The big picture
Psalms 147 opens in verse 1 with “Praise ye the LORD : for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 10 with “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a…”, and closes in verse 20 with “He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, praise, sing, word, casteth. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 20Psalms 147:1-7
1–7: Praise ye the LORD : for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it…
Psalms 147:1–7 opens with “Praise ye the LORD : for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise…” and reaches “Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 147 develops its own movement around LORD, praise, sing, word, casteth, with particular weight carried by LORD, praise, sing.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Praise ye the LORD : for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.” Naming Praise keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Psalms 147:1-7
King James Version1Praise 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:
Psalms 147:8-14
8–14: Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth…
Psalms 147:8–14 opens with “Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow…” and reaches “He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 147 develops its own movement around LORD, praise, sing, word, casteth, with particular weight carried by LORD, maketh, pleasure.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.” The line’s distinctive content terms include clouds, covereth, earth. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
Psalms 147:8-14
King James Version8Who 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.
Psalms 147:15-20
15–20: He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very…
Psalms 147:15–20 opens with “He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.” and reaches “He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 147 develops its own movement around LORD, praise, sing, word, casteth, with particular weight carried by word, judgments, sendeth.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Psalms 147:15-20
King James Version15He 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 .
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Psalms 147:1 begins with “Praise ye the LORD : for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.”
Where the chapter turns
Psalms 147:17 forms a natural hinge: “He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?”
The final note
Psalms 147:20 leaves the reader with “He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD .”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, praise, sing, word, casteth, earth help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
- doth
- does
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.