Old Testament

Psalms 48

Zion, City of the Eternal King

5 passages

Overview

Psalm 48 celebrates Jerusalem as the dwelling-place of God whose very presence routed the assembled kings in terror, invites the congregation to walk her walls in worshipful contemplation so as to pass on the memory of God's deeds, and seals the whole hymn with the covenant confession that this God is "our God forever and ever."

Passages

1–3Zion as the City of the Great King 4–7The Defeat of the Assembled Kings 8–10The Congregation's Confession of Faith 11–13Walk the Walls of Zion: An Invitation to Sacred Contemplation 14Forever Ours: The Eternal God of Zion

Study Resources

No study guides, devotionals, or teaching outlines have been created for this chapter yet.

Psalms 48

¹A Song. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.

²Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the north sides, the city of the great King.

³God has shown himself in her citadels as a refuge.

⁴For, behold, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together.

⁵They saw it, then they were amazed. They were dismayed. They hurried away.

⁶Trembling took hold of them there, pain, as of a woman in travail.

⁷With the east wind, you break the ships of Tarshish.

⁸As we have heard, so we have seen, in the city of Yahweh of Armies, in the city of our God. God will establish it forever. Selah.

⁹We have thought about your loving kindness, God, in the middle of your temple.

¹⁰As is your name, God, so is your praise to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is full of righteousness.

¹¹Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments.

¹²Walk about Zion, and go around her. Number its towers.

¹³Notice her bulwarks. Consider her palaces, that you may tell it to the next generation.

¹⁴For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even to death.

Psalms 47 Psalms 49