation that God delights in those who fear Him establishes that human faithfulness brings joy to the divine heart. The verse situates pleasure in faithful ones within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:18

The divine utterance becomes the instrument through which creation and human community are healed and renewed. The verse situates restoration through God's word within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:19

God's specific compassion toward those whose hearts are broken and spirits crushed expresses divine solidarity with human suffering. The verse situates care for broken-hearted within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.

Psalms 147:20

The revelation that God delights in those who fear Him establishes that human faithfulness brings joy to the divine heart. The verse situates pleasure in faithful ones within the broader liturgical and theological context of the psalm. This thematic development connects to covenantal principles governing Israel's relationship with God. The verse demonstrates how personal experience or theological reflection participates in the larger narrative of God's purposes. Understanding this verse requires attention to its position within the psalm's structure and to the surrounding verses that provide fuller context.