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Psalm 147

Psalm 147 joins God’s rule over creation with his care for the brokenhearted and his gift of his word to Israel.

An unnamed psalmist calls Israel to praise YHWH, who builds Jerusalem and gathers its outcasts. The song moves between his care for wounded people and his rule over stars, rain, and winter cold. Jerusalem receives a direct call to praise him for its security and food. The closing lines celebrate God’s gift of his statutes to Israel. The gathering of outcasts suggests restoration after exile, though the psalm names no date or occasion.

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1Praise the LORD, for it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and fitting to praise him.
2The LORD builds up Jerusalem. He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.
4He counts the number of the stars. He calls them all by their names.
5Great is our Lord, and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite.
6The LORD upholds the humble. He brings the wicked down to the ground.
7Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving. Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8who covers the sky with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes grass grow on the mountains.
9He provides food for the livestock, and for the young ravens when they call.
10He doesn’t delight in the strength of the horse. He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his loving kindness.
12Praise the LORD, Jerusalem! Praise your God, Zion!
13For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. He has blessed your children within you.
14He makes peace in your borders. He fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15He sends out his commandment to the earth. His word runs very swiftly.
16He gives snow like wool, and scatters frost like ashes.
17He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can stand before his cold?
18He sends out his word, and melts them. He causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19He shows his word to Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
20He has not done this for just any nation. They don’t know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!
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Key verses
Psalm 147:3Healing wounded hearts belongs alongside rebuilding Jerusalem, showing how God’s restoration reaches people within the gathered community.
Psalm 147:11This verse names what pleases God: reverence toward him and hope placed in his loving kindness.
Psalm 147:10The strength of horses and human legs carries no claim on God’s pleasure, preparing the contrast with reverent hope.
Where this chapter reaches

Isaiah shares the themes of gathering Israel’s outcasts and God’s knowledge of the stars, while Job also describes God’s command over weather and provision for ravens. Deuteronomy and Exodus share Israel’s distinctive gift of divine statutes, and Matthew shares the theme of God’s care for birds and grass.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

How does the movement from wounded hearts to named stars shape your understanding of God’s care?

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Where does the contrast between strength and reverent hope challenge what you count on?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 147

Who wrote Psalm 147, and when was it written?

Psalm 147 does not name its author or give a date. Its account of YHWH building Jerusalem and gathering Israel’s outcasts suggests a setting of restoration after exile. That connection fits the language, but the psalm does not identify a ruler, a particular return, or a single historical event.

What does Psalm 147:3 mean by healing the brokenhearted?

The verse describes God’s care for wounded people through the image of treating injuries and binding wounds. It follows the gathering of Israel’s outcasts, placing personal sorrow within the community’s restoration. The psalm affirms God’s care and power without specifying how healing happens or how long it takes.

What does it mean to fear God in Psalm 147:11?

Fear here includes reverence for YHWH’s greatness and submission to his authority. The same verse pairs fear with hope in his loving kindness, so dread does not exhaust its meaning. Following the rejection of horse and human strength as grounds for divine pleasure, it identifies the posture God delights in.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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What the Bible says about worship →What the Bible says about grief →What the Bible says about gratitude →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).