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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.
Who is "our God," that praise should be pleasant to Him? He makes Himself sweet to us, He commends Himself to us; thanks to His condescension...."But God commends His love to us"..."in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." [Romans 5:8] ...Let us see whether it be the commendation which the Apostle speaks of, that Christ died for the sinners and ungodly: "the Lord who builds up Jerusalem, and gathers the dispersions of Israel" [Psalm 147:2]. For the people of Jerusalem are the people of Israel. It is Jerusalem "eternal in the heavens," whereof the Angels are citizens also....All the citizens then of that city, through "seeing God," rejoice in that great and wide and heavenly city; they gaze upon God Himself. But we are wanderers from that city, driven out by sin, that we should not remain there; weighed down by mortality, that we should not return there. God looked back on our wandering, and He who "builds up Jerusalem," restored the part that had fallen. How restored He the part that had fallen?...He sent then to our captive estate His Son as a Redeemer. Take with You, said He, a bag, bear therein the price of the captives. For He put on Him our mortal flesh, and therein was the Blood, by the shedding of which we were to be redeemed. With that Blood He "gathered the dispersions of Israel." And if He gathered them that before were dispersed, how must we strive that they be gathered who now are dispersed? If the dispersed have been gathered, that in the Hand of the Builder they might be fashioned into the building, how should they be gathered who through disquiet have fallen from the Hand of the Builder? Behold whom we praise; behold to whom we owe praise all our life long.
“He heals the broken of heart and binds up their wounds.” A marvelous kind of healing is spoken of so that we wear ourselves away constantly if we wish to be restored to health. But that wound of contrition pertains to what makes us whole and leads to full recovery. And—what is beyond every good—it leads us to that physician who offers eternal health. Next comes, “He binds up their wounds.” The metaphor is taken from a doctor’s skills, which bind up broken and crushed bones with cloth bandages, whenever they want to make them solid, so that the limbs come back together into their proper place and coalesce into their former solidity. The heavenly physician binds penitents’ hearts that have been crushed by dire affliction with a certain bundle of his piety imposed on the penitent and he further solidifies it and leads it to a very firm hope of healing, just as was said in the fiftieth psalm, “God does not despise a contrite and humbled heart.” For also that publican who beat his heart with constant beating showed that he had brought about that contrition in himself, which he did not cease to pour into his guilty heart.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 147:2 eloquently declares the Lord's sovereign and compassionate activity in the restoration of His people. It highlights a dual divine work: the rebuilding and re-establishment of Jerusalem, which serves as the physical and spiritual heart of Israel, and the merciful gathering of those who had been dispersed and marginalized from the covenant community. This verse profoundly encapsulates God's active involvement in the national renewal and spiritual restoration of His chosen people, powerfully demonstrating His enduring faithfulness, tender care, and unwavering commitment to His promises.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 147:2 masterfully employs several potent Literary Devices to convey its message of divine restoration. Most prominently, Parallelism is evident in the two clauses, where "The LORD doth build up Jerusalem" is directly paralleled by "he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel." Both actions describe God's comprehensive work of restoration, with the first focusing on the physical and spiritual center (Jerusalem) and the second on the dispersed and vulnerable people. This creates a powerful sense of completeness and reinforces the holistic nature of God's redemptive activity. Anthropomorphism is also present in the vivid depiction of God actively "building" and "gathering," attributing human-like actions to the divine to make His intimate involvement tangible and relatable to the human experience. Furthermore, profound Symbolism is at play: "Jerusalem" transcends its identity as a mere physical city, embodying the entire covenant people of Israel, their spiritual identity, and their restored relationship with God. Similarly, "the outcasts" symbolize not only the literal exiles but also the vulnerable, the broken, and all those in desperate need of divine intervention, compassion, and reintegration.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly articulates God's active and sovereign role in restoration, encompassing both the rebuilding of physical structures and, more significantly, the healing and reintegration of His scattered and broken people. It underscores the foundational biblical truth that God is not a distant, detached deity but one intimately involved in the affairs of humanity, consistently bringing healing and wholeness where there is brokenness, dispersion, and despair. The rebuilding of Jerusalem and the gathering of the outcasts serve as a powerful, tangible testament to God's unwavering covenant faithfulness, demonstrating His steadfast commitment to His promises even in the face of human failure and the judgment of exile. Moreover, it highlights His tender compassion for the vulnerable and marginalized, showcasing His profound desire to bring all His children into a place of security, belonging, and flourishing within His divine purpose.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 147:2 offers immense spiritual nourishment and profound practical application for contemporary believers. It serves as a powerful reminder that our God is fundamentally a God of restoration, possessing infinite capability to rebuild what seems utterly ruined and to gather what feels irrevocably scattered. Whether we are grappling with personal brokenness, experiencing relational fragmentation, or witnessing societal decay, this verse provides a profound assurance that the Lord is actively, powerfully, and compassionately at work. He intimately sees our "outcast" moments—those times when we feel isolated, forgotten, pushed aside, or deeply wounded—and He moves with tender compassion to bring us back into His loving fold, into genuine community, and into spiritual and emotional wholeness. This liberating truth invites us to place our complete trust in His sovereign power to heal and restore, not only in grand, national ways but also in the intricate, intimate details of our individual lives. Furthermore, it inspires and encourages us to actively participate in His ongoing restorative work, extending compassion, seeking justice, and striving to gather those who are marginalized, alienated, or in need within our own communities and spheres of influence.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the historical significance of "The LORD doth build up Jerusalem" in this context?
Answer: The phrase "The LORD doth build up Jerusalem" directly refers to the pivotal post-exilic period when the Jewish people, having endured decades of Babylonian captivity, began their return to a devastated homeland. While human hands were indeed involved in the arduous physical reconstruction of the city walls and the Temple (as meticulously chronicled in books like Ezra and Nehemiah), the psalmist attributes the ultimate success, spiritual significance, and very possibility of this rebuilding to God's sovereign initiative and omnipotent power. It signifies God's profound faithfulness to His ancient promises to restore His people and their beloved homeland, thereby re-establishing their national and spiritual identity after a period of severe judgment and dispersion.
Who are "the outcasts of Israel" mentioned in this verse?
Answer: "The outcasts of Israel" refers to the Jewish people who had been dispersed, exiled, and scattered from their homeland during the Babylonian captivity and other periods of national upheaval and foreign domination. This term powerfully emphasizes their vulnerable, marginalized, and alienated state—they were literally "driven away" from their land, their temple, and their community. God's compassionate act of "gathering together" these outcasts profoundly underscores His tender care for those who were separated and isolated, bringing them back into the covenant community and restoring their rightful place within the nation, thus fulfilling numerous prophetic promises of return and re-gathering found in passages like Isaiah 11:12 and Jeremiah 29:14.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 147:2 finds its ultimate, most profound, and expansive fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Just as the Lord, in the Old Testament, built up physical Jerusalem and compassionately gathered the scattered outcasts of Israel, so Christ is revealed as the divine architect and compassionate shepherd who eternally builds His spiritual Jerusalem, which is the Church, and gathers all who are outcasts, lost, and alienated by sin. Jesus Himself declared, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18), signifying a new, spiritual edifice not made with human hands. Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross and His glorious resurrection, Christ reconciles fallen humanity to God, effectively breaking down the dividing wall of hostility between Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 2:14) and gathering people from "every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9) into one new humanity, His unified body. He is the Good Shepherd who actively seeks out the lost sheep, the "outcasts" of sin, alienation, and spiritual dispersion, bringing them into His secure and life-giving fold (John 10:16). Thus, the Old Testament promise of restoration and gathering culminates in Christ, who establishes an eternal spiritual kingdom and continually gathers His people into a living temple, built on Him as the foundational cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-22).