Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 46:8

"Come, behold the works of Jehovah, What desolations he hath made in the earth." — Psalms 46:8 (ASV)

Come, behold the works of the Lord - Go forth and see what the Lord has done. See, in what his hand has accomplished, how secure we are if we put our trust in him.

What desolations he hath made in the earth - Or, in the land. The word “desolations” might refer to any “ruin” or “overthrow,” which he had brought upon the land of Israel, or on the nations abroad—the destruction of cities, towns, or armies, as proof of his power, and of his ability to save those who put their trust in him. But if this is supposed to refer to the invasion of the land of Israel by Sennacherib, it may point to what occurred to his armies when the angel of the Lord went forth and smote them in their camp (Isaiah 37:36), and to the consequent deliverance of Jerusalem from danger.

Without impropriety, perhaps, this may be regarded as an appeal to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go forth and see for themselves how complete the deliverance was; how utter the ruin of their foes; how abundant the proof that God was able to protect his people in times of danger. It adds great beauty to this psalm to suppose that it was composed on that occasion, or in view of that invasion, for every part of the psalm may receive a beautiful and ample illustration from what occurred at that memorable period. Nothing could furnish a clearer proof of the power of God to save, and of the propriety of putting confidence in him in times of national danger, than a survey of the camp of the Assyrians, where a hundred and eighty-five thousand men had been smitten down in one night by the angel of God.

Compare 2 Kings 19:35; 2 Chronicles 32:21; Isaiah 37:36.