1.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
Title. A Song. Hebrew. Shir . See App-65 .
Psalm. Hebrew. mizmor. See App-65 .
for the sons of Korah . See App-63 . The fifth of nine so ascribed; and the last of the four Psalms celebrating the deliverance of Zion and Hezekiah (44, 46-48).
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
the city: i.e. Zion, recently delivered from Sennacherib.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .
the mountain of His holiness , or of His Sanctuary. Genitive of Character.
2.
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
situation = elevation.
earth: or land.
mount Zion. Immediately south of Moriah. See App-68 .
the sides of the north: i.e. with Moriah and the Temple immediately on the north side.
The city of the great King = [is] Jerusalem as a whole. Note the three points of view: (1) the elevated mount; (2) the south side of Moriah; (3) Jerusalem proper. Compare Matthew 5:35 .
3.
God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
is known = hath made Himself known.
4.
For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.
lo. Figure of speech Asterismos.
the kings: i.e. the vassal kings of Sennacherib.
5.
They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
6.
Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
7.
Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.
wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .
8.
As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.
As we have heard. Thus linking on Psalms 44:1 .
the LORD of hosts. Compare Psalms 46:7 , Psalms 46:11 .
Selah. Connecting the demand of Psalms 46:10 , to "be still" and exalt Jehovah, with the "rest" in the thought of His lovingkindness.
9.
We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
thought = been silent (Hebrew. damah), or stood still (Psalms 46:10 ) and rested in thought. midst. Same word as in Psalms 46:5 .
10.
According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
name. See note on Psalms 20:1 .
11.
Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.
daughters = cities. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), for cities (compare Numbers 21:25 .Joshua 17:11 , Joshua 17:16 ). These cities of Judah had cause for rejoicing, for they were now free from Sennacherib, who had captured them (Isaiah 36:1 ). See Sennacherib's cylinder. App-67 .
judgments: on the Assyrian host.
12.
Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.
Walk about. They were now free to do this.
towers. Many discovered on the east side of Ophel in recent excavations.
13.
Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.
bulwarks = outer walls or ramparts.
Consider = single out. Occurs only here.
14.
For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.
this God: or, such a God.
even unto death = for evermore, according to some codices, five early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, and Vulgate The Massorites divided the one word ( 'almuth ) into two ( 'al moth) , making it = "over death". But the correspondence is with the preceding line, and with Psalms 48:8 , as shown in the Structure.
To the chief Musician. Though written (probably by Hezekiah, Isaiah 38:20 ) for this special occasion, it was handed over for public use in the Temple worship. couplets in one being answered by quatrains in the other. If written by Hezekiah after his recovery the date would be about 602 B.C.