Psalms 48
48
Beautiful Zion
A poetic song by the prophetic singers of Korah’s clan
1There are so many reasons to describe God as wonderful!
So many reasons to praise him with unlimited praise! # 48:1 This psalm was written to commemorate the defeat of the Assyrian army in the days of King Hezekiah.
2Zion-City is his home; he lives on his holy mountain—
high and glorious, joy-filled and favored.
Zion-Mountain looms in the farthest reaches of the north, # 48:2 Or “the sides of the north,” a metaphor to describe God’s heavenly home. See Isa. 14:13.
the city of our incomparable King!
3This is his divine abode, an impenetrable citadel,
for he is known to dwell in the highest place.
4-6See how the mighty kings united to come against Zion,
yet when they saw God manifest in front of their eyes,
they were stunned.
Trembling, they all fled away, gripped with fear. # 48:4–6 This no doubt refers to the night the angel of the Lord descended into the ranks of the Assyrians and killed 185,000 men. See Isa. 37:36.
Seized with panic, they doubled up in frightful anguish,
like a woman in the labor pains of childbirth.
7Like a hurricane blowing and breaking the invading ships, # 48:7 Or “ships of Tarshish.”
God blows upon them and breaks them to pieces.
8We have heard about these wonders,
and then we saw them with our own eyes.
For this is the city of the Commander of Angel Armies,
the city of our God, safe and secure forever!
Pause in his presence
9Lord, as we worship you in your temple,
we recall over and over your kindness to us
and your unending love.
10The fame of your name echoes throughout the entire world,
accompanied with praises.
Your right hand is full of victory.
11So let the people of Zion rejoice with gladness;
let the daughters of praise # 48:11 Or “the daughters of Judah.” leap for joy!
For God will see to it that you are judged fairly.
12-13Circle Zion; count her towers.
Consider her walls, climb her palaces,
and then go and tell the coming generation
of the care and compassion of our God.
14Yes, this is our God, our great God forever.
He will lead us onward until the end,
through all time, beyond death,
and into eternity!
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Psalms 48: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationPsalms 48
48
For the music director. A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1The Lord is supreme! He deserves praise in the city of our God on his holy mountain.
2Mount Zion is high and beautiful, bringing happiness to all the earth; on the northern side#48:2. One interpretation is that this refers to the northern extension of Jerusalem that was not originally part of the city captured from the Jebusites. This new northern part was where the Temple and palace of Solomon were built. is the city of the great King.
3God himself is in the city's fortresses; he is recognized as its defender.
4Look at what happened when foreign kings joined forces and came to attack the city.
5As soon as they saw it they were astonished and ran away terrified.
6They shook all over, and were in agonizing pain like a woman giving birth,
7just as the strong east wind wrecks the ships from Tarshish.
8Just as we had heard, but now we have seen the city of the Lord Almighty. This is the city of our God; he makes it secure forever. Selah.
9God, we recall your trustworthy love as we worship in the Temple.
10As is fitting for your reputation,#48:10. Literally, “name.” God, praises to you stretch all around the world. What you do is always right!
11Let the people of Mount Zion be glad; let the people of Judah celebrate because your judgments are always fair!
12Go and take a look at Zion. Count the towers as you walk around.
13Inspect the fortifications. Examine the citadels, so you can describe everything to the next generation, telling them:
14“This is who our God is. He is our God forever and ever. He himself will lead us until the very end.”#48:14. “End.” There is some debate as to how this psalm ends. Some take the phrase to mean “death,” others “forever,” while still others think it was part of the superscription for the following psalm.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com