Psalm 48:1-8

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 48:1-7

The psalmist is designing to praise Jerusalem and to set forth the grandeur of that city; but he begins with the praises of God and his greatness (Ps. 48:1), and ends with the praises of God and his goodness, Ps. 48:14. For, whatever is the subject of our praises, God must be both the Alpha and Omega of them. And, particularly, whatever is said to the honour of the church must redound to the honour of the church's God. What is here said to the honour of Jerusalem is, I. That the King of heaven... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 48:8-14

We have here the good use and improvement which the people of God are taught to make of his late glorious and gracious appearances for them against their enemies, that they might work for their good. I. Let our faith in the word of God be hereby confirmed. If we compare what God has done with what he has spoken, we shall find that, as we have heard, so have we seen (Ps. 48:8), and what we have seen obliges us to believe what we have heard. 1. ?As we have heard done in former providences, in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 48:1

Great is the Lord ,.... The same that in the foregoing psalm is said to be gone, up to heaven with a shout, to sit on the throne of his holiness, to reign over the Heathen, and to be King over all the earth; who is great, and the Son of the Highest; the great God and our Saviour; great in his person as God-man, God manifest in the flesh, his Father's fellow and equal; and in the perfections of his nature, being of great power, and of great wisdom, and of great faithfulness, and of strict... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 48:2

Beautiful for situation ,.... This, and what follows, are said of the city of God, the city of Jerusalem, which was delightfully situated on an eminence, in a wholesome air; the brook Kidron gliding by it, the water of Siloah running through it or at least through some parts of it; fields and gardens adjoining to it, and mountains all around it: and so the church of Christ is built upon him, the Rock; the river of divine love runs by it, the streams whereof make it glad; the green pastures... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 48:3

God is known in her palaces for a refuge. As there were palaces in Jerusalem; see Psalm 48:13 ; so there are in the church of Christ; every place in it is a palace fit for a king; and everyone that has truly a name and a place there are kings and priests unto God: and here God is a "refuge" both for saints and sinners to fly unto; See Gill on Psalm 46:1 ; and is "known" to be so; the ministers of the Gospel being here appointed to direct and encourage souls to flee to Christ for refuge,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 48:4

For, lo, the kings were assembled ,.... As the princes of the Philistines to seek for David, when in the strong hold of Zion, 2 Samuel 5:17 ; as the Ethiopians in the time of Asa, 2 Chronicles 14:9 ; and the Moabites and Ammonites in the times of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 20:1 ; and the kings of Syria and Israel in the times of Ahaz, Isaiah 7:1 ; and Sennacherib with his princes, who, in his esteem, were kings, in the times of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 18:17 ; which are instances of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 48:5

They saw it ,.... Either the city or the power of God, as Aben Ezra; or, as Jarchi, God himself going forth to fight against the nations. This refers to the power Christ will take to himself, and show forth, by reigning in his church, and protecting it, which will not only be visible to the saints, but to the nations of the world; and to the brightness of Christ's coming in his spiritual reign, with the lustre of which antichrist will be destroyed, Revelation 11:17 ; and to the glorious... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 48:6

Fear took hold upon them there ,.... That is, either when they came up to the city, and passed by it, and saw what they did; or, as Kimchi observes, in the place where they thought to have made a great slaughter; that is, in Armageddon, Revelation 16:16 ; so upon the slaughter of the seven thousand names of men, or men of name and renown, such as the kings here assembled, the remnant will be frightened, Revelation 11:13 ; and pain, as of a woman in travail ; this figure is made use... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 48:7

Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with east wind. This is either another simile, expressing the greatness of the dread and fear that shall now seize the kings of the earth; which will be, as Kimchi observes, as if they were smitten with a strong east wind, which breaks the ships of Tarshish; and to the same purpose is the note of Aben Ezra; who says, the psalmist compares the pain that shall take hold upon them to an east wind in the sea, which breaks the ships; for by Tarshish is meant,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 48:8

As we have heard, so have we seen ,.... These are the words of the people of God making their observations on the above things; and so Aben Ezra and Kimchi understand them of the people of Israel; and the former, referring them to the war of Gog and Magog, paraphrases them thus: "the Israelites shall say in that day, as we have heard the prophets, who prophesied of the fall of Gog and Magog, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts.' The words may be understood, either of facts... read more

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