Psalm 48:1-9

1 {A Song; a Psalm. Of the sons of Korah.} Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the hill of his holiness.

2 Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

3 God is known in her palaces as a high fortress.

4 For behold, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together;

5 They saw, -- so they marvelled; they were troubled, they fled in consternation:

6 Trembling took hold upon them there; anguish, as of a woman in travail.

7 With an east wind thou hast broken the ships of Tarshish.

8 As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of Jehovah of hosts, in the city of our God: God doth establish it for ever. Selah.

9 We have thought, O God, of thy loving-kindness, in the midst of thy temple.

Psalm 48:1-9 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.

Footnotes

• [a] Or 'land,' erets: see 1Sam. 2.8.
• [b] Or 'God is in her palaces: he is known as.'