EXPOSITION. Ver. 5.-God ill gone up with a shout· PSALM XLVII. the Lord with tho rnund of a trumpet. A~ Tnrs is a song of praise to God, !l.S the King God "comes down" when bo interposes for of the whole earth. It hp.s been called" one the_ reiief or deliverance of bis people (Ps. of the aece88ion psalms," becauso H depicts cxhv. 5), so nfter the relief or delivemnce is God as assuming his kingdom, and to.king effee~ed, he i~ view~d as " going up"-re- turning to his glorious e.bode, reoccupyin"' his seat upon his throne (vcre. 5-8). There hie seat in the heaven of heavens, and thcr~ is nothing in the psalm that very definitely remaining until some fresh call is made marks the time of the composition; but it upon him. If the interposition has been may well be, as Dr. Kay suggests, a psalm one of a striking and unusual character, if the relief has been great, the deliverance in which "Israel collectively acknowledges signal, the triumph accorded to his people what David had been nllowed to accom- extre.ordine.ry, then be "goes up with a plish." The tiUe assigns it to "the sons shout"-amid tho exulting cries e.ncl loud of Korab," who were nmong David's chief jubilations of reecned Isro.el. When the musicians. occasion is such as to call for a. public mani- festation of thanksgiving at tl1e house of Ver. 1.-0 ole.p your hands, all ye people; God (2 Chron. xx. 28), then he " goes up" rather, all ye peoples. The nations of the also "with the sound of the trumpet," which earth generally-not Israel only-are ad- we.a always sounded by tho priests ou great dressed. Tile events which have taken place occasions of festal joy a.nd gladness (see 2 -the great extension of God's kingdom, Se.m. vi. 15; 2 Kings xi. 14; l Chron. xiii. by David's conquests, are for the advantage 8; xvi. 42 ; 2 Chron. v. 12 ; vii. 6; x.xix. of all, and all ought to be thankful for 27; Ezre. iii. 10; N eh. xii. 35). them. Shout llll.to God with the voice of Ver. 6.-Sing praises to God, sing praises; triumph; or, with a voice of joy. Professor sing praises llll.to our King, sing praises. Cheyne renders, "in ringing tones." Praise him, i.e., both as God and King- Ver. 2.-Forthe Lord Most High is terrible especially as "our King "-that is, e.s (comp. Dent. vii 21; nnd see also Pee. !xv. 5; Israel's King. lxviii. 35; lxxvi. 7-9). God is" terrible" Ver. 7.-For God is the King of ..n the --i.e. awful to contemplat8-<ln account of earth (comp. ver. 2). Bing ye pre.ises with hie vast power and hie absolute holiness. llll.derstanding; literally, sing a psalm of He is a great King over all the earth. Not instruction. As Hengstcnbcrg reme.rk,i, only over Israel, or over the nations which "Every song in praise of God, on account D,1vid has conquered, but over every nation of God, on account of his glorious deeds, on the face of the earth (comp. Pss. xcv. 3, contains a rich treasuro of instruction and 4; xcvi. 10; xcvii. 1, etc.). improvement." Here the special instruction Ver. 3.-He shall subdue the people under is that God is King over the whole earth, us; r11ther, he subdues, or hat/1 subdued, that he reigns over the heu.then, e.nd the.t peoples under u,. The reference is to recent the hen.then shull ulso some time or oLher vi(ltories (comp. Ps. xviii 47). And the own hie sovereignty. nations (rather, and nations) Ullder our feet. Ver. 8.--0od reigneth over the heathen. David subdued all the nations between the God bad me.nifested his kingly power over river of Egypt and the Euphrates, and left the boo.then by subduing grout numbers of the inheritn.nce of this kingdom, or re.ther them, und mu.Iring them subject to Israel. empire, to Solomon (1 Kings iv. 21). lie would one day manifest it still more by Ver. 4.-He shall choose our inheritance bringing all nations into his Church. God for ns; re.ther, he chooseth, or hath ohosen, sitteth upon the throne of hie holineBB. our inheritance for us. God originally ohoso The throne from whioh he exercises a just, Co.no.an e.s the inheritance of his people n righteous, and e. holy rule. (Gen. xii. 1-7), e.nd gave it to Abraham. Ver. 9.-The prinoes of the people (lite- Later on, he enfarged the gift, making the rally, princes of peoples) are gathered to- hounde.ries such u.s they became under gether, even the people of the God of David and Solomon (Gen. xv. 18). The Abraham; rather, to be the people of Iha Goel exoellenoy of J'e.oob whom he loved. The of Abraham (Revised Version )--i.e. to form, Holy Land is called " the exoellency of together with Israol, the oae people, or Ja.cob," or "the pride of Ja.cob," on ac- Church, of God (comp. Lio.. xlix. 18-:23). count of its beauty, u.nd the excellence nnd For the shields of the earth belong unto God. vn.riety of its productions (see Deut. viii. The "shields" are the "prince." of Lile 7-9; 2 Kings xviii. 22). first clnnse, \hose whose businc~s it is to 366 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. XLVII. 1-0,
protect and dofend thoir subjects (comp. exalted. The perfect submission to God of Hos. iv. 18). The princes of the earth all his rational creatures is hie highest helong especially to God, since "by him exallation and glory. When "all people kings reign, and princas decree justice" bow down before him,'' and "all nations do ( Prov. viii. 15). At the great in gathering him service," when rebellion and resisto.nce of the Gentiles into the Church, they woul<l to hie will are at o.n end, then will he be belong to him still more>, siuee they would established iu hie rightful position, and his voluntarily place themselves under his rule exaltation will be complete. (IS&. x.lix. 23 ; lx. 3, I I, 16). He is greatly