Psalms 147:15
in Psalms 147He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He sendeth out his commandment upon earth; His word runneth very swiftly.
KJV
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
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This verse in Psalms 147
Commentary
15 notes on this verseWho sends forth his word to the earth. Answer, O Jew: if he was speaking of wheat, And he fills you with the fat of the wheat, how does he now say, Who sends forth his word to the earth? In the beginning was the Word. This Word is sent forth in the flesh. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. Who sends forth his word to the earth. At that time was fulfilled, The earth has given its fruit. Who sends forth his word to the earth.
This site's exposition
He sends forth His command
on Psalms 147:15-18
The command runs to the earth and the word runs swiftly, and the winter follows: snow like wool, frost like ashes, hail like pebbles. The same word melts them and the waters flow. Spurgeon reads the thaw as the word doing the whole work, the hardest ice dissolved at once.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"Who sendeth forth His Word to the earth." Behold, on earth we toil, weary, fainting, sluggish, cold: when should we be raised up to the fat of wheat that satisfieth, did not He send His Word to the earth, whereby we were weighed down, to the earth, whereby we were hindered from returning? He sent His Word, He deserted us not even in the wilderness, He rained manna from heaven. "Who sendeth forth His Word to the earth;" and to earth His Word came. How? or what is His Word? "Even unto swiftness His Word runneth." He said not, "His Word is swift," but, "His Word runneth even unto swiftness." Let us understand, my brethren: He could not have chosen a better word. He who is hot grows hot by heat, he who is cold grows cold by cold, he who is swift becometh swift by swiftness. ...To what degree then doth it run? "Even to swiftness." Increase as much as you will the swiftness of the Word, and say, It is as swift as this or that, as birds, as the winds, as the Angels; is any of these as great as swiftness itself, "even unto swiftness"? What is swiftness itself, brethren? It is everywhere; it is not in part. This belongeth to the Word of God, not to be in part, to be everywhere by Himself the Word, whereby He is "the Power of God and the Wisdom of God," before He had taken flesh upon Him. If we think of God in the Form of God, the Word equal to the Father, this is the Wisdom of God, of which is said, "It reacheth from one end to the other mightily." What mighty speed! "It reacheth from one end to the other mightily."...
"He that sends his word on earth, until his word runs swiftly." He that sends is evidently distinct from him that is sent. You have then, here, both the Sender, the almighty God, and also the Word that was sent, who having many names is called by the holy oracles now Wisdom, now Word, now God, and also Lord. And as you know how in a very short time the word of his teaching has filled the whole world, I am sure you will wonder at the fulfillment of the prophecy, "Till his word runs swiftly."
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth,.... Which Kimchi interprets of rain, which causes the wheat to grow; since afterwards mention is made of snow, and of hoar frost and ice. Aben Ezra understands it of the decree of God, which he executes on earth. The Targum, of the "Memra", or Word of the Lord; the essential Word, the Messiah; whom the Lord sent on earth to perform the great work of redemption and salvation; and who came speedily, and tarried not when the fulness of time was come, as follows.
As the lightning, which passes through the air in an instant, such is the word of God's providence, and such the word of his grace, when it is sent forth with commission, Luke xvii. Angels, who carry his word and fulfil it, fly swiftly, Dan. ix. In particular, frosts and thaws are both of them wonderful changes, and in both we must acknowledge the word of his power.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth. His messages fly throughout his dominions: upon earth his warrants are executed as well as in heaven. From his church his word goes forth; from Zion he missions the nations with the word of life. His word runneth very swiftly: his purposes of love are speedily accomplished. Oriental monarchs laboured hard to establish rapid postal communication; the desire, will, and command of the Lord flash in an instant from pole to pole, yea, from heaven to earth.
8 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century8 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
God's Word, as a swift messenger, executes His purpose, for with Him to command is to perform (Ge 1:3; Ps 33:9), and He brings about the wonders of providence as easily as men cast crumbs.
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth. His messages fly throughout his dominions: upon earth his warrants are executed as well as in heaven. From his church his word goes forth; from Zion he missions the nations with the word of life. His word runneth very swiftly: his purposes of love are speedily accomplished. Oriental monarchs laboured hard to establish rapid postal communication; the desire, will, and command of the Lord flash in an instant from pole to pole, yea, from heaven to earth. We who dwell in the centre of the Lord's dominions may exceedingly rejoice that to the utmost extremity of the realm the divine commandment speeds with sure result, and is not hindered by distance or time. The Lord can deliver his people right speedily, or send them supplies immediately from his courts above. God's commands in nature and providence are fiats against which no opposition is ever raised; say, rather, to effect which all things rush onward with alacrity. The expressions in the text are so distinctly in the present that they are meant to teach us the present mission and efficiency of the word of the Lord, and thus to prompt us to present praise.
PARDON ME, MY BRETHREN, if I attempt no exposition whatever of the text, but simply endeavor to address you upon what I think is an inference from it, or at least a reflection to which it might readily give rise. The Psalmist is here describing the prosperity of Jerusalem, and he connects that prosperity with the progress and diffusion of the Word of God.
PARDON ME, MY BRETHREN, if I attempt no exposition whatever of the text, but simply endeavor to address you upon what I think is an inference from it, or at least a reflection to which it might readily give rise. The Psalmist is here describing the prosperity of Jerusalem, and he connects that prosperity with the progress and diffusion of the Word of God. He is teaching us I think just this great truth, that there is an intimate connection between the establishment and the building of our Zion at home, and the going forth and the spread of God's Word abroad, both in the provinces of our own land, and throughout the regions of the world. Our own churches must be in a prosperous state. AS the second verse hath it—"the Lord doth build up Jerusalem," we may then rest assured that "he will gather together the outcasts of Israel." If there be in the churches of our own highly-favored land a healthiness of spirit and an abundance of the grace of God, we need not fear but that all our operations will be carried on with success. God shall greatly crown our endeavors, and give us to see our heart's desire. If this be not precisely the critical meaning of the text, then let me just say I shall use it in this sense as a motto. The subject of this evening's discourse will be the connection between a healthy church at home, and the increase of the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. First, let me very briefly advert to the main points which constitute a healthy state in the Church of Christ.
A WORD is the expression of the mind. What a man has thought may live and die within himself, but when he wishes his thought to live in the outer world, he embodies it in a word and thus his thought is made known. Thought without expression is as an arm uplifted, working nothing, though it is the mainspring of action. But according to the ability of the man, his thought is carried out into fact if he is able to speak a powerful word of command. Hence, as the garment of thought and the accomplishment of wish, a word is a very important thing. A word is the manifestation of a man. Dry-den says— "Speech is the light, the morning of the mind. It spreads the beauteous images abroad, Which else lie furled and shrouded in the soul." "Speak," said the old philosopher, "that I may see you." More of a man is seen in his words than in anything else belonging to him. You may look into his face and be mistaken. You may visit his house and not discover him. You may scan his business and misunderstand him. But if you hear his daily conversation, you shall soon know him! The heart babbles out its secrets when the tongue is in motion. As the full bucket betrays the water of the well, so is a man discerned by his speech. Thus a word takes a most prominent place in reference to all intelligent beings and this is peculiarly the case with the Lord our God. God's Word is the manifestation of His secret thought. By it He reveals His decrees. By it He manifests His Nature. By it He carries out His purpose. "He spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast." If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. If you wish to perceive His power, you must see how He works by His Word. If you wish to know His purpose before it is actually brought to pass, you can only discover it by His Word.
A WORD is the expression of the mind. What a man has thought may live and die within himself, but when he wishes his thought to live in the outer world, he embodies it in a word and thus his thought is made known. Thought without expression is as an arm uplifted, working nothing, though it is the mainspring of action. But according to the ability of the man, his thought is carried out into fact if he is able to speak a powerful word of command.
He sendeth forth has commandment - His substantial word. It is here personified, מימרא meymra, Chaldee; and appears to be a very active agent running every where, and performing the purposes of his will.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth - That is, with reference to the productions of the earth; to the changes which occur; to the seasons; to snow, frost, ice, cold, heat, wind; and he is universally and immediately obeyed. Nature everywhere yields a ready acquiescence to his will. His word runneth very swiftly - As if it hastened to obey him. There is no delay. Compare the notes at Psa 33:9: “He spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” Snow, and frost, and ice, and cold, and heat, and wind, are entirely obedient to him. There is no reluctance in obeying him; there is no delay.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
the best of the wheat Heb. חלב, lit. fat. The best, fat wheat kernels.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַשֹּׁלֵ֣חַ | hasholeach | the [one who] sends | H7971 → | 845 times |
| אִמְרָת֣וֹ | ʾimrato | word his | H565 → | 37 times |
| אָ֑רֶץ | ʾaretz | [the] earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| מְ֝הֵרָ֗ה | meherah | quickly | H4120 → | 20 times |
| יָר֥וּץ | yarutz | it runs | H7323 → | 103 times |
| דְּבָרֽוֹ׃ | devaro | word his | H1697 → | 1440 times |
הַשֹּׁלֵ֣חַthe [one who] sends
hasholeachH7971 →845 times
אִמְרָת֣וֹword his
ʾimratoH565 →37 times
אָ֑רֶץ[the] earth
ʾaretzH776 →2504 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
מְ֝הֵרָ֗הquickly
meherahH4120 →20 times
יָר֥וּץit runs
yarutzH7323 →103 times
דְּבָרֽוֹ׃word his
devaroH1697 →1440 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 107:20He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the Pit.
it leads to
- Matthew 8:8
The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
- Psalms 103:3–4
He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,
- Psalms 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
- 2 Kings 20:4–5
Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
- Job 33:28–30
He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will live to see the light.’
- Matthew 8:8
Through
Psalms 33:9For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.
it leads to
- Genesis 1:3
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
- Psalms 33:6
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.
- Psalms 148:5–6
Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He gave the command and they were created.
- Genesis 1:3
Where this verse is studied
About Psalms
This page draws on 13 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 147; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Charles Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, Sermon No. 314: “Peace at Home, and Prosperity Abroad” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1607: “The Swiftly Running Word” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Eusebius of Caesarea, PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 6:10; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 57, on Psalm 147; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.