Psalms 48:12

GOD'S GLORY TO BE MADE KNOWN TO POSTERITY

"Walk about Zion, and go round about her;

Number the towers thereof;

Mark ye well her bulwarks;

Consider her palaces:

That ye may tell it to the generation following.

For this God is our God forever and ever:

He will be our guide even unto death."

"Number the towers ... mark her bulwarks" (Psalms 48:12-13). The pride of the psalmist in the strength of Jerusalem was fully justified. When Vespasian and Titus finally destroyed the city, Titus stated that "Only God had enabled him to conquer it." In fact it was the moral collapse of the city within itself that activated their final overthrow.

"He will be our guide even unto death" (Psalms 48:14). The RSV is superior here, rendering the last words as, "He will be our guide for ever." Of course the passage is disputed; and there are charges that the "text is damaged here,"[16] that "the words should be omitted,"[17] or that "the true ending has been lost."[18] However, we believe that the correct rendition of this place is that in the LXX, which has, "For this is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide forevermore."[19]

Our preference for the Septuagint (LXX) here is founded upon the evident fact that the New Testament here sheds light upon the Old Testament. The Old Israel is a type of the New; and when Christ said to the New Israel, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, Amen!" he gave us the true meaning of this place. It is not that God will be with his people only until they die, but eternally, even unto the end of the world.

Leupold rendered this disputed phrase, "in spite of death," declaring that this meaning, "deserves to be retained."[20] Dummelow rendered the passage: "For such is Jehovah our God; He it is that shall guide us forever and ever."[21]

Ash stated that, "Many manuscripts support the emendation that gives us `forever' in the RSV."[22] The RSV is indeed superior to some other versions; but there is even a better one, namely, the LXX. This is proved by McCaw's statement below.

McCaw stated that, "Our guide `forever' (as in ASV) arises from one emendation in the Hebrew text; but a much lesser change gives us `unto, against, or beyond death' and that is preferable even to the RSV."[23] This, of course, also supports the LXX rendition.