John Calvin Commentary Psalms 48

Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised. Before mentioning that special example of God's favor towards them, to which I have referred, the prophet teaches in general that the city of Jerusalem was happy and prosperous because God had graciously taken upon Himself the responsibility of defending and preserving it.

In this way, he separates and distinguishes the Church of God from all the rest of the world. When God selects from among the whole human race a small number whom He embraces with His fatherly love, this is an invaluable blessing that He bestows on them. His wonderful goodness and righteousness shine forth in the government of the whole world, so that no part of it is lacking His praise; indeed, we are everywhere provided with abundant reasons to praise Him.

Here, however, the inspired poet celebrates the glory of God, which is manifested in the protection of the Church. He states that Jehovah is great, and greatly to be praised in the holy city. But is He not so also in the whole world? Undoubtedly, He is. As I have said, there is no corner so hidden that His wisdom, righteousness, and goodness do not penetrate. However, since it is His will that these attributes should be manifested chiefly and in a particular manner in His Church, the prophet very properly sets before our eyes this mirror, in which God gives a clearer and more vivid representation of His character.

By calling Jerusalem the holy mountain, he teaches us, in one word, by what right and through what means it uniquely became the city of God. It was so because the ark of the covenant had been placed there by divine appointment. The meaning of the expression is this: If Jerusalem is, so to speak, a beautiful and magnificent theater on which God desires the greatness of His majesty to be seen, this is not due to any merits of its own. Rather, it is because the ark of the covenant was established there by God’s command as a token or symbol of His special favor.

Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion. For the confirmation of the statement made in the preceding sentence, the prophet celebrates the excellencies for which Mount Zion was at that time renowned; and in them was to be seen the glory of God, of which I have just spoken.

The beauty of its situation, which he mentions first, was indeed natural; but through it, he helps us understand that from the very beginning, the agreeable appearance of the city had engraved upon it marks of God’s favor. Thus, its appearance alone showed that God had in a special way adorned and enriched that place, with the intention that it would, at some future period, be consecrated to sacred purposes.

I do not, however, think that the situation is called beautiful and pleasant merely because it was unequalled in the country of Judea; for there were other cities, as is well known, which were in no way inferior to Jerusalem, regarding fertility, pleasantness of situation, or other advantages.

In my opinion, along with the city’s situation, the Psalmist includes the glory it derived from another source—namely, the fact that the temple of God was built there. Therefore, when we hear the beauty of the city celebrated here, let us remember that spiritual beauty which was added to the natural beauty of the place, after the prophecy was declared that the ark would remain there forever.

Regarding the word נופ, noph, which I have translated as situation, commentators do not agree. Some understand it as meaning height or elevation, as if it were said that Jerusalem was situated on high, elevated ground. Others render it as climate because the Jews metaphorically call climates branches, due to the extent to which they are spread out.

In a matter like this, which is not very important, I am not inclined to be overly critical. I have simply selected the translation that seemed most probable to me: namely, that the country in its appearance was pre-eminently pleasant and delightful. When the Psalmist speaks of Mount Zion being on the sides of the north, it is doubtful whether he states this as a commendation of Mount Zion, meaning that it lay toward or faced the north, or whether we should explain the sentence this way: Although Mount Zion faces the north, that does not in any way diminish its beauty.

However, the former interpretation seems to me to offer the more natural meaning. We find the prophet Isaiah, also intending to touch upon the excellence of this mountain, applying to it the very expression used here. In Isaiah 14:13, he represents Sennacherib as speaking as follows: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.

Next, the Psalmist calls Mount Zion the joy of the whole earth. He describes it this way not only because, as the Jews foolishly talk, that country was healthy due to the mildness of the climate, or because it produced sweet and excellent fruits that might gratify and yield delight to foreign nations (for this too is a cold and unsatisfactory speculation), but because from there salvation was to come forth to the whole world, just as all nations have borrowed from there the light of life and the testimony of heavenly grace.

If the joy that people experience and cherish is without God, the outcome of their joy will eventually be destruction, and their laughter will be turned into gnashing of teeth. But Christ appeared with His Gospel out of Zion to fill the world with true joy and everlasting felicity.

It is true that in the prophet’s time, the knowledge of the Gospel had not yet reached foreign nations; but he uses this manner of expression very appropriately to teach the Jews that true blessedness was to be sought only from the gracious covenant of God, which was deposited in that holy place.

At the same time, he also foretold what was eventually fulfilled in the last days by the coming of Christ. From this we may learn that God’s favor alone is abundantly sufficient to cause the hearts of the godly to rejoice; conversely, when it is withdrawn, all people must inevitably be thrown into a state of wretchedness and sorrow.

What is added immediately after, concerning the city of the great King, is intended to show that Mount Zion was not only holy itself, but also that this high prerogative had been conferred upon it to make the whole city sacred—the city where God had chosen His seat, so that He might rule over all people.

God in her palaces is known for a defense (Psalms 48:3). Here the sacred poet again presents, for the purpose of showing the dignity of the city of Jerusalem, the protection which God provided for it, as we have seen in Psalm 46:5:

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.

He expressly mentions palaces for the sake of contrast—to teach the Jews that although the holy city was fortified by strong towers and had within it magnificent houses and those resembling fortresses, yet its continued safety was due to the power and aid of God alone.

By these words, the people of God are taught that, although they dwell in strongholds and palaces, they must nevertheless be carefully on guard so that this magnificence or loftiness does not hide or conceal from their sight the power of God. They are also taught not to be like worldly people who, resting satisfied with riches and earthly means of help, place no value whatever on having God as their guardian and protector.

Worldly wealth, due to our natural perverseness, tends to dazzle our eyes and make us forget God. Therefore, we should meditate with special attention on this doctrine:

Whatever we possess that seems worthy of being valued must not be allowed to obscure the knowledge of the power and grace of God. On the contrary, the glory of God should always clearly shine forth in all the gifts with which he is pleased to bless and adorn us, so that we may consider ourselves rich and happy in him, and nowhere else.

For, behold! the kings assembled. Here, that special deliverance of which I have spoken is touched upon. The prophet relates how, when the kings were assembled together to destroy Jerusalem, their efforts passed away without producing any effect, just as clouds in the atmosphere vanish. Indeed, he tells us that by a simple look at the city, they were defeated and undone—and not in an ordinary manner, but like a woman who, when the hour of childbirth has come upon her, suddenly finds herself afflicted with pain and sorrow.

We cannot affirm with certainty what particular part of Jewish history the prophet here speaks of, but the statements made suit very well both the time of Ahaz and that of Hezekiah or Asa.

It was indeed a wonderful work of God when two very powerful kings—the king of Syria and the king of Israel, accompanied by an immense army—had struck the city with such terror that the king and his people were brought to the brink of despair, only to see this formidable host suddenly routed and disappointed of the certain expectation they entertained of making themselves masters of the city.

Hence, the prophet Isaiah 7:4 ironically calls them smoking firebrands because they were, so to speak, burning torches to kindle and consume by fire the whole country of Judea.

Nor was the destruction of Sennacherib's countless host in one night by an angel, without human intervention, a less stupendous miracle (2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36).

Similarly, when the king of Ethiopia gathered an army of a million men and came to besiege Jerusalem, the overthrow of so great a host was a memorable instance of God's power (2 Chronicles 14:9).

But whatever the occasion on which this psalm was composed, the sacred writer informs us that the Jews found from clear experience that God was the guardian and protector of the holy city when he opposed himself to the invincible power of their enemies.

He first declares that the kings assembled. By these words, he intimates that they had confederated and conspired together to destroy the Church. The expression passed away together may be explained in two ways: either as meaning that the armies, when they had gathered themselves together, were reduced to nothing, or that they undertook the expedition together and with one consent, as if marshaled in battle array.

This second sense seems to me the most suitable to the scope of the passage, for it follows immediately after in the fifth verse that they stood struck with astonishment whenever they saw the city; and yet, there would be no impropriety in understanding this verse as added by way of amplification.

But since it affects the substance of the passage very little whichever of these two interpretations is adopted, I leave the reader to choose the one he considers most appropriate.

When the Psalmist says that upon beholding the city they marvelled — were frightened — fled precipitately — and were seized with sorrow, like the pangs of a woman in travail — he heaps together as many and varied expressions as possible to set forth the greatness of the miracle which God had wrought in the overthrow of such a vast and formidable host.

The language should be understood thus: As soon as they saw the city, they marvelled.

It is related of Caesar in ancient times that, when speaking of the ease with which he subdued Egypt, he used the laconic saying, “I came, I saw, I conquered”; but the prophet here states, on the contrary, that the ungodly were struck with amazement at the mere sight of the city, as if God had dazzled their eyes with the splendor of his glory.

The particle כן (ken, so,) is put, as it were, to show the thing by pointing to it with the finger. In the verse that immediately follows, the adverb שם (sham, there,) is used in the same sense. The comparison to a woman in travail is intended to express the sudden change that came upon the enemies of Israel.

It afforded a brighter and more illustrious manifestation of God's grace that they were seized with a fear they had not anticipated, suddenly lost their courage, and from the height of secure and presumptuous pride, instantly fell into such a state of terror and were so confounded that they precipitately took to flight.

From this passage we are taught that it is not uncommon if, in our day, the Church is assailed by powerful adversaries and has to sustain dreadful assaults. For it has been God’s usual way from the beginning thus to humble his own people, to give more irrefutable and striking proofs of his wonderful power.

At the same time, let us remember that a mere nod from God is sufficient to deliver us. Although our enemies may be ready to fall upon us from every side to overwhelm us, it is in his power, whenever he pleases, to strike them with amazement of spirit and thus to make their hearts fail in a moment in the very midst of their efforts against us.

Let this reflection serve as a bridle to keep our minds from being drawn away to look in all directions for human aid.

By the east wind you break in pieces the ships of Tarshish. Commentators are divided in their view of this passage. But let us rest content with the natural sense, which is simply this: that the enemies of the Church were overthrown and plunged into destruction, just as God, by suddenly raising storms, sinks the ships of Cilicia to the bottom of the sea.

The Psalmist celebrates the power that God is accustomed to display in great and violent storms; and his language implies that it is not surprising if God, who breaks by the violence of the winds the strongest ships, had also overthrown His enemies, who were inflated with the presumptuous confidence they placed in their own strength.

By the sea of Tarshish the Hebrews mean the Mediterranean Sea, because of the country of Cilicia, which in ancient times was called Tarshish, as Josephus informs us, although over time this name came to be restricted to one city of the country. But as the main part of the naval traffic of the Jews was with Cilicia, what was common to other countries that were more distant and less known is here attributed to that country by synecdoche.