Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 48:4

"For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, They passed by together." — Psalms 48:4 (ASV)

The kings. — With the striking picture of the advance and sudden collapse of a hostile expedition that follows, compare Isaiah 10:28-34; possibly of the very same event.

The kings. — They were evidently known to the writer, but, alas! a matter of merest conjecture to us. Some suppose these were the kings of Ammon, Moab, and Edom, who attacked Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:25); others suggest they were the tributary princes of Sennacherib.

In his annals, as recently deciphered, this monarch speaks of setting up tributary kings or viceroys in Chaldea, Phoenicia, and Philistia after conquering these countries. (See Assyrian Discoveries, by George Smith, p. 303.)

Still others, referring the psalm to the time of Ahaz, understand them to be Pekah and Rezin (2 Kings 15:37). The touches of the picture, vivid as they are, are not historically defined enough to allow a definitive settlement of the question.

Assembled. — Used for the muster of confederate forces (Joshua 11:5).

Passed by —that is, marched by. So, according to the time reading, the Septuagint. A frequent military term (Judges 11:29; 2 Kings 8:21; Isaiah 8:8). Others suggest “passed away,” but it is doubtful if the verb can have this meaning.

Together. — Notice the parallelism: they came together, they passed by together.