O clap your hands, all ye people - A common way of expressing joy, or indicating applause. Compare the notes at Isaiah 55:12. The "people" here referred to are probably the Jewish people, and the call on them is to rejoice, with the customary marks of joy, in view of the great victory which God had gained over their enemies.

Shout unto God - Make a joyful noise in praise of God; that is, in acknowledgment that this victory has been gained by his interposition.

With a voice of triumph - With such a shout as is usually raised when a victory is obtained; such a shout as occurs in a triumphal procession. Compare 2 Samuel 6:15; 1 Chronicles 15:28; Job 39:25; Zechariah 4:7; Exodus 32:18; Isaiah 12:6; Isaiah 42:11; Isaiah 44:23; Jeremiah 50:15. There are doubtless times when loud shouts, as expressive of joy, are proper.

O clap your hands, all ye people - Let both Jews and Gentiles magnify the Lord: the Jews, for being delivered from the Babylonish captivity; the Gentiles, for being called to enter into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

O clap your hands, all ye people, Meaning the Gentiles more especially; see Psalm 117:1 compared with Romans 15:9; who had reason to rejoice and be glad, since the ascended Lord and King here spoken of was given to be their Saviour, was the propitiation for their sins, and had given himself a ransom price for them; and now the Gospel was preached among them, by an order from him after his resurrection; and upon his ascension gifts were bestowed on his apostles, qualifying them for it; when many of them were converted by it, and were made partakers of the same grace and privileges with the Jews that believed in Christ, and were formed into Gospel churches. Wherefore they are called upon to declare their joy and gladness by "clapping their hands"; which is a gesture expressive of exultation and joy; see Psalm 98:8, Nahum 3:19. It was used at the unction and coronation of a king, 2 Kings 11:12; and so very proper to be used on occasion of the Messiah being made or declared Lord and Christ, as he was at his ascension, Acts 2:36;

shout unto God with the voice of triumph; as when triumphs are made on account of victories obtained, which was now the case; Christ having conquered sin, Satan, and the world, by his sufferings and death, and having spoiled principalities and powers, made a show of them, openly triumphing over them, when he ascended on high, and led captivity captive; and he having sent his apostles into the Gentile world with his Gospel, they were caused to triumph in him wherever they came. And now these external actions of clapping hands, and shouting with the voice, are expressive of inward spiritual joy; which those among the people who were conquered by the grace of God, and had a sight of their ascended Lord and Saviour, were filled with: and who are exhorted to express it in this manner, unto God: not to angels, nor to men, no, not to ministers, who brought the joyful tidings to them; but to God, either to God the Father, for all their temporal and spiritual blessings; especially for the unspeakable gift of his Son, to suffer and die for them: or to the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh; God that was gone up with a shout, Psalm 47:5; and was now at the right hand of God, crowned with glory and honour; who, by the sufferings of death, had obtained eternal redemption for them.

1 Clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

"O clap your hands." The most natural and most enthusiastic tokens of exultation are to be used in view of the victories of the Lord, and his universal reign. Our joy in God may be demonstrative, and yet he will not censure it. "All ye people." The joy is to extend to all nations; Israel may lead the van, but all the Gentiles are to follow in the march of triumph, for they have an equal share in that Kingdom where there is neither Greek nor Jew, but Christ is all and in all. Even now if they did but know it, it is the best hope of all nations that Jehovah ruleth over them. If they cannot all speak the same tongue, the symbolic language of the hands they can all use. All people will be ruled by the Lord in the latter days, and will exult in that rule; were they wise they would submit to it now, and rejoice to do so; yea, they would clap their hands in rapture at the thought. "Shout," let your voices keep tune with your hands. "Unto God," let him have all the honours of the day, and let them be loud, joyous, universal, and undivided. "With the voice of triumph," with gladsome sounds, consonant with such splendid victories, so great a King, so excellent a rule, and such gladsome subjects. Many are human languages, and yet the nations may triumph as with one voice. Faith's view of God's government is full of transport. The prospect of the universal reign of the Prince of Peace is enough to make the tongue of the dumb sing; what will the reality be? Well might the poet of the seasons bid mountains and valleys raise their joyous hymn -

"For the Great Shepherd reigns,

And his unsuffering kingdom yet will come."

(Heb.: 47:2-4) "Thereupon the fear of Elohim" - so closes the chronicler (2 Chronicles 20:29) the narrative of the defeat of the confederates - "came upon all kingdoms of the countries, when they heard that Jahve had fought against the enemies of Israel." The psalmist, however, does not in consequence or this particular event call upon them to tremble with fear, but to rejoice; for fear is an involuntary, extorted inward emotion, but joy a perfectly voluntary one. The true and final victory of Jahve consists not in a submission that is brought about by war and bloodshed and in consternation that stupefies the mind, but in a change in the minds and hearts of the peoples, so that they render joyful worship unto Him. In order that He may thus become the God of all peoples, He has first of all become the God of Israel; and Israel longs that this the purpose of its election may be attained. Out of this longing springs the call in Psalm 47:2. The peoples are to show the God of revelation their joy by their gestures and their words; for Jahve is absolutely exalted (עליון, here it is a predicate, just as in Psalm 78:56 it is an attribute), terrible, and the sphere of His dominion has Israel for its central point, not, however, for its limit, but it extends over the whole earth. Everything must do homage to Him in His own people, whether willingly or by constraint. According to the tenses employed, what is affirmed in Psalm 47:4 appears to be a principle derived from their recent experience, inasmuch as the contemporary fact is not expressed in an historical form, but generalized and idealised. But יבחר, Psalm 47:5, is against this, since the choosing (election) is an act done once for all and not a continued act; we are therefore driven to regard the futures, as in Numbers 23:7; Judges 2:1, as a statement of historical facts. Concerning ידבּר, He bent, made to stoop, vid., Psalm 18:48. There is now no necessity for altering יבחר into ירחב, and more especially since this is not suited to the fact which has given occasion to the Psalm. On the contrary, יבחר presupposes that in the event of the day God has shown Himself to be a faithful and powerful Lord [lit. feudal Lord] of the land of Israel; the hostile confederation had thought of nothing less than driving Israel entirely out of its inheritance (2 Chronicles 20:11). The Holy Land is called the pride (גּאון) of Jacob, as being the gift of grace of which this, the people of God's love, can boast. In Amos 6:8 גאון יעקב has a different meaning (of the sin of pride), and again another sense in Nahum 2:3 (of the glory of all Israel in accordance with the promise); here it is similar to Isaiah 13:19. את has a conjunctive accent instead of being followed by Makkeph, as in Psalm 60:2; Proverbs 3:12 (these are the only three instances). The strophe which follows supports the view that the poet, in Psalm 47:5, has a recent act of God before his mind.

<> O {a} clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

(a) Here is figured Christ to whom all his should give willing obedience, and who would show himself terrible to the wicked.

for: or, of

PSALM 47

Ps 47:1-9. Praise is given to God for victory, perhaps that recorded (2Ch 20:20-30); and His dominions over all people, Jews and Gentiles, is asserted.

1. clap . hands . people-literally, "peoples," or "nations" (compare De 32:43; Ps 18:49; 98:9).

47:1-4 The God with whom we have to do, is a God of awful majesty. The universal and absolute sovereignty of a holy God would be too terrible for us even to think of, were it not exercised by his Son from a mercy-seat; but now it is only terrible to the workers of iniquity. While his people express confidence and joy, and animate each other in serving him, let sinners submit to his authority, and accept his salvation. Jesus Christ shall subdue the Gentiles; he shall bring them as sheep into the fold, not for slaughter, but for preservation. He shall subdue their affections, and make them a willing people in the day of his power. Also it speaks of his giving them rest and settlement. Apply this spiritually; the Lord himself has undertaken to be the inheritance of his people. It shows the faith and submission of the saints. This is the language of every gracious soul, The Lord shall choose my inheritance for me; he knows what is good for me better than I do.