What does Psalm 147:3 mean?
What is the meaning of Psalm 147:3?

He heals

- The verse begins by spotlighting God’s active role: “He heals.” Nothing passive here—He steps in and repairs what we cannot fix.

- Exodus 15:26 reminds Israel, “I am the LORD who heals you,” grounding this promise in His very name.

- Jeremiah 30:17 echoes, “For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds.”

- Jesus embodies this in the Gospels, “He went through all the towns… healing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9:35).

- Because His character has never changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8), we can trust Him to keep healing today—spiritually, emotionally, and, when He wills, physically.


the brokenhearted

- God targets those crushed by sorrow, disappointment, or sin.

- Psalm 34:18 assures, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.”

- Isaiah 61:1 prophesied Messiah would “bind up the brokenhearted,” which Jesus claimed in Luke 4:18 at Nazareth.

- David models this openness: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

- When grief feels isolating, 2 Corinthians 7:10 shows godly sorrow can even lead to repentance and life—proof that heartbreak isn’t wasted when brought to Him.


and binds up

- The picture shifts from sickness to first-aid: He doesn’t just diagnose; He bandages.

- Hosea 6:1 invites, “Come, let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind us up.”

- Ezekiel 34:16 records God’s promise to His scattered sheep: “I will bind up the injured.”

- Isaiah 30:26 foresees a day when “the LORD binds up the bruise of His people” and light floods in.

- Like the Good Samaritan who “bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine” (Luke 10:34), God treats pain with personal attention and steady care.


their wounds

- The term includes visible injuries and hidden scars—betrayal, shame, loss, sin’s aftermath.

- Jeremiah 8:22 laments a people ignoring the remedy: “Is there no balm in Gilead? … why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?”

- Isaiah 53:5 points to Christ: “By His stripes we are healed,” showing Calvary as the ultimate dressing for human wounds.

- Psalm 109:22 voices David’s pain: “For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me.” God answers such cries.

- One day wounds will be memories: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4), completing the healing that begins now.


summary

Psalm 147:3 paints a compassionate, hands-on God who steps into broken lives, applies His own saving work like a skilled physician, and stays until healing is complete. From Israel’s wilderness to the cross to the future New Jerusalem, the same Lord mends hurting hearts and bandages every wound we surrender to Him.

How does Psalm 147:2 align with archaeological evidence of Jerusalem's restoration?
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