Psalm 48:1-7

Zion, the City of Our God

1 ¹Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in ²the city of our God! His ³holy mountain,

2 ⁴beautiful in elevation, is ⁵the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, ⁶the city of the great King.

3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.

4 For behold, ⁷the kings assembled; they came on together.

5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.

6 ⁸Trembling took hold of them there, anguish ⁹as of a woman in labor.

7 By ¹⁰the east wind you ¹¹shattered the ships of ¹²Tarshish.

Psalm 48:1-7 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.

Cross References

• 1. 48:1 Ps. 96:4; 145:3
• 2. 48:1 See Ps. 46:4
• 3. 48:1 Ps. 2:6; 87:1; Zech. 8:3; [Isa. 2:3; Mic. 4:1]
• 4. 48:2 See Ps. 50:2
• 5. 48:2 Lam. 2:15; [Ezek. 20:6]
• 6. 48:2 Matt. 5:35
• 7. 48:4 See 2 Sam. 10:6-19
• 8. 48:6 [Ex. 15:15]
• 9. 48:6 Isa. 13:8; Hos. 13:13
• 10. 48:7 Jer. 18:17
• 11. 48:7 1 Kgs. 22:48; Ezek. 27:26
• 12. 48:7 1 Kgs. 10:22