Psalms 48:1

Psalms 48:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
• New International Version (NIV)Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain.

Context of Psalms 48:1

The Lord is great. He deserves that people praise him in the city of our God, on his holy mountain. 2That place is high up and it is beautiful. It brings joy to the whole world. Mount Zion is the city of the great King. It is where the true God lives. 3God is there in its strong places and he keeps the city safe.

Psalms 48:1 word by word

גָּ֘ד֤וֹל יְהוָ֣ה וּמְהֻלָּ֣ל מְאֹ֑ד בְּעִ֥יר אֱ֝לֹהֵ֗ינוּ הַר־קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and greatlyמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• to be praisedהָלַלhâlal · to boast: praiseH1984
• in the cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• of our Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• the mountainהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• of his holinessקֹ֫דֶשׁqôdesh · holinessH6944

Cross-references for Psalms 48:1

• Psalms 46:1God is a strong place for us, where he will keep us safe. He will always help us when troubles come.
• Psalms 86:10For you are great and you do great things. You alone are God.
• Psalms 99:3So they should all praise your great name. It is a name that brings fear! The Lord is holy!
• Psalms 145:3Clearly the Lord is great! He is so great that we cannot understand it.
• Psalms 147:5Our Lord is great and very powerful. He understands everything!
• Psalms 89:1I will always sing about the Lord's faithful love. I will tell my children and my grandchildren that you are always faithful.
• Nehemiah 9:5Then the Levites (Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah) said, ‘Stand up and praise the Lord your God. He lives always and for ever.’ They said, ‘Your name is great and wonderful. We praise you more than words could ever say.
• Revelation 15:3Now they sang the song of God's servant, Moses, and the Lamb's song. They sang this: ‘Lord God with all power, what you do is great and wonderful! Everything that you do is completely fair and honest. You are King of all nations of the world.
• Revelation 19:5Then a voice spoke from the throne. It said, ‘All of you who are God's servants, praise our God! All of you who respect God's power, worship him! Important people and ordinary people should worship him!’
• Psalms 46:4There is a river that runs into the city of God, and it brings God's blessing to the people there. That is the holy place where the Most High God lives.
• Psalms 65:1God, it is right for us to praise you in Zion. There, we will offer to you the gifts that we have promised.
• Psalms 78:68Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah. He chose Mount Zion, the place which he loves.
• Psalms 87:3People say great things about you! You are God's own city! Selah.
• Hebrews 12:22But as believers in Christ, you have not come to God in that way. You have come to Mount Zion. You have come to the city of the true God who lives. You have come to the city of Jerusalem that is in heaven. There are many thousands of happy angels all together in that place.
• Revelation 21:2I saw God's own holy city, called the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. It was very beautiful, like a bride who is wearing beautiful clothes, ready to meet her husband.
• Psalms 47:8God rules over the nations. God is sitting on his holy throne.

Commentaries on Psalms 48:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Great is the Lord - This verse should be joined to the last verse of the preceding Psalm, as it is a continuation of the same subject; and indeed in some of Kennicott's MSS. it is written as a part of the foregoing. That concluded with He is greatly exalted; this begins with Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; i.e., He should be praised according to his greatness; no common praise is suited to the nature and dignity of the Supreme God. In the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Great is the Lord - That is, he is high and exalted; he is a Being of great power and glory. He is not weak and feeble, like the idols worshipped by other nations. He is able to defend his people; he has shown his great power in overthrowing the mighty forces that were gathered together against the city where he dwells. And greatly to be praised - Worthy to be praised. In his own nature, he is worthy of adoration; in interposing to save the city from its…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The glories of the church of Christ. Verses 1-7 Jerusalem is the city of our God: none on earth render him due honour except the citizens of the spiritual Jerusalem. Happy the kingdom, the city, the family, the heart, in which God is great, in which he is all. There God is known. The clearer discoveries are made to us of the Lord and his greatness, the more it is expected that we should abound in his praises. The earth is, by sin, covered with deformity…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-14This song of Zion (see also Psalms 46, 76, 87, 122) clearly describes Jerusalem (Zion) as the city of the Great King, where the godly find protection (48:1–3). God rules from Zion with faithfulness, righteousness, and justice, inspiring his people with confidence and joy (Psalm 48:9–11). They dedicate themselves to witnessing Zion's glory so they can share it with the next generation (Psalm 48:8, 12–14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-141. to be praised--always: it is an epithet, as in Psa 18:3. mountain of his holiness--His Church (compare Is 2:2, 3; 25:6, 7, 10); the sanctuary was erected first on Mount Zion, then (as the temple) on Moriah; hence the figure.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 48:1

• Church
• God Continued...
• Praise

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Guide
• Hasted
• Psalms
• Bible, the
• Great; Greatness
• Korahites; Sons of Korah
• Pentateuch
• Psalms, Book of

Commentaries on Psalms 48

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings