Psalms 48 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Psalm 48

Zion, the City of Our God

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

48:1   Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised
    in the city of our God!
  His holy mountain, 2 beautiful in elevation,
    is the joy of all the earth,
  Mount Zion, in the far north,
    the city of the great King.
3   Within her citadels God
    has made himself known as a fortress.
4   For behold, the 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   Trembling took hold of them there,
    anguish as of a woman in labor.
7   By the east wind you shattered
    the ships of Tarshish.
8   As we have heard, so have we seen
    in the city of the LORD of hosts,
  in the city of our God,
    which God will establish forever. Selah
9   We have thought on your steadfast love, O God,
    in the midst of your temple.
10   As your name, O God,
    so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.
  Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11     Let Mount Zion be glad!
  Let the daughters of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments!
12   Walk about Zion, go around her,
    number her towers,
13   consider well her ramparts,
    go through her citadels,
  that you may tell the next generation
14     that this is God,
  our God forever and ever.
    He will guide us forever.¹

Footnotes

[1] 48:14 Septuagint; another reading is (compare Jerome, Syriac) He will guide us beyond death

Commentary

God's glory on the earth.

v1-3: Heaven, and the heaven of heavens, cannot contain God; yet there is a city, a mountain, a temple where He has put His name; "there I will meet with you" (Ex 25.22).

The whole earth is blessed because God chose Zion. The temple mount was observed from Zion, on the north side. For the Christian, the picture is of Jesus Christ, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.

The testimony to the nations, that God has chosen to dwell in Zion

v4-8: Fear upon the nations, for God has established Zion, the city belongs to Him.

v9-11: The place of praise to God, and rejoicing for His people; we must consider God, and His dwelling place; that we might rejoice and be glad. As we meditate upon our God, we are filled with joy.

v12-13: We need to observe how God builds (1 Cor 3.9-11), that we may tell it to the generation following, see 2 Tim 2.2; He always provides the answers for living.

v14: The city will only remain because God is God for ever. The psalmist triumphantly declares, "this God is our God," and rightly so.