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Commentary on Psalms 147 verses 1–11
Here, I. The duty of praise is recommended to us. It is not without reason that we are thus called to it again and again: Praise you the Lord (Psa 147:1), and again (Psa 147:7), Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving, sing praise upon the harp to our God (let all our praises be directed to him and centre in him), for it is good to do so; it is our duty, and therefore good in itself; it is our interest, and therefore good for us. It is acceptable to our Creator and it answers the end of our creation. The law for it is holy, just, and good; the practice of it will turn to a good account. It is good, for 1. It is pleasant. Holy joy or delight are required as the principle of it, and that is pleasant to us as men; giving glory to God is the design and business of it, and that is pleasant to us as saints that are devoted to his honour. Praising God is work that is its own wages; it is heaven upon earth; it is what we should be in as in our element. 2. It is comely; it is that which becomes us as reasonable creatures, much more as people in covenant with God. In giving honour to God we really do ourselves a great deal of honour.
II. God is recommended to us as the proper object of our most exalted and enlarged praises, upon several accounts.
1.The care he takes of his chosen people, Psa 147:2. Is Jerusalem to be raised out of small beginnings? Is it to be recovered out of its ruins? In both cases, The Lord builds up Jerusalem. The gospel-church, the Jerusalem that is from above, is of this building. He framed the model of it in his own counsels; he founded it by the preaching of his gospel; he adds to it daily such as shall be saved, and so increases it. He will build it up unto perfection, build it up as high as heaven. Are any of his people outcasts? Have they made themselves so by their own folly? He gathers them by giving them repentance and bringing them again into the communion of saints. Have they been forced out by war, famine, or persecution? He opens a door for their return; many that were missing, and thought to be lost, are brought back, and those that were scattered in the cloudy and dark day are gathered together again.
2.The comforts he has laid up for true penitents, Psa 147:3. They are broken in heart, and wounded, humbled, and troubled, for sin, inwardly pained at the remembrance of it, as a man is that is sorely wounded. Their very hearts are not only pricked, but rent, under the sense of the dishonour they have done to God and the injury they have done to themselves by sin. To those whom God heals with the consolations of his Spirit he speaks peace, assures them that their sins are pardoned and that he is reconciled to them, and so makes them easy, pours the balm of Gilead into the bleeding wounds, and then binds them up, and makes them to rejoice. Those who have had experience of this need not be called upon to praise the Lord; for when he brought them out of the horrible pit, and set their feet upon a rock, he put a new song into their mouths, Psa 40:2, Psa 40:3. And for this let others praise him also.
3.The sovereign dominion he has over the lights of heaven, Psa 147:4, Psa 147:5. The stars are innumerable, many of them being scarcely discernible with the naked eye, and yet he counts them, and knows the exact number of them, for they are all the work of his hands and the instruments of his providence. Their bulk and power are very great; but he calleth them all by their names, which shows his dominion over them and the command he has them at, to make what use of them he pleases. They are his servants, his soldiers; he musters them, he marshals them; they come and go at his bidding, and all their motions are under his direction. He mentions this as one instance of many, to show that great is our Lord and of great power (he can do what he pleases), and of his understanding there is no computation, so that he can contrive every thing for the best. Man's knowledge is soon drained, and you have his utmost length; hitherto his wisdom can reach and no further. But God's knowledge is a depth that can never be fathomed.
4.The pleasure he takes in humbling the proud and exalting those of low degree (Psa 147:6): The Lord lifts up the meek, who abase themselves before him, and whom men trample on; but the wicked, who conduct themselves insolently towards God and scornfully towards all mankind, who lift up themselves in pride and folly, he casteth down to the ground, sometimes by very humbling providences in this world, at furthest in the day when their faces shall be filled with everlasting shame. God proves himself to be God by looking on the proud and abasing them, Job 40:12.
5.The provision he makes for the inferior creatures. Though he is so great as to command the stars, he is so good as not to forget even the fowls, Psa 147:8, Psa 147:9. Observe in what method he feeds man and beast. (1.) He covereth the heaven with clouds, which darken the air and intercept the beams of the sun, and yet in them he prepareth that rain for the earth which is necessary to its fruitfulness. Clouds look melancholy, and yet without them we could have no rain and consequently no fruit. Thus afflictions, for the present, look black, and dark, and unpleasant, and we are in heaviness because of them, as sometimes when the sky is overcast it makes us dull; but they are necessary, for from these clouds of affliction come those showers that make the harvest to yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness (Heb 12:11), which should help to reconcile us to them. Observe the necessary dependence which the earth has upon the heavens, which directs us on earth to depend on God in heaven. All the rain with which the earth is watered is of God's preparing. (2.) By the rain which distils on the earth he makes grass to grow upon the mountains, even the high mountains, which man neither takes care of nor reaps the benefit of. The mountains, which are not watered with the springs and rivers, as the valleys are, are yet watered so that they are not barren. (3.) This grass he gives to the beast for his food, the beast of the mountains which runs wild, which man makes no provision for. And even the young ravens, which, being forsaken by their old ones, cry, are heard by him, and ways are found to feed them, so that they are kept from perishing in the nest.
6.The complacency he takes in his people, Psa 147:10, Psa 147:11. In times when great things are doing, and there are great expectations of the success of them, it concerns us to know (since the issue proceeds from the Lord) whom, and what, God will delight to honour and crown with victory. It is not the strength of armies, but the strength of grace, that God is pleased to own. (1.) Not the strength of armies - not in the cavalry, for he delighteth not in the strength of the horse, the war-horse, noted for his courage (Job 39:19,. etc.) - nor in the infantry, for he taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man; he does not mean the swiftness of them for flight, to quit the field, but the steadiness of them for charging, to stand the ground. If one king, making war with another king, goes to God to pray for success, it will not avail him to plead, "Lord, I have a gallant army, the horse and foot in good order; it is a pity that they should suffer any disgrace;" for that is no argument with God, Psa 20:7. Jehoshaphat's was much better: Lord, we have no might, Ch2 20:12. But, (2.) God is pleased to own the strength of grace. A serious and suitable regard to God is that which is, in the sight of God, of great price in such a case. The Lord accepts and takes pleasure in those that fear him and that hope in his mercy. Observe, [1.] A holy fear of God and hope in God not only may consist, but must concur. In the same heart, at the same time, there must be both a reverence of his majesty and a complacency in his goodness, both a believing dread of his wrath and a believing expectation of his favour; not that we must hang in suspense between hope and fear, but we must act under the gracious influences of hope and fear. Our fear must save our hope from swelling into presumption, and our hope must save our fear from sinking into despair; thus must we take our work before us. [2.] We must hope in God's mercy, his general mercy, even when we cannot find a particular promise to stay ourselves upon. A humble confidence in the goodness of God's nature is very pleasing to him, as that which turns to the glory of that attribute in which he most glories. Every man of honour loves to be trusted.
If anyone undertakes to speak of the attributes of God, let him first describe the bounds of the earth. Though you dwell on the earth, you do not know the limit of your dwelling place; how then will you be able to form a worthy concept of its Creator? You see the stars, but their Maker you do not see; first, number the stars, which are seen, and then set forth him who is not seen; “He tells the number of the stars; he calls each by name.” The recent violent rains all but destroyed us; number the drops of rain in this city alone; rather, not in the city, but number the drops that fell on your own house in a single hour, if you can. But since you cannot, you acknowledge your own weakness. From this learn the power of God. For “he has numbered the raindrops” poured down on the whole earth, not only now but through all time. The sun is a work of God, great indeed, but very small compared with the whole heavens. Fix your attention on the sun first, and then inquire assiduously about its Lord. “What is too sublime for you seek not; into things beyond your strength search not. What is committed to you, O attend to.”
"Great is our Lord" [Psalm 147:5]. The Psalmist is filled with joy, he has poured out his words wonderfully: yet somewhat he was unable to speak, and how availed he to think on it? "And great is His power, and of His understanding is no numbering." He who "numbers the stars," Himself cannot be numbered. Who can expound this? Who can worthily even imagine what is meant by, "and of His understanding is no number"?...Whatsoever then that is infinite this world contains, though it be infinite to man, yet is not to God: too little is it to say, to God: even by the angels it is numbered. His understanding surpasses all calculators; it cannot be counted by us. Numbers themselves who numbers? What than is there with God? Wherewith made He all things, and where made He all things, to whom it is said, "You have arrayed all things in measure, number, and weight"? [Wisdom 11:20] Or who can number, or measure, or weigh, measure and number and weight themselves, wherein God has ordered all things? Therefore, "of His understanding is no number." Let human voices be hushed, human thoughts still: let them not stretch themselves out to incomprehensible things, as though they could comprehend them, but as though they were to partake of them, for partakers we shall be....Partakers then we shall be: let none doubt it: Scripture says it. And of what shall we be partakers, as though these were parts in God, as though God were divided into parts? Who then can explain how many become partakers of one single substance? Require not then that which I think ye see cannot fitly be said: but return to the healing of the Saviour, bruise your heart. He will guide it, He will bind it up where it is broken, He will make it perfectly sound; and then those things will not be impossible with us, which now are impossible. For it is good that he confess weakness, who desires to attain to the divine nature.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 147:5 profoundly declares the unparalleled attributes of God, presenting Him as the sovereign Lord whose greatness knows no bounds, whose power is immense, and whose understanding is utterly immeasurable. This verse serves as a foundational statement of divine omnipotence and omniscience, offering profound comfort and inspiring worship by highlighting the limitless nature of the Almighty's character and wisdom in His governance of creation and His people.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Psalms 147 is part of a series of Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-Psalms 150) which are hymns of praise to the Lord, often emphasizing His kingship and His mighty acts on behalf of His people. Specifically, Psalms 147 opens with a call to praise God for His goodness and pleasantness (Psalms 147:1). The psalm then shifts between celebrating God's power over nature (sending snow, frost, hail, wind in verses Psalms 147:15-18) and His tender care for His people, particularly the humble and brokenhearted (Psalms 147:3). Verse 5, "Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite," acts as a theological anchor, providing the inherent divine attributes that underpin all of God's actions described throughout the psalm—His ability to build up Jerusalem, gather the outcasts of Israel, heal the brokenhearted, and sustain the humble. It sets the stage for understanding why God is capable of such magnificent deeds.
Historical & Cultural Context: Many scholars believe Psalms 147 was composed in the post-exilic period, possibly after the return of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the city walls (as suggested by Psalms 147:2). This historical backdrop imbues the psalm with a deep sense of gratitude and renewed hope. The people of Israel had experienced profound brokenness and dispersion, and God's act of restoration was a powerful testament to His covenant faithfulness. In a world where empires rose and fell, and where human rulers often displayed limited power and understanding, the psalmist's declaration of God's infinite understanding and great power would have been a profound source of security and comfort. It contrasts sharply with the finite wisdom and strength of earthly kings and nations, affirming God's unique sovereignty over both human history and the natural world.
Key Themes: The central themes of Psalms 147 revolve around God's sovereignty and providence. The psalm consistently highlights God's active involvement in both the grand scale of the cosmos and the intimate details of human life. His unparalleled greatness (verse 5a) establishes His supreme authority and majesty, while His omnipotence ("great power," verse 5b) underscores His ability to execute His will without hindrance, whether in bringing about the seasons or restoring a nation. The most striking theme in verse 5 is God's omniscience ("his understanding is infinite," verse 5c), emphasizing His perfect, boundless knowledge that encompasses all things, from numbering the stars (Psalms 147:4) to knowing the needs of every creature. This infinite understanding ensures that God's power is always wielded with perfect wisdom and purpose, providing a foundation for trust in His divine plan, even when it is beyond human comprehension, as further explored in passages like Isaiah 55:8-9.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 147:5 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound theological truth. The verse is a Declarative Statement, asserting fundamental truths about God's nature rather than posing a question or issuing a command. This directness lends authority and certainty to the psalmist's affirmations. The use of Hyperbole is evident in the word "infinite" (literally "without number") when applied to God's understanding. While God's understanding truly is boundless, the term emphasizes its absolute immeasurability from a human perspective, stretching the limits of language to describe divine perfection. Furthermore, there is an implicit Parallelism in the structure, where "Great is our Lord" is echoed and amplified by "and of great power," with "his understanding is infinite" serving as a culminating, climactic attribute that undergirds both His greatness and power. This structure builds a comprehensive picture of God's magnificent character.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 147:5 articulates core attributes of God that are foundational to biblical theology: His omnipotence and omniscience. The declaration of God's "great power" assures us that He is fully capable of accomplishing all His purposes, whether in creation, judgment, or redemption. This power is never arbitrary but is always guided by His "infinite understanding," meaning His wisdom is perfect, His plans are flawless, and His knowledge encompasses every detail of existence. This boundless wisdom provides comfort and stability, assuring believers that even when circumstances seem chaotic or incomprehensible, God is working all things according to His perfect, all-knowing will. This truth invites profound trust and humility, recognizing the vast chasm between human limitations and divine perfection.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The profound truths of Psalms 147:5—that our Lord is great, powerful, and infinitely understanding—have transformative implications for our daily lives. In a world often characterized by uncertainty, limited knowledge, and perceived powerlessness, this verse calls us to anchor our faith in the unchangeable character of God. Knowing that His power is boundless means no situation is too difficult for Him to handle, and no obstacle can thwart His ultimate purposes. Furthermore, His infinite understanding assures us that He sees the complete picture, knows every detail of our lives, and perfectly comprehends our struggles, fears, and hopes. This truth should cultivate a deep sense of peace and trust, enabling us to surrender our anxieties and plans to His perfect wisdom. It also calls us to humility, recognizing the vastness of His knowledge compared to our own finite understanding, prompting us to seek His guidance through prayer and His Word in all our decisions.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean that God's understanding is "infinite"?
Answer: When Psalms 147:5 states that God's understanding is "infinite," it uses the Hebrew phrase ʾên miçpār, which literally means "without number" or "immeasurable." This signifies that God's knowledge, wisdom, and discernment are boundless and limitless. Unlike human understanding, which is finite and always partial, God's understanding encompasses all things—past, present, and future, every thought, every event, every detail of creation, and every heart. There is nothing hidden from Him, and His wisdom is perfect and complete, as highlighted in 1 John 3:20.
How does God's "great power" relate to His "infinite understanding"?
Answer: God's "great power" and "infinite understanding" are inextricably linked and perfectly balanced. His power is not raw, undirected force, but is always exercised in perfect alignment with His infinite wisdom. This means that God never acts impulsively or makes mistakes; every exercise of His power is purposeful, perfectly timed, and rooted in His boundless knowledge. His omnipotence is guided by His omniscience, ensuring that His actions are always just, good, and ultimately for His glory and the good of His people, as seen in passages like Jeremiah 32:17.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 147:5, with its declaration of God's great power and infinite understanding, finds its ultimate and most glorious fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. As the second person of the Trinity, Jesus fully embodies these divine attributes. The New Testament consistently presents Christ as the one through whom all things were created and are sustained, testifying to His "great power" (see Colossians 1:16-17). His miracles—calming storms, healing the sick, raising the dead—are not merely acts of compassion but demonstrations of His divine omnipotence, echoing the Lord's power over nature described in Psalms 147. Furthermore, Jesus's "infinite understanding" is evident in His perfect knowledge of human hearts (John 2:25), His prophetic foresight, and His profound teachings that reveal the very wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24). In Christ, the abstract attributes of the great and powerful Lord with infinite understanding become tangible and relational, inviting us not just to acknowledge God's character but to encounter it personally in the one who is the "power of God and the wisdom of God." He is the visible manifestation of the invisible God, perfectly revealing the boundless greatness, power, and understanding of the Father (Hebrews 1:3).