Reading: Psalm 48
INTRODUCTION
Psalm 48 is a patriotic song, probably pre-exilic, which celebrates the protection of Jerusalem by Israel’s God, YHWH, who dwells there among his people and is supreme over all enemies. The greatness of YHWH is reflected in the security and beauty of the city.
The occasion of the psalm is unknown but it would seem from vv. 4-8 that it was composed in the aftermath of a historical event that resulted in a great national deliverance, which is attributed to YHWH. Some scholars suggest that it may have been written for the Feast of Tabernacles during which, so they speculate, the faithful praised the Lord as they toured the city (v.12).
Psalm 48 falls into the category known as ‘Zion psalms;’ these focus on Mt. Zion (Jerusalem) — the place of God’s presence and protection (cf. Psa 2:6; 9:11,14; 14:7; 20:2; 48:2,11, 12; 50:2; 51:18; 69:35; 74:2; 76:2; 78:68; 84:7; 87:2, 5; 97:8; 99:2; 102:13,16, 21; 110:2; 125:1; 126:1; 128:5; 129:5; 132.13; 133:3; 134:3; 135:21; 137:1; 146;10; 147:12; 149:2).
Psalm 48 is located in what is often called the Elohistic psalter – a group of psalms (42-83) that prefer the divine name Elohim. Psalm 48 calls God YHWH (the LORD) once, great King once, Lord of hosts once and Elohim (God) eight times.
The Hebrew superscript says ‘a song, a psalm, for the sons of Korah’. The Septuagint (LXX) Greek translation adds: ‘on the second [day] of the week.’ Apparently specific psalms were sung on different days of the week by the Levite choir as part of the temple liturgy. Only one psalm title in the Hebrew Masoretic text (MT) specifies a day of the week (the sabbath) on which it is to be sung. Several psalm titles in the c. 3rd century BCE Greek translation known as the Septuagint (LXX) indicate a day of the week.
Sunday: Psalm 24 Psalm for David on the first day of the week LXX
Monday: Psalm 48 A Psalm of praise for the sons of Core on the second day of the week LXX
Wednesday: Psalm 94 A Psalm of David for the fourth day of the week LXX
Friday: Psalm 93 For the day before the Sabbath LXX
Saturday: Psalm 92 A Psalm or a Song for the sabbath day MT
No records survive for Tuesday or Thursday.
It would therefore seem that Psalm 48 was sung on Mondays. The title describes it as a song and a psalm. ‘Song’ is a general word for a lyrical song and ‘psalm’ most likely indicates that it is to be sung with musical accompaniment.
For Sons of Korah see my post: Sons of Korah: Their Role in Worship and Psalms
DIVISION
Psalm 48 has four sections:
1-3 Praise for Zion’s beauty
4-8 Panic for Zion’s foes
9-11 Pondering Zion’s God
12-14 Proclaiming Zion’s fortress
PRAISE FOR ZION’S BEAUTY 1-3
Psalm 48 opens with ascription of praise to YHWH, Israel’s national God, who is great (cf. Deut 10:21; 1 Chron 16:25) and very worthy of praise. The psalm makes clear that God’s unmatched greatness is because of his protection of Jerusalem and the defeat of Israel’s enemies (vv.3-8) and also because of his personal attributes (vv.9-14). He is therefore unsurpassed in greatness because of who he is and because of the mighty acts that he has done.
The geographical location in which YHWH is to be praised is Zion (Jerusalem). One might gain the impression that Jerusalem itself is the object of praise but ultimately the psalmist is praising the God whose greatness is reflected in the glory of the city – for which the psalmist uses seven epithets in vv.1-2:
The city of our God – YHWH is associated with Jerusalem, that is where he dwells (cf. Psa 14:7; 46:4-5; 76:2; Isa 12:6)
His holy mountain – The mountain is not intrinsically holy but is called this because of God’s presence in the temple there. Historically the location (formerly known as Mt. Moriah) is associated with YHWH because there he tested Abraham (Gen 22:2) and appeared to David (2 Chron 3:1). For holy hill/mountain see Psa 2:6; 87:1; Isa 2:3; Mic 4:1; Zech 8:3.
Beautiful in elevation – Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Psalm 50:2:
All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth? Lamentations 2:15
Some commentators aptly point out that in these epithets we have ‘theological geography’, i.e. symbolic or spiritual meaning assigned to physical locations. Here Jerusalem’s physical loftiness mirrors its spiritual significance.
Joy of the whole earth (or land?) – The psalmist views Jerusalem as a beacon of hope for all nations. A similar thought is expressed by Isaiah: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2-3
Mount Zion – Zion is another name for Jerusalem. It is sometimes associated with YHWH as a warrior, for example: The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. Joel 3:16-17
On the sides of the north – Although the temple and royal palaces were located on the northern slopes of Mt. Zion the city of Jerusalem is not geographically in the far north so the expression ‘the sides of the north’ is likely symbolic.
The Hebrew word for north (zaphon) is also a proper name. The psalmist may therefore have in mind Mt. Zaphon in Syria, in Ancient Near Eastern mythology the place where the Canaanite pantheon of gods headed up by Baal – the Storm-god and bringer of rain and fertility – was thought to assemble. According to the Ugaritic text Baal Cycle Mt. Zaphon became the seat of the Storm-god Baal after his defeat of Yamm (the sea). It is interesting that two Old Testament passages refer to the creation of Zaphon (north) and link it with God’s battle with the sea (Job 26:7, 10-12; Psalm 89:9, 12). In the ‘Song of the Sea’ in Exodus 15, although there is no reference to Zaphon, it is said that God has created a mountain location for himself to dwell in (Exod 15:17).
There is a reference to the belief in an assembly of gods on Zaphon in Isaiah’s prophecy about the King of Babylon/ Lucifer in Isaiah 14:13: For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.
If the psalmist intends Zaphon as a proper name he is applying to Zion the idea of Zaphon as the seat of deity and asserting that YHWH’s holy mountain surpasses the mythical mountain of Baal and the pagan gods. YHWH, not Baal, is the true God and Zion, not Zaphon, the true holy mountain.
The phrase translated ‘sides of the north’ also occurs in Isa 14:13; Ezek 38:6,15; 39:2.
City of the great King – the psalmist declares that Jerusalem belongs to YHWH and it is the seat of his rule. YHWH is the ultimate sovereign. Earthly powers may boast of having ‘great’ kings (for example, Assyria about Sennacherib: Isaiah 36:4,13) but they are subordinate to YHWH who truly is ‘the great king.’ The Lord is called ‘the great king’ in Psa 47:2; 48:2; 95:3; Mal 1:14. Jesus quoted this phrase in the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 5:35).
V.3. In Jerusalem’s fortresses God is recognised as a stronghold. His greatness is seen in his ongoing protection of Jerusalem from Israel’s enemies. This expression of belief in the inviolability of Jerusalem (cf. v.8) would indicate that the psalm is likely pre-exilic— as would its portrayal of the city as beautiful, with citadels (v.2, 13), towers (v.12), fortifications (v.13) and the temple (v.9) still standing.
PANIC FOR ZION’S FOES 4-8
Having described the beauty of Jerusalem and claimed that God is its stronghold the psalmist illustrates divine protection by referring to an occasion when the city came under attack but was delivered by God’s powerful intervention. He neither explains the exact historical context nor supplies names but these would have been familiar to the first readers/listeners.
With the words ‘For, lo’ he draws attention to the time when a coalition of kings had moved against Jerusalem but were unable to take it because, struck with terror, they fled in panic.
v.4. A coalition of hostile kings assembled against Zion and passed by (advanced through their enemy’s territory in battle array?).
vv.5-6. They themselves saw (N.B. there is no ‘it’ – we do not know what they saw – perhaps a theophany, or the city?), were terrified (fear took hold of them), then panicked (compared to writhing in agony like a woman giving birth, cf. Isa 13:8) and fled in disarray.
v.7. YHWH (metaphorically) broke them in pieces – see Isa 14:24-25.
v.8. The inhabitants of Jerusalem witnessed YHWH’s intervention to protect Jerusalem.
There has been much discussion and speculation about what historical event is being described. Suggestions include:
a) 2 Sam 5:17-25 – A coalition of Philistine princes (‘all the Philistines’ v.17) against David (c. 1010-970 BCE).
b) 2 Sam 10:6 – A coalition of Ammonites and Syrians against David (c. 1010-970 BCE).
c) 2 Chron 14:9-15 – The Ethiopians against King Asa of Judah (c. 911-870 BCE).
d) 2 Chron 20:1-30 – Ammonites, Moabites and Edomites against Jehoshaphat of Judah (c. 870-848 BCE).
e) Isa 7:1 – Syria and Israel against Ahaz of Judah (c. 736-716 BCE).
f) 2 Kgs 18:17 The Assyrian invasion of Judah in 701 BCE in the time of Hezekiah of Judah (c. 716-687 BCE).
The strongest possibility and one which now has widespread acceptance is (f) – the Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib in 701 BCE. The biblical accounts (2 Kgs 18-19; 2 Chron 32; Isa 36-37) tell of a miraculous intervention by the angel of the Lord that resulted in the withdrawal of Sennacherib’s army. The sudden and inexplicable retreat of the Assyrians and their vassal kings (Isa 10:8) aligns quite well with the panic and flight depicted in Psalm 48 (cf. Exod 15:15-16).
v.7 In the middle of recounting this historical event the psalmist unexpectedly addresses God directly, saying: ‘Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind’. It is difficult to see what role ships of Tarshish (thought to have been a port in Spain that was controlled by the Phoenicians) can have played in the Assyrian invasion of Judah. Since a famous fleet was based there (1 Kgs 10:22; Isa 23:14; 60:9; Ezek 23:25) it may have been that the Phoenician merchant navy had secured a contract to supply the Assyrian army and that some of those supply vessels were subsequently wrecked in a storm at sea.
It is more likely that a Tarshish ship was a well-known type of freighter: large, sturdy and built for sailing long distances. According to 1 Kgs 22:48 King Jehoshaphat had taken delivery of ships constructed to this design but they were wrecked at a port on the Red Sea: Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber.
The ‘ships of Tarshish’ comparison in v.7 is probably emphasizing the speed with which the destructive east wind shatters ships rather than the scale of destruction (cf. Job 27:21: The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place and Jer 18:17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy…) The point is that YHWH dealt suddenly and swiftly with the forces hostile to Jerusalem.
v.8. The people in Jerusalem have heard about God’s wonderful acts in the past but now they too have experienced his deliverance in the present. They have seen for themselves evidence of God’s protection of Zion. The psalmist now refers to Jerusalem as ‘the city of the Lord of hosts’ and again calls it ‘the city of our God’ (cf. v.1). He then expresses the commonly-held notion that Jerusalem would enjoy divine protection forever. The prophet Ezekiel confronted this idea of guaranteed immunity in the years leading up to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the First Temple in 586/7 BCE.
PONDERING ZION’S GOD 9-11
v.9. God’s acts of deliverance cause the people of Zion to worship and praise him in the temple as they reflect on his steadfast love (ḥeseḏ). This word means mercy, goodness, love, acts of kindness and includes the idea of faithfulness or loyalty. The classic passage in which it appears is Psalm 136 where (translated ‘mercy’ KJV) it occurs 26 times.
v.10. Just as God’s name (reputation) is worldwide so his praise (i.e. praise given to him) extends to the ends of the earth (cf. Mal 1:11). This may be a recognition that YHWH’s defeat of the coalition of kings has not only benefited Judah but other nations as well. It is appropriate that God should be praised because his power (right hand) is righteous., i.e. his actions are always just and fair. ‘Right hand’ is an example of anthropomorphism – attributing human characteristics to something that is not human.
v.11. Mt. Zion is to rejoice (be happy) and the daughters of Jerusalem to be glad (take great pleasure in) God’s judgments (legal decisions).
Mt. Zion means the inhabitants of Jerusalem – this is an example of metonymy.
‘Daughters of Jerusalem’ refers to Jerusalem’s suburbs and satellite towns and villages (cf. The terms ‘Zion’ and ‘daughters’ are used in the same way in Psa 97:8). See: Num 21:25; Josh 17:11, 16 where the KJV translates ‘daughters’ as ‘villages’ or ‘towns.’
‘Judgments’ is the word for legal decisions but in this verse it might simply mean ‘justice.’
APPLICATION : If tempted to question God’s care for you just reflect on his faithfulness in the past and let these memories turn doubt into rejoicing.
PROCLAIMING ZION’S FORTRESS 12-14
The psalmist encourages the people of Jerusalem, who have been confined to the city during the siege, to walk around the city and view what they would have lost but for God’s protecting power. They are to count the city’s towers (which the enemy must have spied out, Isa 33:18), consider its bulwarks and go through its citadels. Some of Jerusalem’s towers are mentioned in the book of Nehemiah (3:1, 11, 25-27).
The purpose of this exercise is that they might appreciate the evidence of God’s protection and tell of his greatness to the next (KJV, ‘following’) generation. The word for ‘next’ also means ‘west.’
Some suggest that in this psalm, which speaks of a great God whose reputation and praise extend to the ends of the earth, the composer has cleverly woven in a reference to the four cardinal directions: North, East, South and West. Two are referred to directly and two indirectly.
v.2 – ‘the sides of the north‘
v.7 – ‘with an east wind’
v.10 – ‘thy right hand is full of righteousness.’ The word for ‘right hand’ also means south.
v.12 – ‘tell to the generation following.’ The word translated ‘following’ also means west.
v.14. The psalm ends with a profession of faith. It is an affirmation that this God is their God forever and will guide them unto death (i.e. throughout life). God, says the psalmist, not only delivers but also directs throughout life.
The most straightforward interpretation is that God guides throughout life, until death. Some interpreters extend the meaning to include guidance through death and into eternity.
APPLICATION: Take time to ‘walk about Zion.’ Look at your life and reflect on the great work that God has done and will continue to do because he never changes – ‘this God is our God forever and ever.’ And don’t keep this to yourself. Tell your children. Tell your friends. Share it with others. Someone else might need encouragement today!
SUMMATION
Psalm 48 is a song of praise that celebrates the greatness of God and his supremacy over all enemies. It portrays Jerusalem as a symbol of God’s strength and of his defence and protection of his people.
The psalm calls upon believers to contemplate God’s steadfast love, rejoice in his righteous decisions and testify of his faithfulness to future generations. It affirms that God is our God forever and will guide us throughout life.
Written Exposition 