Psalm 47's title says it is For the Chief Musician, A Psalm by the sons of Korah. It celebrates God as King over every nation. It begins with an invitation to the whole world: Oh clap your hands, all you nations. Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For Yahweh Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth. The psalm says God subdues nations under Israel and chooses their inheritance, the glory of Jacob whom he loved.
Next comes a picture of a royal procession. God has gone up with a shout, Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet. Like a king climbing to his throne, God is celebrated with music and cheers. The response is a fourfold command: Sing praises to God! Sing praises! Sing praises to our King! Sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with understanding. In the New Testament, Luke tells how Jesus was taken up into heaven (Acts 1:9), and many Christians read this psalm on Ascension Day, though the psalm itself does not mention that.
The psalm closes with a wide view. God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples are gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. He is greatly exalted! In the New Testament, God promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him, and Paul says this blessing comes through Christ (Galatians 3:8, 14).