Psalms 48–14
Psalm 48:1-14
Psa.48.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שיר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מזמור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבני: PREP
- קרח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 84 (verbal): Also attributed to the Sons of Korah and introduced as a sacred song/psalm; like Ps 48 it celebrates nearness to God and the place of his presence.
- Psalm 87 (thematic): Another hymn celebrating Zion as the special city of God; parallels Ps 48's focus on the glory and significance of God's city.
- Psalm 122 (thematic): A pilgrimage song rejoicing in Jerusalem and worship there; thematically related to Ps 48's celebration of the city and its role in worship.
- Isaiah 2:3 (allusion): Speaks of nations streaming to the mountain of the LORD and seeking his instruction—an Old Testament tradition that undergirds Zion-centered songs like Ps 48.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the leader; of the sons of Korah. A song.
- A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah.
Psa.48.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ומהלל: VERB,piel,ptc,3,m,sg
- מאד: ADV
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- קדשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 99:2 (verbal): Uses the same praise formula—'Great is the LORD'—and locates God's greatness in Zion, paralleling the emphasis on the Lord's greatness in the holy mountain/city.
- Psalm 46:4-5 (thematic): Speaks of the 'city of God' and 'the holy place where the Most High dwells,' echoing the motif of God's presence in the holy mountain/city.
- Psalm 87:1 (thematic): Declares that God founded the city on the holy mountain and celebrates Zion as God's chosen city, reflecting the same focus on the holy mountain as God's dwelling.
- Isaiah 2:2-3 (thematic): Portrays the 'mountain of the Lord' as the central, exalted place from which God's instruction and reign go forth—resonant with the image of God's greatness in his holy mountain/city.
Alternative generated candidates
- Great is God and highly praised in the city of our God—his holy mountain.
- Great is God, and greatly praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.
Psa.48.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- יפה: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- נוף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משוש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- ירכתי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- צפון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קרית: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 2:2-3 (thematic): Describes the mountain of the LORD exalted above other mountains and as a center to which peoples flow—parallels Psalm 48’s portrayal of Zion as the high, joyous mountain and universal focus.
- Micah 4:1-2 (thematic): Near-verbatim prophetic parallel to Isaiah 2:2-3; likewise presents Zion as the mountain of the LORD to which nations come, echoing the idea of Zion as joy/center of the earth.
- Matthew 5:35 (quotation): Jesus refers to Jerusalem as "the city of the great King," a direct echo of the phrase and royal association found in Psalm 48:3.
- Psalm 2:6 (verbal): "I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill"—explicitly links Zion with kingship, complementing Psalm 48:3’s designation of Zion as the city of the great King.
- Isaiah 52:1 (verbal): "Awake, awake, put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem"—shares the motifs of beauty and Zion/Jerusalem found in Psalm 48:3’s description of Zion as "beautiful in elevation."
Alternative generated candidates
- Lovely in its heights, the joy of all the earth: Mount Zion, the northern heights, the city of the great King.
- Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth—Mount Zion, the far north, the city of the great King.
Psa.48.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בארמנותיה: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,3,fs
- נודע: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- למשגב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 46:7 (verbal): Both verses employ the term משגב/‘stronghold’ to describe God’s presence and protection for the city/people, portraying God as refuge.
- Nahum 1:7 (verbal): Uses the verbs 'know' (ידע) and speaks of God as a refuge/stronghold for the righteous—lexical and functional parallel to 'נודע למשגב' ('known as a stronghold').
- Psalm 91:2 (thematic): Declares the LORD as 'my refuge and my fortress,' sharing the central theme of God as safe shelter and stronghold.
- Proverbs 18:10 (thematic): Calls the name of the LORD 'a strong tower' into which the righteous run—parallel imagery of God as a place of protection like a משגב.
- Psalm 18:2 (thematic): Describes God as rock, fortress, and deliverer—similar language and theme portraying God as stronghold and protector.
Alternative generated candidates
- God is known within her citadels as a stronghold.
- God is known within her palaces as a stronghold.
Psa.48.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- הנה: PART
- המלכים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- נועדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עברו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- יחדו: ADV
Parallels
- Psalm 2:1-2 (verbal): Kings and rulers are pictured assembling and taking counsel together against God and his anointed, echoing the image of kings gathered in Psalm 48:5.
- Micah 4:11-12 (thematic): Foretells many nations and rulers assembling against Zion and being put to shame—paralleling the motif of kings gathering against Jerusalem.
- Zechariah 14:2 (thematic): Describes all the nations being gathered against Jerusalem for battle, reflecting the theme of kings/nations assembling around the city.
- Joel 3:12 (structural): Calls for the nations to be summoned to the valley of Jehoshaphat for judgment—another prophetic picture of peoples and rulers assembling in relation to Jerusalem.
- Psalm 118:10-12 (thematic): Speaks of surrounding enemies (including leaders) who are then confounded and flee, paralleling Psalm 48’s sequence of kings assembling and then being put to flight.
Alternative generated candidates
- For behold, the kings assembled; they advanced together.
- For behold, the kings assembled; they advanced together.
Psa.48.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- ראו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- כן: ADV
- תמהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- נבהלו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- נחפזו: VERB,nifal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 15:14-15 (thematic): In the Song of Moses nations hear of God’s act and are struck with terror and amazement—parallel theme of peoples seeing God’s power and being astonished and frightened.
- Exodus 14:25 (verbal): Describes God throwing the enemy camp into panic so that they ‘fled’—language and motif similar to seeing God’s act and fleeing in terror.
- Psalm 68:1 (verbal): Psalm invocation that God’s enemies be scattered and that those who hate him ‘flee’—closely echoes the verb and theme of enemies’ flight before God.
- Judges 7:22 (structural): Gideon’s victory where the LORD causes confusion and the enemy flees in panic—same narrative pattern of divine action producing amazement and flight.
- Nahum 1:5-6 (thematic): Depicts creation and nations trembling/melting before the LORD’s presence—thematically parallel in portraying terror and astonishment at God’s power.
Alternative generated candidates
- They saw and were astounded; they were terrified and took flight.
- When they saw it they were amazed; they were terrified and fled in haste.
Psa.48.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- רעדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחזתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- שם: ADV
- חיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כיולדה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 13:8 (verbal): Uses the same simile of people being in anguish like a woman in labor—trembling/pain at impending divine judgment.
- Isaiah 21:3 (verbal): Speaks of pangs and anguish 'as a woman in travail,' a close childbirth image for overwhelming distress.
- Isaiah 26:17-18 (thematic): Employs the childbirth metaphor to describe national travail and deliverance, thematically related to birthlike convulsions and trembling.
- Nahum 2:10 (verbal): Describes hearts melting, knees knocking and great pain in the loins—physical trembling and anguish in the face of disaster.
- Habakkuk 3:16 (thematic): Speaks of bodily trembling (belly trembling, lips quivering) before God's presence—similar visceral imagery of fear and awe.
Alternative generated candidates
- A trembling seized them there—anguish like that of a woman in labor.
- A trembling seized them there; pangs, like those of a laboring woman.
Psa.48.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ברוח: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קדים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- תשבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- אניות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- תרשיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jonah 1:4 (thematic): God sends a violent wind that threatens/breaks the ship—directly parallels the motif of a divine wind destroying ships.
- Psalm 107:23-30 (thematic): Poetic account of ships caught in a storm and God’s control over wind and sea—thematically parallels God’s action against maritime vessels.
- Ezekiel 27:25-26 (allusion): Ezekiel’s lament for Tyre repeatedly mentions the 'ships of Tarshish' and their commerce and fate, echoing the specific image of Tarshish vessels.
- 1 Kings 10:22 (verbal): Refers to Solomon’s 'ships of Tarshish'—shows the established phrase for great long-distance merchant vessels used similarly in Psalm 48:8.
- Nahum 1:3 (thematic): Declares the LORD's power to rebuke the sea and control the elements—a thematic parallel to divine action causing ships’ destruction by wind.
Alternative generated candidates
- At the blast of the east wind you break the ships of Tarshish.
- By the east wind the ships of Tarshish were shattered.
Psa.48.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כאשר: CONJ
- שמענו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- כן: ADV
- ראינו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יכוננה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Isaiah 33:20 (thematic): Both invite attention to Zion/Jerusalem as the city of the LORD and speak of beholding the city (seeing Zion) as a decisive confirmation of faith and hope.
- Isaiah 26:1-4 (verbal): Speaks of Zion as a 'strong city' established by God and includes the call to 'trust in the LORD for ever,' paralleling 'God will establish it for ever.'
- Psalm 46:4-5 (thematic): Also portrays 'the city of God' with God dwelling in its midst and secured by divine presence—echoing the city of the LORD and its enduring stability.
- Psalm 125:1 (verbal): Likens those who trust in the LORD to Mount Zion 'which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever,' directly paralleling the idea that God establishes Zion forever.
- Psalm 87:1-3 (thematic): Emphasizes God's foundation and love for Zion and the city's special standing before God, resonating with the Psalm 48 assertion of God's establishment of His city.
Alternative generated candidates
- As we have heard, so we have seen—in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God—God will establish her forever. Selah.
- As we have heard, so we have seen, in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God—God will establish her forever. Selah.
Psa.48.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- דמינו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חסדך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- בקרב: PREP
- היכלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
Parallels
- Psalm 36:7-8 (verbal): Both passages foreground God’s חסד (steadfast love) and connect that lovingkindness with God’s house/household (the blessings that flow from God’s dwelling).
- Psalm 26:8 (verbal): “I love the habitation of your house” echoes the focus on the temple/היכל as the place of God’s presence—parallel language about God’s dwelling.
- Exodus 25:8 (quotation): “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them” — a foundational text linking God’s presence to a sanctuary, which undergirds statements about God’s mercy/steadfast love being located in the temple.
- Isaiah 6:1-3 (thematic): The prophetic vision of the LORD enthroned in the temple emphasizes God’s presence and holiness in the sanctuary, a theme behind locating God’s חסד within his temple.
- Psalm 63:3-4 (thematic): Confesses that God’s steadfast love (חסד) is the basis for devotion and praise; parallels the idea that God’s lovingkindness (found in his dwelling) prompts worship.
Alternative generated candidates
- Mark well, O God, your steadfast love within your temple.
- We have pondered, O God, your steadfast love within your temple.
Psa.48.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כשמך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כן: ADV
- תהלתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2ms
- על: PREP
- קצוי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- צדק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלאה: ADV
- ימינך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 113:3 (verbal): Both link the praise of God's name with universal proclamation—'from the rising of the sun to its setting' parallels 'to the ends of the earth' and the emphasis on praising God's name.
- Psalm 22:27 (thematic): Shares the motif 'all the ends of the earth' coming to the LORD—echoing the universal scope of God's praise in Ps 48:11.
- Isaiah 41:10 (verbal): Uses the phrase 'right hand' together with 'righteousness' ('I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness'), closely echoing Ps 48:11's image of God's right hand being full of righteousness.
- Isaiah 52:10 (thematic): Speaks of all the ends of the earth seeing God's salvation—a related theme of God's fame and praise reaching the ends of the earth as in Ps 48:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- As is your name, O God, so is your praise to the ends of the earth; your right hand is full of righteousness.
- As is your name, O God, so is your praise to the ends of the earth; your right hand is full of righteousness.
Psa.48.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ישמח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- תגלנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- בנות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- למען: PREP
- משפטיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
Parallels
- Zechariah 9:9 (verbal): Uses the same imperative rejoicing-address to 'daughter(s) of Zion/Jerusalem' ('Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion'), linking Zion's joy to God's coming deliverance/kingdom.
- Zephaniah 3:14 (verbal): Direct call for Zion/Israel to 'sing' and 'be glad'—parallel language of daughters of Zion/Judah rejoicing in response to God's acts.
- Psalm 149:2 (verbal): Speaks of the 'children of Zion' being joyful in their king—similar cultic/communal language of Zionite joy and praise.
- Isaiah 51:11 (thematic): Isaiah depicts the redeemed returning to Zion 'with singing' because of the LORD's vindication—echoing the theme of Zion's rejoicing on account of God's judgments/deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- Rejoice, O Mount Zion; shout aloud, O daughters of Judah, for your judgments.
- Let Mount Zion rejoice; let the daughters of Judah be glad because of your judgments.
Psa.48.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- סבו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- והקיפוה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ספרו: VERB,qal,impv,2,_,pl
- מגדליה: NOUN,m,pl,const
Parallels
- Psalm 48:2 (thematic): Both verses celebrate Zion's beauty and security; v.13's injunction to 'go around her, count her towers' complements v.2's depiction of the city exalted and glorious, emphasizing its fortifications.
- 2 Samuel 5:9-10 (verbal): David's building and fortifying of the city of David—establishing strongholds/towers—parallels the psalm's focus on the city's towers and defensive structures.
- Nehemiah 2:17-18 (thematic): Nehemiah's call to 'build up the wall of Jerusalem' and restore its defenses echoes the psalmist's attention to surveying and counting the city's towers and ramparts.
- Isaiah 26:1 (thematic): Isaiah's declaration of 'a strong city' and God as its salvation for walls and bulwarks resonantly parallels Ps 48:13's focus on Zion's fortified character.
- Revelation 21:12,17-18 (structural): The vision of the New Jerusalem with measured walls, gates, and foundations (and the angel's measuring rod) is a later, apocalyptic counterpart to the psalm's instruction to go around and count the city's architectural elements.
Alternative generated candidates
- Walk about Zion; go around her, count her towers.
- Walk about Zion and go all around her; count her towers.
Psa.48.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שיתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לבכם: NOUN,m,sg,suff,2,m,pl
- לחילה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- פסגו: NOUN,f,sg,suff
- ארמנותיה: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- למען: PREP
- תספרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לדור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחרון: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 78:4 (verbal): Both verses command recounting God's deeds to the next generation: “that they might tell to the generation to come” (Ps 48) echoes “to make them known to the generation to come”/“show to the generation to come” in Psalm 78.
- Joel 1:3 (verbal): Directly parallels the exhortation to pass testimony to descendants: “Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children,” closely matching Ps 48’s charge to tell a later generation.
- Deuteronomy 4:9–10 (thematic): Both passages stress remembering and instructing descendants about foundational events and teachings so they will be known to future generations (teach your children and your children’s children).
- Deuteronomy 32:7 (thematic): Urges reflection on past days and learning from elders—‘ask thy father… thy elders… they will tell thee’—a related emphasis on transmitting memory and instruction across generations.
- Psalm 145:4 (thematic): Shares the theme of intergenerational proclamation: ‘One generation shall praise thy works to another,’ which parallels Ps 48’s call to recount the city’s (and God’s) deeds to the next generation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Give earnest thought—mark her ramparts, consider her citadels—so that you may tell the next generation.
- Mark well her bulwarks, consider her palaces, that you may tell it to a coming generation.
For the leader; of the sons of Korah. A song.
Great is God, and highly praised in the city of our God, his holy hill.
Beautiful in its heights, the joy of the whole earth: Mount Zion, the far reaches of the north, the city of the great King.
God is known in her citadels as a stronghold.
For behold, the kings assembled; they advanced together.
They saw—and were amazed; they were terrified and fled in haste.
Terror seized them there—anguish like that of a woman in labor.
As when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the God of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. Selah.
Consider, O God, your steadfast love in the midst of your temple.
As is your name, O God, so is your praise to the ends of the earth; your right hand is full of righteousness.
Be glad, O Mount Zion; rejoice, O daughters of Judah, because of your judgments.
Walk around Zion; go all about her, count her towers.
Set your hearts inwardly on her ramparts; consider her palaces, that you may recount them to a generation to come.