Psalm 106 47

Psalm 106:47 kjv

Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.

Psalm 106:47 nkjv

Save us, O LORD our God, And gather us from among the Gentiles, To give thanks to Your holy name, To triumph in Your praise.

Psalm 106:47 niv

Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

Psalm 106:47 esv

Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.

Psalm 106:47 nlt

Save us, O LORD our God!
Gather us back from among the nations,
so we can thank your holy name
and rejoice and praise you.

Psalm 106 verses

Psalm 106 47 Meaning

Psalm 106:47 is a heartfelt prayer, offered by the Israelite community, likely during a time of national distress or dispersion. It is a plea for God to intervene by delivering His people from their scattered condition among the nations and bringing them back to their land. The ultimate purpose of this requested divine act is not merely their comfort, but so that they might publicly express profound gratitude to God's holy name and triumph in proclaiming His praise, recognizing Him as their sole deliverer and sovereign Lord.

Psalm 106 47 Context

Psalm 106 is a confessional psalm, a lament and historical review, reflecting on Israel's recurring sinfulness and God's consistent faithfulness throughout their history. It begins with a call to praise God for His enduring goodness and culminates in a desperate plea for deliverance. The psalm recounts specific instances of rebellion and ingratitude from the Exodus through the wilderness wanderings, the conquest of Canaan, and the period of the judges, which led to their being "scattered among the nations" (Ps 106:27).

Verse 47 appears as the climax of this confessional prayer, following a long litany of their historical failures and divine judgments. Despite the recognition of their sin, the psalm turns to fervent petition. It implicitly acknowledges God's power over nations and His covenant loyalty even when Israel broke theirs. The scattering was a divine judgment, but the prayer in verse 47 anticipates God's ultimate act of mercy—gathering His people to restore their identity and purpose. This prayer anticipates the end of exile and the full restoration of Israel, enabling them to resume their role as a nation dedicated to worshipping the true God, in stark contrast to the pagan practices of the nations from whom they sought to be gathered.

Psalm 106 47 Word analysis

• "Save us" (Hebrew: Hoshieinu - הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ):

  • Meaning: "Deliver us," "bring salvation to us."
  • Significance: This is a fervent, urgent plea for divine intervention, implying a dire state of need. It highlights God as the exclusive source of rescue. It’s an imperative verb, emphasizing a direct call to God for action.

• "O LORD our God" (Hebrew: Yahweh Eloheinu - יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ):

  • Meaning: Yahweh is God's covenant name, signifying His unchanging, personal, and redemptive nature. Elohim (here, Eloheinu "our God") emphasizes His absolute power, sovereignty, and creative authority.
  • Significance: Calling on Yahweh Eloheinu roots the prayer in Israel's covenant relationship with God. It appeals to His specific commitment to them and their identity as His chosen people, underscoring both His majestic power and intimate care.

• "and gather us" (Hebrew: u'kabbetzennu - וְקַבְּצֵנוּ):

  • Meaning: "And assemble us," "collect us together."
  • Significance: This directly addresses the state of dispersion and scattering, often linked to judgment or exile. It signifies restoration from a fragmented state back to communal unity and wholeness. The gathering implies re-establishment of a national identity under God.

• "from among the nations" (Hebrew: min-hagoyim - מִן־הַגּוֹיִם):

  • Meaning: "From among the Gentile peoples" or "heathen nations."
  • Significance: Emphasizes Israel's present foreign land, which for them often meant living amidst idolatry and pagan practices, where their unique identity was threatened. This part of the plea is also a polemic against the futility of foreign gods and cultures, asserting God's power to reclaim His people from their influence. It signifies God's power over all peoples and places.

• "to give thanks to Your holy name" (Hebrew: lehodôt lishmeka qadshĕka - לְהוֹדוֹת לְשֵׁם קָדְשֶׁךָ):

  • Meaning: "In order to thank (or confess/praise) Your holy name."
  • Significance: This provides the core motivation and ultimate purpose of their deliverance. The act of returning is not for comfort alone, but for worship. "Your holy name" denotes God's unique, set-apart, and unblemished character. Giving thanks to it means acknowledging His revealed attributes, His mighty acts, and His covenant faithfulness as revealed through His actions.

• "and to triumph in Your praise" (Hebrew: lehishtabbaḥ bitehilateka - לְהִשְׁתַּבֵּחַ בִּתְהִלָּתֶךָ):

  • Meaning: "And to glory/boast in Your praise" or "to make Your praise glorious."
  • Significance: This speaks to magnifying God's praise. It's not about human self-exaltation, but boasting in God's praise, making His praise the very source and object of their triumph. It signifies exuberant and victorious adoration. The word for "triumph" (Hishtabaḥ) can also mean "to praise greatly" or "to be glorified." Thus, their praise itself becomes a manifestation of triumph, celebrating God's victorious actions. It implies that God's people, through His mighty acts of deliverance, will be empowered to declare His praises triumphantly before all peoples.

Psalm 106 47 Bonus section

The specific location of Psalm 106:47 at the very end of Psalm 106 marks the doxology of Book IV of the Psalms (Psalms 90-106). This formulaic ending ("Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD!" - Psa 106:48) reinforces its liturgical and communal significance, suggesting it was likely used in corporate worship. This closing benediction validates the entire preceding historical review and present plea within a framework of confident faith in God's eternal blessing and sovereignty, even amidst dire circumstances.

The yearning for "gathering" spoken of here prefigures not only the post-exilic return from Babylon but also finds its ultimate fulfillment in the future eschatological gathering of all of God's people—Jew and Gentile—into His eternal kingdom, united in His praise. This prayer's deep yearning for restoration, expressed in thanks and praise, echoes through New Testament teachings about spiritual salvation and the ultimate re-gathering under Christ's headship (John 11:52, Eph 1:10). It highlights that God's redemptive plan consistently aims at His people giving Him proper and fervent adoration.

Psalm 106 47 Commentary

Psalm 106:47 encapsulates a deep theological truth about God's relationship with His covenant people. It is a humble, yet bold, cry to God rooted in the long history of Israel's transgressions and God's unwavering compassion, recounted throughout Psalm 106. The immediate context, following Israel's scattering due to their idolatry and rebellion, underscores the depth of their desperation and their utter reliance on divine mercy for their existence as a distinct people.

The dual request to "save us" and "gather us" reflects both spiritual and physical restoration. Salvation is comprehensive, encompassing deliverance from all forms of oppression and suffering. Gathering implies the reversal of divine judgment and the re-establishment of communal identity. This desire to be gathered "from among the nations" is crucial. It’s a longing for a return from dispersion, which was not just geographical dislocation but often a spiritual threat due to the pressure of pagan cultures.

Crucially, the petition for deliverance is intrinsically linked to a purpose: "to give thanks to Your holy name, and to triumph in Your praise." This demonstrates that true restoration is not merely about comfort or prosperity, but about the renewal of right worship. Their future existence, saved and gathered, is to be entirely God-centered, a living testimony to His holiness and faithfulness. Boasting in God’s praise implies not only speaking about Him but doing so in a way that His glory is magnified and made triumphant in the eyes of all, even the nations from whom they are gathered. This transforms a plea for rescue into an anthem of devotion, making their gratitude a public spectacle of divine power. This Psalm’s concluding plea became a prayer of redemption and praise. It affirms that the ultimate purpose of divine intervention is the glorification of God's holy name, setting an eternal pattern for the believer: rescue leads to worship, and triumph finds its expression in praise.