John Calvin Commentary Psalms 48:4

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

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.