Psalm 47 (God Has Gone Up)

The Prophecy

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
The LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.
Selah

God has gone up with a shout,
The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
The princes of the people have gathered together,
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.

— Psalms 47:1-9 (NKJV)

Fulfillment

Trinitarians

Christians sometimes interpret this psalm as referring to Jesus, arguing that:

  1. "King over all the earth" points to Jesus' ultimate reign over all nations
  2. "God has gone up" refers to Jesus' ascension to heaven (Acts 1:9-11)
  3. "With the sound of a trumpet" describes triumphant ascension or second coming
  4. "Sits on His holy throne" describes Jesus seated at God's right hand (Acts 2:33)
  5. "Highly exalted" refers to Jesus' exaltation after resurrection (Philippians 2:9)

The psalm is understood as prophesying the Messiah's ascension and enthronement in heaven.

Critics

Critical scholars view Psalm 47 as an enthronement hymn celebrating YHWH's kingship over all nations. The psalm functions as corporate worship celebrating God's ongoing reign, not prophesying future messianic events. Applying this to Jesus' ascension requires reading trinitarian theology into a monotheistic worship hymn.

The Christian interpretation has several contextual challenges:

Psalm Explicitly Addresses YHWH

Throughout the psalm, "the LORD" (YHWH) and "Most High" (Elyon) all refer to God the Father, not a messianic figure. The psalm celebrates God Himself, not someone else. Every reference points to YHWH as the subject being praised.

Past Tense Celebrates Historical Victories

"He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet" (verse 3). This celebrates Israel's historical military victories over surrounding nations, attributing them to God's power. It is thanksgiving for what God already accomplished through Israel's conquests, not future prophecy.

King over all the earth

The psalm calls "all peoples" to "clap your hands" and "shout to God with loud songs of joy" (verse 1). Commands like "Sing praises to God, sing praises!" (verse 6) show this is a liturgical hymn for communal worship, celebrating God's ongoing reign over the nations. This is corporate praise, not prophecy about a future event.

"God Has Gone Up" Parallels the Ark's Procession

Verse 5 states "God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet." This phrasing is linguistically identical to 2 Samuel 6:15, which describes the procession of the Ark of the Covenant: "So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet."

To a Hebrew reader, this clearly refers to:

  • The Ark of the Covenant (God's throne) ascending Mount Zion to the Temple
  • The liturgical reenactment of this event in worship
  • God "taking His seat" symbolically through the presence of the Ark

This is concrete temple liturgy, not a prophecy of a human-divine figure floating into the sky.

"Exaltation" Means Universal Recognition

The psalm states "He is greatly exalted" (verse 9) immediately after describing the princes of the nations gathering to the God of Abraham. In the Psalms, God being "exalted" consistently refers to His power being displayed and acknowledged by the nations (e.g., Psalm 46:10 "I will be exalted among the nations," Psalm 57:5 "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens"). It does not imply a change in ontological status or a promotion to a new rank (as in the Christian view of Jesus receiving a name above every name), but rather the widening of recognition of YHWH's eternal kingship. God is already Supreme; the "exaltation" is the nations finally admitting it.

Monotheistic Context

A Jewish audience reading "the LORD Most High" being "highly exalted" would not think of one person of a Trinity exalting another. They understood YHWH as one indivisible God. The language means God's reputation and recognition among nations is elevated, not divine ascension or one divine person exalting another.

No Messianic Indicators

The psalm contains no reference to:

  • A coming anointed one (mashiach)
  • A Davidic king
  • Future salvation or redemption
  • Suffering and vindication

It simply celebrates YHWH's present sovereignty over all nations.

Conclusion

Psalm 47 is a liturgical hymn celebrating YHWH as King over all the earth, calling all peoples to praise God for His sovereignty.

In monotheistic Jewish understanding, this is about the one indivisible God being recognized by the world, not one divine person exalting another. The psalm celebrates historical victories God gave Israel ("He subdued peoples under us") in past tense. The entire context is corporate worship celebrating God's present ongoing reign. No Old Testament author identifies this as messianic prophecy.

Applying this to Jesus' ascension requires reading trinitarian theology into a text written for monotheistic worship of the one God (YHWH).

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