Zion is the other name for Jerusalem, the Holy City. God favored it and protected it on several occasions. Let the faithful rejoice: God watches over it!
① 1* 2Great is the Lord,
most worthy of praise in the city of God,
his holy mountain.
3Beautifully elevated, it is the joy of all the earth
– Mount Zion, heavenly mountain,
the city of the great King.
4Here within her lines of defense,
God has shown himself to be a sure fortress.
5The kings assembled together,
advanced toward the city.
6But as soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they panicked and took to flight.
7Seized with fear, they trembled,
like a woman in travail,
8or like the ships of Tarshish,
shattered by a strong wind from the east.
9As we have heard, so have we seen,
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
the city God founded forever.
10Let us recall your unfailing love,
O God, inside your temple.
11Let your praise as does your name, O God,
reach to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is ever victorious.
12Let Mount Zion rejoice,
let the villages of Judah be glad,
for your justice prevails.
13Walk around Zion, count her towers,
14consider her ramparts, examine her castles,
that you may tell the next generation 15that such is God;
God is our guide forever.
- This psalm, like Psalm 46, mentions the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem. The holy mountain, the text reads: Mount Zion in the far north - ancient traditions considered the mountains of the north as the residence of the gods. Walk around Zion: this refers, perhaps, to the very ancient religious practice of walking around a sanctuary and touching the wall.
