Psalms 48:2-12

2 Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon^[a] is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.

3 God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.

4 When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together,

5 they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror.

6 Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor.

7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.

8 As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the LORD Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever.^[b]

9 Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.

10 Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.

11 Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.

12 Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,

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Psalms 48:2-12 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.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 19

1. Psalms 50:2; Lamentations 2:15; Ezekiel 16:14
2. S Joshua 13:27
3. S Psalms 2:6
4. Matthew 5:35
5. ver 13; Psalms 122:7
6. Psalms 18:2; Psalms 46:7
7. 2 Samuel 10:1-19
8. Exodus 15:16; Isaiah 13:8; Jeremiah 46:5; Daniel 5:9
9. S Job 4:14
10. S Genesis 3:16
11. S Genesis 10:4; S 1 Kings 10:22; 1 Kings 22:48
12. S Genesis 41:6; Jeremiah 18:17; Ezekiel 27:26
13. Jeremiah 23:6; Zechariah 8:13; Zechariah 14:11; Psalms 87:5
14. S Psalms 39:3
15. Psalms 6:4; Psalms 26:3
16. S Exodus 6:3; Deuteronomy 28:58; S Joshua 7:9
17. 1 Samuel 2:10; Psalms 22:27; Psalms 65:5; Psalms 98:3; Psalms 100:1; Isaiah 11:12; Isaiah 24:16; Isaiah 42:10; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 41:10
18. Psalms 97:8
19. S Nehemiah 3:1

Footnotes 2

[a]. "Zaphon" was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
[b]. The Hebrew has "Selah" (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Psalms 48:2-12

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Psalms 48:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 48

Cross References 19

Footnotes 2