Psalms 147:20 Meaning and Explanation
“He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praise ye the LORD.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The closing line guards praise from becoming vague. Israel is invited to remember a definite act of grace: the LORD gave them his judgments, his disclosed standards and decisions. Such knowledge carried responsibility as well as honor, since it made God's ways known among a people called to live before him. The final command, "Praise ye the LORD," turns remembrance into worship.
Psalm 147 ends by praising the LORD for the singular privilege of Israel's received judgments. The verse remembers God's covenant revelation and calls the people to answer that mercy with public, grateful praise.
The Context of Psalms 147:20
Verses 12-14 summon Jerusalem and Zion to praise God for strengthened gates, blessed children, peace at the borders, and abundant wheat. Verses 15-18 describe his command moving through the earth, sending cold and then thaw. Verse 19 identifies a distinct gift given to Jacob and Israel: God's word, statutes, and judgments. Verse 20 completes that thought by contrasting Israel's received instruction with the nations' lack of that same covenant disclosure. The psalm closes immediately with "Praise ye the LORD," returning to the opening call and making God's revealed judgments a central reason for the whole song.
What Does Psalms 147:20 Mean?
"He hath not dealt so with any nation" speaks from Israel's historical calling. The point is not a claim that other peoples were beyond God's care, for this very psalm has described his rain, grass, and food for creatures across the earth. It is a confession that Israel received a distinctive covenant gift. "As for his judgments, they have not known them" explains the contrast: the nations did not possess this same revealed body of divine instruction. Israel's response is praise, because God's judgments made his character and will known in their midst. The wording joins privilege to thanksgiving. It leaves no room for self-congratulation, since the gift begins in what "He hath" done.
The final verse gathers the chapter's themes of particular mercy and universal power. The LORD numbers stars, directs weather, supplies animals, restores Jerusalem, and gives peace and food. His care reaches widely through creation. Within that wide rule, he also binds himself to a people by speaking to them. Israel's knowledge of the judgments of God gave shape to its worship, courts, family life, treatment of neighbors, and covenant memory. The verse therefore helps us read divine law as part of God's redemptive care for a people. The command to praise also keeps instruction connected with adoration. God's revealed ways display his wisdom and invite a thankful, obedient community.
The Bible's wider story carries this gift outward. Israel was called to live so that surrounding peoples could see the wisdom of God's statutes, and the prophets look toward nations coming to learn the LORD's ways. In the ministry of Jesus, the teaching of God is proclaimed openly, and his commission sends disciples among all nations. Psalm 147:20 should therefore be heard first as Israel's praise for received revelation, then alongside the Bible's hope that the knowledge of the LORD will spread widely. God's particular dealings serve his holy purposes in the world. Praise remains fitting wherever his word is heard, trusted, and lived.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 147:20
“Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
- Deuteronomy 4:6
“You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.”
- Amos 3:2
“Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.”
- Romans 3:2
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
- Matthew 28:19
Where Psalms 147:20 Echoes in Scripture
Romans 3:2 offers a strong later echo by identifying God's entrusted words as a special advantage given to the Jewish people. Paul treats that entrustment as a real historical privilege while continuing his argument about God's faithfulness and the need for faith. Psalm 147:20 supplies the worshipful posture that belongs with such a gift: God's people praise him because he has made his judgments known.
How to Apply Psalms 147:20 Today
Gratitude for God's revealed word can make our reading more attentive and our use of it more humble. We can thank him for passages that teach us to worship, judge fairly, care for those in need, keep promises, seek peace, and repent when we have wandered. The verse also cautions against treating spiritual knowledge as a badge of superiority. Revelation is received, never possessed as a human achievement. In shared study, we can listen carefully, test our conclusions by the Scriptures, and ask how God's judgments may bring integrity to our ordinary decisions. Praise keeps our learning oriented toward the Giver.
Reflection & Prayer
Do we approach God's judgments chiefly as material for argument, or as a gracious way of knowing the LORD and ordering our lives before him? Consider one command or teaching that calls for grateful practice this week. Suggested prayer: "Praise ye the LORD. Father, make us thankful for thy word, humble in receiving it, and faithful in the duties thou dost place before us."