Psalms 48:2
in Psalms 48Beautiful in loftiness, the joy of all the earth, like the peaks of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the great King.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.
KJV
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
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This verse in Psalms 48
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Ambrose of MilanCommentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms, On Psalm 48 · Written before 397.
Truly the Lord is called great. For consider, he has poured exaltation and joy over all the orb of this earth where previously the land produced the most dreadful growth of sin; he has made joyful the earth that once abounded in sorrow, tears and groans. Now our conscience is set free from sin and can rejoice. Before this it was unhappy, it was drowned in the whirlpool of its own sin; but now, through the goodness and kindness of Christ, it is absolved from all error.
This site's exposition
Great is the LORD
on Psalms 48:1-3
Great is the LORD, and the praise belongs to the city where He dwells, His holy mountain. Mount Zion is the city of the great King, the joy of all the earth. God is in her citadels, shown to be a fortress.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The joy - This is spoken prophetically, because the joyful doctrine of the gospel was to go from thence to all nations. The city - Of God, who justly calls himself a great king.
The situation must needs be every way agreeable, when Infinite Wisdom chose it for the place of the sanctuary; and that which made it beautiful was that it was the mountain of holiness, for there is a beauty in holiness.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Beautiful for situation. Jerusalem was so naturally, she was styled the Queen of the East; the church is so spiritually, being placed near God's heart, within the mountain of his power, upon the hills of his faithfulness, in the centre of providential operations. The elevation of the church is her beauty. The more she is above the world the fairer she is. The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion. Jerusalem was the world's star; whatever light lingered on earth was borrowed from the oracles preserved by Israel.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְפֵ֥ה | yepeh | [it is] beautiful of | H3303 → | |
| נוֹף֮ | nof | height | H5131 → | |
| מְשׂ֪וֹשׂ | mesos | [the] joy of | H4885 → | |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָ֫אָ֥רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| הַר־ | har- | [the] mountain of | H2022 → | 546 times |
| צִ֭יּוֹן | tziyon | Zion | H6726 → | 154 times |
| יַרְכְּתֵ֣י | yarketei | [the] remotest parts of | H3411 → | |
| צָפ֑וֹן | tzafon | Zaphon | H6828 → | 153 times |
| קִ֝רְיַ֗ת | kiryat | [the] town of | H7151 → | |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| רָֽב׃ | rav | great | H7227 → | 454 times |
יְפֵ֥ה[it is] beautiful of
yepehH3303 →
נוֹף֮height
nofH5131 →
מְשׂ֪וֹשׂ[the] joy of
mesosH4885 →
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָ֫אָ֥רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
הַר־[the] mountain of
har-H2022 →546 times
צִ֭יּוֹןZion
tziyonH6726 →154 times
יַרְכְּתֵ֣י[the] remotest parts of
yarketeiH3411 →
צָפ֑וֹןZaphon
tzafonH6828 →153 times
קִ֝רְיַ֗ת[the] town of
kiryatH7151 →
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king
melekhH4428 →2525 times
רָֽב׃great
ravH7227 →454 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hebrews 12:22Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels
it leads to
- Philippians 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
- Galatians 4:26
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
- Revelation 14:1
Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
- Philippians 3:20
Through
Isaiah 14:13You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of…
it leads to
- Daniel 8:10–12
It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them.
- Ezekiel 28:2
“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of…
- Daniel 8:10–12
Through
Psalms 50:2From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.
it leads to
- Revelation 21:23
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
- Psalms 80:1
Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
- Revelation 1:16
He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- Revelation 21:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
About Psalms
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms, On Psalm 48; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.