Psalm 48: Great Is the Lord in Zion
A hymn celebrating Mount Zion as the city of the great King.
Psalm 48 praises Zion as 'beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth,' known in her palaces as a refuge. It describes kings who assembled against the city, saw it, and 'hasted away' in fear, much like the deliverance recalled in Psalms 47.
A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, His holy mountain.
Beautiful in loftiness, the joy of all the earth, like the peaks of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the great King.
God is in her citadels; He has shown Himself to be a fortress.
For behold, the kings assembled; they all advanced together.
They saw and were astounded; they fled in terror.
Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor.
With a wind from the east You wrecked the ships of Tarshish.
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
Within Your temple, O God, we contemplate Your loving devotion.
Your name, O God, like Your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.
Mount Zion is glad, the daughters of Judah rejoice, on account of Your judgments.
March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers,
consider her ramparts, tour her citadels, that you may tell the next generation.
For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even till death.