48:1 Ancient peoples connected the glory of a god with the place where he dwelt. That association is clear in this psalm. The holy mountain where His ark resided reflected God's greatness. This verse summarizes the theme of the psalm, namely that God is worthy of great praise.
48:2-3 The lofty beauty of Jerusalem, situated on Mt. Zion, gave all people reason to rejoice. The writer compared its beauty to that of Mt. Zaphon far to the north of Jerusalem.106Yet what made Jerusalem truly great was the presence of the Lord in it.
"Zaphon, located north of Israel, was the sacred mountain of the Canaanites from which their high god El supposedly ruled. However, Zion was the real Zaphon,' for it was here that the Lord God of Israel, the Great King' of the universe, lived and ruled (48:2)."107
The city was strong and safe because Yahweh abode there.
