Discovery BoxPsalms 48:1-3
ContextA song, a psalm by the Korahites.
48:1 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise
in the city of our God, 2 his holy hill.
48:2 It is lofty and pleasing to look at, 3
a source of joy to the whole earth. 4
Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon; 5
it is the city of the great king.
48:3 God is in its fortresses;
he reveals himself as its defender. 6
Psalms 74:2-4
Context74:2 Remember your people 7 whom you acquired in ancient times,
whom you rescued 8 so they could be your very own nation, 9
as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!
74:3 Hurry and look 10 at the permanent ruins,
and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple! 11
74:4 Your enemies roar 12 in the middle of your sanctuary; 13
they set up their battle flags. 14
Psalms 125:1-2
ContextA song of ascents. 16
125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion;
it cannot be upended and will endure forever.
125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, 17
so the Lord surrounds his people,
now and forevermore.
Hebrews 13:13
Context13:13 We must go out to him, then, outside the camp, bearing the abuse he experienced. 18
[48:1] 1 sn Psalm 48. This so-called “Song of Zion” celebrates the greatness and glory of the Lord’s dwelling place, Jerusalem. His presence in the city elevates it above all others and assures its security.
[48:1] 2 sn The city of our God is Jerusalem, which is also referred to here as “his holy hill,” that is, Zion (see v. 2, as well as Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; 87:1; Dan 9:16).
[48:2] 3 tn Heb “beautiful of height.” The Hebrew term נוֹף (nof, “height”) is a genitive of specification after the qualitative noun “beautiful.” The idea seems to be that Mount Zion, because of its lofty appearance, is pleasing to the sight.
[48:2] 4 sn A source of joy to the whole earth. The language is hyperbolic. Zion, as the dwelling place of the universal king, is pictured as the world’s capital. The prophets anticipated this idealized picture becoming a reality in the eschaton (see Isa 2:1-4).
[48:2] 5 tn Heb “Mount Zion, the peaks of Zaphon.” Like all the preceding phrases in v. 2, both phrases are appositional to “city of our God, his holy hill” in v. 1, suggesting an identification in the poet’s mind between Mount Zion and Zaphon. “Zaphon” usually refers to the “north” in a general sense (see Pss 89:12; 107:3), but here, where it is collocated with “peaks,” it refers specifically to Mount Zaphon, located in the vicinity of ancient Ugarit and viewed as the mountain where the gods assembled (see Isa 14:13). By alluding to West Semitic mythology in this way, the psalm affirms that Mount Zion is the real divine mountain, for it is here that the
[48:3] 6 tn Heb “he is known for an elevated place.”
[74:2] 7 tn Heb “your assembly,” which pictures God’s people as an assembled community.
[74:2] 8 tn Heb “redeemed.” The verb “redeem” casts God in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Ps 19:14).
[74:2] 9 tn Heb “the tribe of your inheritance” (see Jer 10:16; 51:19).
[74:3] 10 tn Heb “lift up your steps to,” which may mean “run, hurry.”
[74:3] 11 tn Heb “everything [the] enemy has damaged in the holy place.”
[74:4] 12 tn This verb is often used of a lion’s roar, so the psalmist may be comparing the enemy to a raging, devouring lion.
[74:4] 13 tn Heb “your meeting place.”
[74:4] 14 tn Heb “they set up their banners [as] banners.” The Hebrew noun אוֹת (’ot, “sign”) here refers to the enemy army’s battle flags and banners (see Num 2:12).
[125:1] 15 sn Psalm 125. The psalmist affirms his confidence in the Lord’s protection and justice.
[125:1] 16 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[125:2] 17 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
