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Psalterium Catholicum offers praying the Psalms, practicing Lectio Divina, and exploring faithful Catholic resources for daily devotion.

Psalm 46 The Psalter Psalm 48

PSALMVS XLVII

Omnes gentes, plaudite

God is King of All the Earth · Praise · Book II

Pray this Psalm · Lectio Divina

1Unto the end, for the sons of Core.

2O clap your hands, all ye nations: shout unto God with the voice of Joy,

3For the Lord is high, terrible: a great king over all the earth.

4He hath subdued the people under us; and the nations under our feet.

5He hath chosen for us his inheritance the beauty of Jacob which he hath loved.

6God is ascended with jubilee, and the Lord with the sound of trumpet.

7Sing praises to our God, sing ye: sing praises to our king, sing ye.

8For God is the king of all the earth: sing ye wisely.

9God shall reign over the nations: God sitteth on his holy throne.

10The princes of the people are gathered together, with the God of Abraham: for the strong gods of the earth are exceedingly exalted.

Douay-Rheims · Challoner Revision

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Wisdom of the Church

Psalm 47, marked by the superscription 'For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites,' belongs to the second book of the Psalter (Psalms 42–72). The Korahite guild, known for their liturgical service in the Temple, likely composed or curated this hymn during the period of the monarchy or the post-exilic restoration. It functions as an 'enthronement psalm,' celebrating the sovereignty of Yahweh over the nations. Historically, scholars associate its imagery of a triumphal ascent with the liturgical procession of the Ark of the Covenant up to Mount Zion. This act served as a dramatic re-enactment of God’s royal authority, asserting that Israel’s God is the 'great King over all the earth.' In the Second Temple period, the psalm served as a jubilant proclamation of Israel’s unique covenantal relationship with the Creator. By situating Yahweh above the thrones of earthly rulers, the psalm provided a theological bulwark against the dominance of pagan empires, asserting that the true, cosmic order is governed solely by the God of Jacob, who remains the ultimate ruler of every human kingdom and structure.