Bible Strands
Psalms 147:12
Exalt the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion!
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses Jerusalem and Zion, issuing a direct command to worship immediately after noting God’s pleasure in those who fear Him and hope in His steadfast love. This declaration precedes a promise that God will strengthen the city’s gates and bless its inhabitants.
The words — The text commands שַׁבְּחִ֣י (shabbēḥî), meaning "extol," and הַֽלְלִ֖י (hallî), meaning "praise," directed at the two names for the holy city. These imperative verbs frame the address without an explicit object, leaving the action directed toward the subsequent divine names Yahweh and your God.
The thread — This call to praise Zion appears in Isaiah 12:6 and Joel 2:23, where citizens are urged to sing and rejoice because God dwells among them. The motif of communal worship extends to Psalms 135:19, which addresses the house of Israel and the house of Aaron with parallel blessing commands.
Why it lands — The verse demands an immediate, vocal response of worship from the city before detailing God’s protective actions. It requires the reader to tie corporate praise directly to the tangible reality of God’s favor and preservation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 12:6 Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”
- Joel 2:23 Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for He has given you the autumn rains for your vindication. He sends you showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
- Psalms 135:19 O house of Israel, bless the LORD; O house of Aaron, bless the LORD;
- Psalms 146:10 The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Hallelujah!
- Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
- Psalms 149:2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.