Psalm 47

“God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.” (Psalm 47:5)

Psalm 47 is a good example of what Gunkel calls a hymn, and he includes it in a subcategory of Zion songs. Mowinckel has followed Gunkel’s study by proposing a new classification, the enthronement psalms,1postulating that ancient Israel celebrated a fall festival at which they reelevated Yahweh to his throne, or at least celebrated his enthronement.2Belonging as it does to the Elohistic collection of psalms, the royal acclamation here is “God reigns” (47:8a), rather than “Yahweh reigns,” as the acclamation appears in Psalms 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; and 99:1. It is not a declaration that Elohim has begun his reign or that he has become king. It is rather a declaration that God is king, that he reigns, unrestricted by time, and unconstrained by geographical boundaries. Psalm 47 alludes indeed to Israel’s acts of worship (“God has ascended amid shouts of joy,” 47:5), but these are celebrations of God’s timeless reign.

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