1 A Song. A Psalm. Of the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, in the town of our God, in his holy mountain. 2 Beautiful in its high position, the joy of all the earth, is the mountain of Zion, the mountain of God, the town of the great King. 3 In its buildings God is seen to be a high tower. 4 For see! the kings came together by agreement, they were joined together. 5 They saw it, and so were full of wonder; they were troubled, and went quickly away in fear. 6 Shaking came on them and pain, as on a woman in childbirth. 7 By you the ships of Tarshish are broken as by an east wind. 8 As it came to our ears so have we seen it, in the town of the Lord of armies, in the town of our God; God will keep it fixed for ever. (Selah.) 9 Our thoughts were of your mercy, O God, while we were in your Temple. 10 As your name is, O God, so is your praise to the ends of the earth; your right hand is full of righteousness. 11 Let there be joy in the mountain of Zion, and let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of your wise decisions. 12 Make your way about Zion, and go round it, numbering its towers. 13 Take note of its strong walls, looking well at its fair buildings; so that you may give word of it to the generation which comes after. 14 Because this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide.
Psalms · Bible in Basic English
Psalm 48 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Greek and Latin Bibles number most Psalms one lower than Hebrew and English Bibles.
Cross references (14)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Micah 4:1; Zechariah 8:3; Isaiah 2:2–3; Psalm 96:4; Psalm 46:4
- 2 Psalm 50:2; Matthew 5:35; Lamentations 2:15; Hebrews 12:22; Daniel 11:16
- 3 Zechariah 2:4–5; Psalm 125:1; Psalm 46:7; Isaiah 37:33–36; Psalm 76:1–5
- 4 Revelation 20:8–9; 2 Samuel 10:6–19; Revelation 17:12–14; Isaiah 7:1; Isaiah 29:5–8
- 5 Exodus 14:25; 2 Kings 7:6–7; 2 Kings 19:35–37
- 6 Hosea 13:13; Isaiah 13:6–8; Daniel 5:6; Exodus 15:15–16; Isaiah 21:3
- 7 Jeremiah 18:17; 1 Kings 22:48; Ezekiel 27:25–26; Isaiah 2:16; 1 Kings 10:22
- 8 Psalm 87:5; Micah 4:1; Matthew 16:18; Psalm 48:1–2; Isaiah 2:2
- 9 Psalm 26:3; Psalm 77:10–14; Psalm 40:10; 2 Chronicles 20:5–13; Psalm 63:2–3
- 10 Psalm 113:3; Malachi 1:11; Deuteronomy 28:58; Isaiah 41:10; Joshua 7:9
- 11 Psalm 97:8; Revelation 18:20; Revelation 15:4; Revelation 19:1–3; Revelation 16:5–7
- 12 Isaiah 33:18–20; Matthew 24:1–2; Nehemiah 12:31–40
- 13 Psalm 71:18; Psalm 122:7; Psalm 78:4–6; Deuteronomy 11:19; Joel 1:3
- 14 Isaiah 58:11; Psalm 23:3–4; Psalm 73:24; Psalm 25:9; John 16:13
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The title of the Psalm goeth thus. "To the end: for the sons of Korah: a Psalm of David himself." These sons of Korah have the title also of some other Psalms, and indicate a sweet mystery, insinuate a great Sacrament: wherein let us willingly understand ourselves, and let us acknowledge in the title us who hear, and read, and …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
… written, "Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God." And in another psalm we read, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness, increasing the joy of the whole earth." And, a little after, in the same psalm, "As we have heard, so have we …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Next, to lead them farther away from swearing by God, He saith, "Neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne, nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King:" still speaking out of the prophetical writings, and signifying Himself not to be opposed to the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
And of the wind it saith, Thou shalt break the ships of Tarshish with a violent spirit; and, As the tree in the wood is shaken by the spirit; and, Fire, hail, snow, ice, spirit of storm.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
Therefore let the Church of Christ, the city of the great King, full of grace, prolific of offspring, let her say what the prophecy uttered about her so long before by the mouth of this pious mother confesses, "My heart is made strong in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God." Her heart is truly made strong, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)