Read Psalm 48 at Bible Gateway.
These are the Hebrew paragraph divisions:
1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.
2 Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, {n}
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.
3 God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.
4 For behold, the kings assembled, They passed by together.
5 They saw it, and so they marveled; They were troubled, they hastened away.
6 Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,
7 As when You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.
8a As we have heard, So we have seen {n}
8b In the city of the Lord of hosts, In the city of our God: {n}
8c God will establish it forever. Selah
9 We have thought, O God, on Your lovingkindness, In the midst of Your temple.
10a According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; {n}
10b Your right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Let Mount Zion rejoice, Let the daughters of Judah be glad, Because of Your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers;
13 Mark well her bulwarks; Consider her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following.
14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us eternally. {p}
And the Psa 48 chiastic structure:
1a) Psa 48:1a, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
1b) Psa 48:1b-8, The excellence of Mount Zion, the city of God:
1a) Psa 48:1b-2, Mount Zion, the city of God:
1a) Psa 48:1b, In the city of our God;
1b) Psa 48:1c, In His holy mountain;
central axis) Psa 48:2a, Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth; {n}
2b) Psa 48:2b, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north;
2a) Psa 48:2c, The city of the great King;
1b) Psa 49:3, God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge;
central axis) Psa 48:4-7, The assembled kings saw + marveled + troubled by God’s protection of Zion;
2b) Psa 48:8a, As we have heard [He is her refuge], so we have seen; {n}
2a) Psa 48:8b, In the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: {n} God will establish it forever; Selah
1c) Psa 48:9a, Your lovingkindness;
central axis) Psa 48:10a, According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; {n}
2c) Psa 48:10b, Your righteousness;
2b) Psa 48:11-13, Let Mount Zion rejoice in Your judgments/ Consider her excellence to tell the next generation;
2a) Psa 48:14, For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us eternally. {p}
Leave a Reply