Psalms 47:6

Psa 47:6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

Ver. 6. Sing praises to God, sing praises] Do it with all alacrity, assiduity, being of that martyr’s mind who said, Should I do nothing else all the days of my life, yea, as long as the days of heaven shall last, but kneel upon my knees, and repeat over David’s psalms to the glory and praise of God, yet should I fall infinitely short of what is my duty to do.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Psa 47:6-7. Sing praises, &c. — These words are repeated four times in this verse, to show how vehemently desirous the psalmist was that God might have his due praise and glory: and of what great necessity and importance it was to men to perform this great, though much neglected duty; unto our king — For so he is in an especial manner. God is King of all the earth — Not only ours, as I now said, but of all the nations of the world: and, therefore, he may well require, and doth highly deserve, all our praises. Sing ye praises with understanding — Not formally and carelessly, but seriously, considering the greatness of this king whom you praise, and what abundant cause you have to praise him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7. (Psa 47:6). Sing praises (to) God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! The Hebrew corresponding to sing praises is a single Hebrew word which means to praise musically, both with voice and instrument. See above, on Psa 9:3, (2). God, who is first mentioned as the object of the praise, is then described as our King, the actual King of Israel and the rightful King of all the earth.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 6. Sing praises] זמרו zammeru: this word is four times repeated in this short verse, and shows at once the earnestness and happiness of the people. They are the words of exultation and triumph. Feel your obligation to God; express it in thanksgiving: be thankful, be eternally thankful, to God your King.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(6) Sing praises.—Better, Strike the harp.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. Sing praises] The verb from which mizmôr, ‘a psalm,’ is derived. See Introd. p. xix.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For God is the King of all the earth,.... Or "the king of all the earth is God" (e); the same that is ascended into heaven, and is King of saints, even Christ Jesus; and so he will appear to be, especially in the latter day; See Gill on Psa 47:2;

sing ye praises with understanding; or, as De Dieu renders it, to him that understandeth, that is, to God the only wise, whose understanding is infinite; even to Christ, who, as God, knows all things; and, as man and Mediator, is of quick understanding, and has all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in him; so R. Obadiah, "sing of him who understands"; or, "sing ye praises, O everyone that understandeth" (f); that is, how to sing, as everyone does not; this is the sense of Aben Ezra and Kimchi; or "with understanding", as we render it; with understanding of what is sung. The Apostle Paul seems to refer to this passage in Co1 14:15. The Targum renders it, "with a good understanding".

(e) So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis. (f) "canite, intelligens", Montanus; i.e. "unusquisque", Vatablus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Sing praises to God, sing praises - This commences the “second” part of the psalm. The “repetition” shows that the heart was full, or was overflowing with joy. It is a call on all to celebrate the praises of God, especially as he had enabled his people to triumph over their enemies.

Sing praises unto our King - Unto God, who has shown himself to be the King of his people - one who rules in their behalf, and who has interposed for their deliverance in danger.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

These words are repeated four times in this verse, to show how vehemently desirous the psalmist was that God might have his due praise and glory; and of how great necessity and importance it was to men to perform this great, though much neglected, duty.

Unto our King; for so he is in a special manner.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 6. Sing praises. What jubilation is here, when five times over the whole earth is called upon to sing to God! He is worthy, he is Creator, he is goodness itself. Sing praises, keep on with the glad work. Never let the music pause. He never ceases to be good, let us never cease to be grateful. Strange that we should need so much urging to attend to so heavenly an exercise. Sing praises unto our King. Let him have all our praise; no one ought to have even a particle of it. Jesus shall have it all. Let his sovereignty be the fount of gladness. It is a sublime attribute, but full of bliss to the faithful. Let our homage be paid not in groans but songs. He asks not slaves to grace his throne; he is no despot; singing is fit homage for a monarch so blessed and gracious. Let all hearts that own his sceptre sing and sing on for ever, for there is everlasting reason for thanksgiving while we dwell under the shadow of such a throne.

None.

Ver. 6. The importance of holy song. The repetition rebukes our slackness, and implies that earnestness, frequency, delight, and universality should characterise the praises offered.

Psalms 47:7*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises Praise him, i.e. , both as God and King especially as "our King that is, as Israel"s King.

Vers. 6, 7. The faculty and duty of praise.

"Sing praises." Every command of God implies power to obey. True, God often tells us to do what we have no power of ourselves to do; but then he gives power. When Jesus bade the lame Walk, the blind see, the paralytic to take up the bed he lay on, and the very dead to come out of the grave, power went with his word. On the other hand, every faculty or power with which God has endowed us implies some duty in which we are to glorify him. Thus the faculty of praising God in song, and the duty of singing praises with understanding, imply one another.

I THE FACULTY OF PRAISING GOD IN SONG. God might have given speech without song; all the whole world of sound without music. Not a few persons whose sense of hearing is quick and perfect, have no ear for music; they perceive neither melody nor harmony. For them, therefore, it is neither a pleasure nor a duty to sing praises. What is the case with some might have been with all. Music would then have had no existence in our world or in our conceptions. Further, if God had given no more than the ordinary average musical faculty, the wonder and power of music would have remained comparatively unknown. Multitudes can enjoy music, and play or sing, who never could compose a tune. A chosen few must be endowed with that special gift which we call "genius," making them as it were God"s prophets to unfold the secret treasure of music he has stored up in nature, above all, in the human voice. Manifestly it was God"s purpose in this to give delight. Music furnishes one of the most exquisite, elevating, unwearying pleasures of which our nature is capable. But it does much more. Song and music are a language distinct from speech the language of feeling. This language supplies the means by which multitudes may express their thoughts as well as their feelings as with one voice. Let a thousand people speak at once; all thought and feeling are drowned in hubbub. But let them sing together in perfect time and tune; both thought and feeling are raised to a pitch of energy else inconceivable.

II THE DUTY. "Sing ye praises." This duty has an inner spirit as well as an outer embodiment. There is, after all, no melody like "melody in your heart". (Eph_5:19) In the service of God"s Church, music without devotion, a lovely sound void of heartfelt meaning, is not praise, but profanation. Better omit singing from our service altogether, than have the finest music to the praise and glory, not of God, but of the performers. But when the spirit of praise, the heart and soul of worship, inspires our song, can we be too careful in perfecting its form? There is no spirituality in bad music; no piety in singing praises ignorantly, slovenly, untunefully. "Sing ye praises with understanding. " If Timothy was "not to neglect the gift," but to "stir up the gift that was in him," the like exhortation applies to whatever gift God has given us for his service. If only the few can lead, most can follow. The attainment of the art of singing by note, and culture of the voice so as to take part in this delightful part of Christian worship with pleasure to ourselves and profit to others, should he regarded as a far more serious duty than commonly it is. Psalmody is capable of being a most powerful means of religious impression and edification. (Col_3:16) Above all, let us cultivate the spirit of praise; the joyful, thankful, trustful, adoring piety, which finds its natural utterance in song. If prayer claims the principal place in our worship on earth, by reason of sin, weakness, need, sorrow,praise brings us nearest to the worship of heaven. (Rev_5:9-13)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises

The phrase "sing praises" is repeated for emphasis. You may omit the repetition if it is awkward in your language. AT: "Sing, sing praises to God; sing, sing praises to our King" (See: Parallelism)

translationWords

praise

king

understand

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Has gone up - on the chest which is concealed, that he should go up and be seen. And some say the meaning: that God will set the peoples below us, and at that time we shall shout over them with trumpets and the sound of the shofar, God will be gone up from us [יעלה ממנו], and so He is called Elyon [עליון].

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.