Psalms 147

KJV · Chapter 147/150

1Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

2The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.

3He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

4He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

5Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

6The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.

7Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

8Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

9He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.

10He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

11The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

12Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

13For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

14He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

15He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

16He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.

17He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?

18He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.

19He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

20He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A hymn that celebrates God both as healer of the brokenhearted and as creator who counts and names the stars, controlling the snow, ice, and wind, and revealing his word specifically to Israel.

Explanation

This psalm beautifully unites two aspects of God that might seem far apart: extremely personal care (healing broken hearts, v.3) and incomprehensible cosmic power (counting and naming every star, v.4 — something scientifically staggering, since there are billions of them). The mention of weather phenomena (snow, ice, wind) reflects careful observation of nature as evidence of God's control and wisdom. The application for today is that the same God who governs entire galaxies also cares deeply about the personal pain of each individual — greatness and intimacy are not contradictory.

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