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Illustration for Psalm 47: God Is King Over All

Psalm 47

God Is King Over All

PraiseJoy

Clap your hands! Shout for joy! This psalm says God is the King of the whole earth and deserves cheers louder than any sports match. He rules over all the nations and sits on His holy throne. Sing praises to God!

  1. 1Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
  2. 2How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!
  3. 3He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
  4. 4He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom He loved.
  5. 5God has ascended with a shout, the LORD with the sound of trumpets.
  6. 6Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
  7. 7For God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise.
  8. 8God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.
  9. 9The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.

What it means

Clapping and cheering are not just for football matches and birthdays — this psalm says God is worth the loudest cheer of all. He is King over every country on earth, not just one. When you praise God out loud, you are joining a song the whole world was made to sing.

A little prayer

God, You are King over the whole earth! I want to clap and shout and sing because You are so great. Thank You that You rule over everything and everyone. Amen.

Memory verse

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

Psalm 47:1 (BSB)

It is a command to celebrate, and the psalm means it literally.

Talk about it

Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.

  1. The psalm tells everyone to clap and shout. When did you last cheer for something?
  2. It says God is King over the whole earth, not just one country. What difference does that make?
  3. Is it strange to be told to be joyful, rather than just feeling it?
  4. What would you cheer about if nobody was watching?

Try this

The loudest verse

Stand up, clap on every stressed word, and shout verse 1 together. Do it twice — once quietly, once as loudly as the neighbours will tolerate. Talk about which felt more true.

Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)