Psalm , Sarah Barry
THE CITY OF OUR GOD
Passage: Psalm 48:1~14  
Key verse: 9
Psalm 48[a]A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
1 Great is the Lord,(A) and most worthy of praise,(B)
in the city of our God,(C) his holy mountain.(D)
2 Beautiful(E) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[b](F) is Mount Zion,(G)
the city of the Great King.(H)
3 God is in her citadels;(I)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(J)
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(K)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(L)
6 Trembling seized(M) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(N)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(O)
shattered by an east wind.(P)
8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[c](Q)
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(R) on your unfailing love.(S)
10 Like your name,(T) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(U)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(V)
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(W)
13 consider well her ramparts,(X)
view her citadels,(Y)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(Z)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(AA) even to the end.
1 Great is the Lord,(A) and most worthy of praise,(B)
in the city of our God,(C) his holy mountain.(D)
2 Beautiful(E) in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
like the heights of Zaphon[b](F) is Mount Zion,(G)
the city of the Great King.(H)
3 God is in her citadels;(I)
he has shown himself to be her fortress.(J)
4 When the kings joined forces,
when they advanced together,(K)
5 they saw her and were astounded;
they fled in terror.(L)
6 Trembling seized(M) them there,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(N)
7 You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish(O)
shattered by an east wind.(P)
8 As we have heard,
so we have seen
in the city of the Lord Almighty,
in the city of our God:
God makes her secure
forever.[c](Q)
9 Within your temple, O God,
we meditate(R) on your unfailing love.(S)
10 Like your name,(T) O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;(U)
your right hand is filled with righteousness.
11 Mount Zion rejoices,
the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments.(V)
12 Walk about Zion, go around her,
count her towers,(W)
13 consider well her ramparts,(X)
view her citadels,(Y)
that you may tell of them
to the next generation.(Z)
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide(AA) even to the end.
Footnotes
- Psalm 48:1 In Hebrew texts 48:1-14 is numbered 48:2-15.
- Psalm 48:2 Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.
- Psalm 48:8 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
Cross references
- Psalm 48:1 : Ps 86:10; 96:4; 99:2; 135:5; 147:5; Jer 10:6
- Psalm 48:1 : S 2Sa 22:4; S 1Ch 16:25; Ps 18:3
- Psalm 48:1 : S Ps 46:4
- Psalm 48:1 : S Dt 33:19; Ps 2:6; 87:1; Isa 11:9; 32:16; Jer 31:23; Da 9:16; Mic 4:1; Zec 8:3
- Psalm 48:2 : Ps 50:2; La 2:15; Eze 16:14
- Psalm 48:2 : S Jos 13:27
- Psalm 48:2 : S Ps 2:6
- Psalm 48:2 : Mt 5:35
- Psalm 48:3 : ver 13; Ps 122:7
- Psalm 48:3 : Ps 18:2
- Psalm 48:4 : 2Sa 10:1-19
- Psalm 48:5 : Ex 15:16; Isa 13:8; Jer 46:5; Da 5:9
- Psalm 48:6 : S Job 4:14
- Psalm 48:6 : S Ge 3:16
- Psalm 48:7 : S Ge 10:4; S 1Ki 10:22; 22:48
- Psalm 48:7 : S Ge 41:6
- Psalm 48:8 : Jer 23:6; Zec 8:13; 14:11
- Psalm 48:9 : S Ps 39:3
- Psalm 48:9 : Ps 6:4
- Psalm 48:10 : S Ex 6:3; S Jos 7:9
- Psalm 48:10 : 1Sa 2:10; Ps 22:27; 65:5; 98:3; 100:1; Isa 11:12; 24:16; 42:10; 49:6
- Psalm 48:11 : Ps 97:8
- Psalm 48:12 : S Ne 3:1
- Psalm 48:13 : 2Sa 20:15; Isa 26:1; La 2:8; Hab 2:1
- Psalm 48:13 : S ver 3
- Psalm 48:13 : Ps 71:18; 78:6; 109:13
- Psalm 48:14 : Ps 25:5; 73:24; Pr 6:22; Isa 49:10; 57:18; 58:11
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. God makes her secure (1-8)
Jerusalem was the city of God. It was situated on top of a high mountain. King David had conquered it and made it his capitol. Jerusalem was the center of the nation's spiritual life, for the temple of the Lord was there on Mount Zion. God dwelt in his city, so she was secure. Even powerful aggressors fled from the gates of Jerusalem in terror. When God is in the midst of his people, the enemy Satan trembles, for God himself is a strong fortress (3).
2. We meditate on your love (9-14)
The temple is a place of prayer for all nations. When we gather in God's house to pray and study the Bible and meditate on God's unfailing love, then God is in our midst. When God's people pray for the nations of the world and seek to share his love with all people, God is pleased to bless and help and protect his people. Let us rejoice in God and tell his works to the next generation. He will be our guide even to the ends of the earth.
Prayer: Lord, dwell in our midst to be our source of life and power for the proclamation of your gospel to the world.
One Word: Pray together for world mission