Psalms 47:3

He shall subdue the people under us - He shall do again for us what he had done for our forefathers - give us dominion over our enemies, and establish us in our own land. I would rather read this in the past tense, relative to what God did for their fathers in destroying the Canaanites, and giving them the promised land for their possession, and taking the people for his own inheritance. This is also applied to the conversion of the Gentiles who, on the rejection of the Jews, have become his inheritance; and whom he has chosen to inherit all those spiritual blessings typified by the sacrifices and other significant rites and ceremonies of the Jewish Church.

He shall subdue the people under us - Compare Psalm 18:39, note; Psalm 18:47, note. The word rendered "subdue" is that which commonly means" to speak." The idea in the use of this word here is that he has only to speak and it is done (compare Psalm 33:9), or that he could do it by a word. Compare, however, on the use of the word here, Gesenius (Lexicon), on the word - דבר dâbar, 2, Hiphil.

And the nations under our feet - That is, they shall be entirely or effectually subdued. See Psalm 7:5, note; Psalm 44:5, note. As God would enable them to do this, it was an occasion for thankfulness and triumph.

47:3 Subdue - He speaks this in the name of the whole church, to which all particular believers were to submit themselves in the Lord.