Psalms 48:1-2

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.

Psalms 48:1-2 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. Psalms 96:4; Psalms 145:3
• 2. See Psalms 46:4
• 3. Psalms 2:6; Psalms 87:1; Zechariah 8:3; [Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:1]
• 4. See Psalms 50:2
• 5. Lamentations 2:15; [Ezekiel 20:6]
• 6. Matthew 5:35