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The Bible · 526 of 1189
Psalms 48
1.Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
2.Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
3.God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
4.For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.
5.They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
6.Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
7.Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.
8.As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.
9.We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
10.According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
11.Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.
12.Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.
13.Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.
14.For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.
Asked of Guide
Why does the psalm call Zion both a refuge and a city the kings feared?
The psalm describes Zion as “a refuge” and “the city of the great King” because it presents the city as God’s dwelling where his presence protects and vindicates his people; verse 3 names God being “known in her palaces for a refuge,” and verse 8 insists God will “establish it for ever.” The same presence turns political power into awe: kings approach, “marvelled… were troubled, and hasted away” (vv.4–5), so Zion’s holiness makes earthly forces recoil.
The psalm moves from praise to a public tour: worshipers are told to “Walk about Zion, and go round about her” and “tell it to the generation following” (vv.12–13), which frames the city’s safety as testimony. Psalm 48 echoes themes in Isaiah and in Hebrews about God as protector and Zion as the place where divine rule exposes and defeats human threats.
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