Psalm 47 is a hymn celebrating God as sovereign King over all the earth, part of the spiritual praise of Israel sung in the worship of the Temple liturgies. The psalm unfolds in two movements: first, God’s dominion over the nations in relation to Israel, and second, a more universal vision where all peoples are gathered together under God.
In his Catechesis, Pope St. John Paul II notes a progression that runs from the supremacy of having power and authority over all — God is “most high, great and terrible” (v. 3); to inclusion, God gathering and associating all in unity — “the princes of the peoples are gathered with the people of the God of Abraham” (v. 10). This vision reflects a hope that all nations will ultimately converge on the Temple in Jerusalem, which is an image of the heavenly throne.
This perhaps surprising note of universalist openness in Psalm 47 is a foreshadowing of the new Covenant brought by Jesus Christ, not only for Israel but also for all the nations. As the prophet Isaiah hoped, the peoples who are hostile to one another, will receive the invitation to lay down their arms and to join together under the divine sovereignty, justice and peace (cf. Is 2,2-5).
John Paul II cites Ephesians: those who “were once far off have been brought near thanks to the blood of Christ,” who broke down “the dividing wall of enmity” between peoples (cf. Eph 2,1-14). An 8th-century homily captures the fulfillment: “Now, with his Word and his Spirit, God reigns over them because he saved them from deception and made them his friends.”
In short, Psalm 47 moves from a celebration of God’s particular covenant with Israel toward the hope of all humanity in Christ when the kingship of God, sung by the psalm, is realized on earth in the meeting of all people.
You are invited to pray an meditate on Psalm 47
Read the Catechesis of St. John Paul II
An anonymous 8th century homily commented: “Until the coming of the Messiah, hope of the nations, the Gentiles did not adore God and did not know who he is. Until the Messiah redeemed them, God did not reign over the nations through their obedience and their worship. Now instead, with his Word and his Spirit, God reigns over them because he saved them from deception and made them his friends”
