Psalms 48:5
They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
Main message
Psalm 48:5: When the gathered kings saw the city they were astonished, panicked, and fled; their collapse dramatizes the limits of hostile power rather than ethnic or national superiority.
Meaning in context
Psalm 48:4–8 · Kings flee; God establishes the city — Psalm 48 praises God in Zion, narrates the collapse of hostile royal confidence, meditates on steadfast love and righteousness, and turns the city’s remembered security into testimony for the next generation.
When the gathered kings saw the city they were astonished, panicked, and fled; their collapse dramatizes the limits of hostile power rather than ethnic or national superiority.
Further teachings
Kings flee; God establishes the city
When the gathered kings saw the city they were astonished, panicked, and fled; their collapse dramatizes the limits of hostile power rather than ethnic or national superiority.
Cross References: Psalm 48:5 — Psalm 48:4–8.
Applications in daily life
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Psalm 48:5
When the gathered kings saw the city they were astonished, panicked, and fled; their collapse dramatizes the limits of hostile power rather than ethnic or national superiority.
Psalm 48’s Zion, kings, siege, and city imagery belongs first to its ancient poetic setting. It does not authorize modern territorial conquest, nationalism, ethnic supremacy, religious violence, or claims that a city or nation is immune from suffering. Verse 14 also has a genuine textual/translation difficulty at its close, so the commentary notes the ambiguity rather than making a doctrine depend on one rendering.
Related Bible passages and resources
- Psalm 48
Psalm 48, a song and psalm of the sons of Korah, celebrates God’s greatness in Zion. Hostile kings flee, worshipers meditate on steadfast love and righteousness, and the community is told to inspect the city so that God’s faithfulness can be recounted to the next generation.
- Psalm 48:6
Psalm 48 praises God in Zion, narrates the collapse of hostile royal confidence, meditates on steadfast love and righteousness, and turns the city’s remembered security into testimony for the next generation.
- Psalms
Psalm 48 praises God in Zion, narrates the collapse of hostile royal confidence, meditates on steadfast love and righteousness, and turns the city’s remembered security into testimony for the next generation.
Common misreadings
Psalm 48’s Zion, kings, siege, and city imagery belongs first to its ancient poetic setting. It does not authorize modern territorial conquest, nationalism, ethnic supremacy, religious violence, or claims that a city or nation is immune from suffering. Verse 14 also has a genuine textual/translation difficulty at its close, so the commentary notes the ambiguity rather than making a doctrine depend on one rendering.
When the gathered kings saw the city they were astonished, panicked, and fled; their collapse dramatizes the limits of hostile power rather than ethnic or national superiority.
How to Apply Psalms 48:5
Use Psalms 48:5 as a daily declaration. Speak it over your circumstances, inserting your name where relevant. Let its promise from Psalms anchor your perspective as you navigate decisions related to from Scripture, and share it with one person who might need it today.
Sources & Method
Biblical text
Psalm 48 commentary anchored in the public-domain text used by the site (en).
- Author:
- The Lord Will Editorial Team
- Reviewed by:
- Ugo Candido
- Last updated:
- Reviewed on: