Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 48:2

"Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, The city of the great King." — Psalms 48:2 (ASV)

Situation.—Hebrew, nôph. A word only found here, but explained from a cognate Arabic word to mean elevation. And this feature is quite distinctive enough of Jerusalem to lend confirmation to this explanation—“Its elevation is remarkable.” (See Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 170.)

On the other hand, an adverbial use—highly beautiful or supremely beautiful (Compare to Lamentations 2:15, The perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth)—may be all that the poet intends.

Sides of the north.—A common phrase, generally taken to mean the quarter or region of the north (Ezekiel 38:15; Ezekiel 39:2; Isaiah 14:13), but which, from the various uses of the two words that make it up, might mean northern recesses or secret recesses, depending on whether we adopt the derived or the original meaning of tsâphôn.

With the former of the two meanings, we should see a reference to the relative position of the Temple and its precincts to the rest of the city. For the identification of the ancient Zion (not to be confused with the modern Zion) with the hill on which the Temple stood, see Smith’s Bib. Dict., article “Jerusalem.” (Compare to Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 171.)

If, on the other hand, we choose to translate it as secret, or hidden, or secure recesses, we have a figure that renders the security and peace to be found in God’s holy city quite intelligible:

Beautiful for elevation,
The whole earth’s joy;
Mount Zion, a secure recess,
City of the great King.

And the thought is taken up in the word refuge in the next verse. (Compare to Ezekiel 7:22, where the Temple is actually called Jehovah’s secret place.)