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PSALM 147

  1. hallelujah! Truly, it is good to sing praises to our god! Truly, it is delightful! Yea, praise is becoming.
  2. jehovah builds Jerusalem! He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
  3. He heals the broken in heart; and binds up their wounds.
  4. He counts the number of the stars, he calls them all by their names.
  5. Great is our Lord, and of great power; his understanding is infinite!
  6. jehovah raises up the meek, he brings low the wicked, even down to the ground.
  7. Sing to jehovah with thanksgiving; sing praise to our god with the harp!
  8. He covers the heavens with clouds, he prepares rain for the earth, he causes grass to grow upon the mountains.
  9. He gives to the cattle their food, to the sons of the raven which cry.
  10. He delights not in the strength of a horse, he takes no pleasure in the legs of man.
  11. The good pleasure of jehovah is in those who fear him, in those who hope in his mercy.
  12. Praise jehovah, O Jerusalem; praise your god, O Zion!
  13. For he strengthened the bars of your gates; he blesses your sons within you.
  14. He establishes peace in your borders, he fills you with the fatness of wheat,
  15. He sends forth his command upon the earth; his word runs very swiftly.
  16. He gives snow like wool; he scatters abroad the hoar frost like ashes.
  17. He casteth forth his hail like balls! Before his cold who can stand?
  18. He sends forth his word and melts them; he causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
  19. He declares his words to Jacob, his statutes and judgements to Israel.
  20. He has not dealt thus with any nation, nor do they know his judgements. hallelujah!

 

The Internal Sense

Celebration of the lord by his church, verses 1, 2, 7; who reforms by the knowledges of truth, verses 3, 4; who alone is able to do this, verse 5; who teaches those who are in ignorance truths, verses 6, 8, 9; that self-intelligence is nothing, but only that which is from him, verses 10, 11; that the church will worship the lord, who protects it, and teaches it the Word, verses 12 to 15; that he removes ignorance thereby, verses 16 to 18; that he performs these things for his church, verses 19, 20.

Exposition

Verse 1. hallelujah, praise jah; see Psalm 68:4, Exposition.

Verse 2. jehovah builds Jerusalem; see Psalm 127:1, Exposition.

Verse 3. He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. Concerning temptations, and consolations afterwards, see Psalm lxxxviii. Exposition.

Verse 4. He counts the number of the stars, he calls them all by their names. That by numbering in this passage is signified to ordain and to arrange, is evident, for the subject treated of is concerning jehovah, that is, the lord, who does not number any army or stars, but ordains and arranges those things which are signified by an army or host, and by stars, which are the truths and goods of faith and of love; for the subject treated of is not concerning wars in the natural world, but concerning wars in the spiritual world, which are wars or combats of truths derived from good against falses derived from evil; that wars in the spiritual sense are such combats, see AC 1664, 8295; that an army denotes the truths and goods of the church and of heaven, AC 7988; and that stars denote the knowledges of truth and of good, n. 2495. AC 10217.

Verses 8, 9. He prepares rain for the earth, he causes grass to grow upon the mountains; he gives to the cattle their food, to the sons of the raven which cry. The things here mentioned also signify spiritual things belonging to heaven and the church: to what purpose would it be for the Word, which is given for the sole purpose of leading man in the way to heaven, by teaching him the truths of faith and goods of love, to say that jehovah prepares rain for the earth, he causes grass to grow upon the mountains, he gives to the cattle their food, to the sons of the raven which cry; these things, however, are worthy of the divine Word, when by rain is understood the influx of Divine truth, by mountains the good of love, by causing grass to grow, the instruction of the natural man by knowledges from the Word, by cattle the affections of the natural man, which desire to be thence nourished, which nourishment is signified by giving them food, and when by the sons of the raven, also are signified natural men who are in a dark lumen arising from fallacies concerning truth Divine, as were many of the gentiles or nations, wherefore it is said, that he gives food to the sons of the raven which cry, for these can call upon jehovah, but not the sons of the raven. AE 650.

Verse 10. He delights not in the strength of a horse, he takes no pleasure in the legs of man. By the strength of a horse with which jehovah is not delighted, are signified all things which are from self-derived intelligence, from which are mere falses, and by the legs of man [viri] are signified what are from self-will, from which are mere evils. AE 355.

Verse 11. The good pleasure of jehovah is in those who fear him, in those who hope in his mercy. Inasmuch as the fear of jehovah signifies the reception of Divine truth, and mercy the reception of Divine good, therefore it is said, that "The good pleasure of jehovah is in those who fear him, in those who hope in his mercy." AE 696.

Verse 13. The bars of your gates; see Psalm 27:5, Exposition.

Verse 14. Fatness of wheat; see Psalm 81:16, Exposition.

Verses 15, 16. He sends forth his command upon the earth, he gives snow like wool. Because wool signifies good in ultimates, therefore good is sometimes described in the Word by wool, and truth by linen and by snow. The reason why white wool signifies good in ultimates, is because the wool upon lambs and sheep has a similar signification with the hair upon man, and lambs and sheep signify good, lambs celestial good, see AC 3519, and sheep spiritual good, AC 4169; hence it is that the hairs, by which is signified Divine truth in ultimates, are said to be bright, white as wool, and as snow; as also concerning the lord when he was transfigured, "His garments were glistering, exceeding bright as snow, such as no fuller on earth can whiten." AE 67.

Verses 17, 18, 19. He casteth forth his hail like balls! Before his cold who can stand? He sends forth his Word and melts them; he causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow; he declares his Word to Jacob, his statutes and judgements to Israel. By these words also is described reformation, but as to the natural man; the scientifics which are in that man, and the knowledges which appertain to man before reformation, are signified by the hail which is like balls, who can stand before his cold; for man before reformation is altogether cold, and that cold is, also manifestly felt when the Divine principle flows in out of heaven. Inasmuch as that cold is dissipated by the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth, thus by reformation, it is therefore said, he sends forth his Word and melts them; he causes his wind to blow, and the waters flow; by the Word is signified Divine Good united with Divine Truth, by the wind is signified Divine Truth, and by the waters flowing is signified the reception of truth; and by reason of this signification of those words, it is added, he declares his Words to Jacob, his statutes and his judgements to Israel, Jacob and Israel signifying the church, the former the church which is principled in good, the latter the church principled in truths, and statutes and judgements denote external and internal truths, which are from good. AE 419.

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