Psalms 48:1-11

1 How great is the LORD, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain!

2 It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King!

3 God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers, revealing himself as its defender.

4 The kings of the earth joined forces and advanced against the city.

5 But when they saw it, they were stunned; they were terrified and ran away.

6 They were gripped with terror and writhed in pain like a woman in labor.

7 You destroyed them like the mighty ships of Tarshish shattered by a powerful east wind.

8 We had heard of the city’s glory, but now we have seen it ourselves— the city of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever. Interlude

9 O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple.

10 As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth. Your strong right hand is filled with victory.

11 Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice. Let all the towns of Judah be glad because of your justice.

Psalms 48:1-11 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 Mount Zion, in the far north; Hebrew reads Mount Zion, the heights of Zaphon.