Psalms 48:1-10

1 A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.

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 in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.

4 For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together.

5 They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away.

6 Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,

7 As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.

8 As we have heard, So we have seen In the city of the Lord of hosts, In the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah

9 We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple.

10 According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.

Psalms 48:1-10 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.