Psalms 48:1-8

1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, in the town of our God, in his holy mountain.

2 Beautiful in its high position, the joy of all the earth, is the mountain of Zion, the mountain of God, the town of the great King.

3 In its buildings God is seen to be a high tower.

4 For see! the kings came together by agreement, they were joined together.

5 They saw it, and so were full of wonder; they were troubled, and went quickly away in fear.

6 Shaking came on them and pain, as on a woman in childbirth.

7 By you the ships of Tarshish are broken as by an east wind.

8 As it came to our ears so have we seen it, in the town of the Lord of armies, in the town of our God; God will keep it fixed for ever. (Selah.)

Psalms 48:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 48

\\<>\\. This psalm is entitled a "song psalm", a psalm to be sung vocally; or "a song and psalm" to be sung both vocally and instrumentally; and is one of the spiritual songs the apostle speaks of, Eph 5:19; It was occasioned, as some think, by David's spoiling the Philistines, 2Sa 5:17-21; or, as others, by the deliverance of the people from the Moabites and Ammonites in the times of Jehoshaphat, 2Ch 20:27,28; or, as others, by the deliverance of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from Sennacherib in the times of Hezekiah, 2Ki 19:34,35; though as Kimchi, a celebrated Jewish commentator, owns, it belongs to the times of the Messiah, as the other preceding psalms; and treats of his greatness, and of the praise and glory due to him, and gives large encomiums of his church.