Psalms 48:14

For this God [is] our God for ever and ever,.... Who is spoken of throughout the whole psalm as greatly to be praised, as well as is known in Zion, as the stability, security, and protection of her.

For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. For this God - who hath performed such a deliverance for us.

This God; who hath done this great work. Even unto death, i.e. whilst we have a being. Birth and life, and the several ages of life and death, are oft ascribed to churches and commonwealths, both in Scripture and in other authors. This promise was made to the old and earthly Jerusalem, upon condition of their obedience, wherein they failing so grossly, lost the benefit of it, but it is absolutely made good to the new and heavenly Jerusalem, the church of Christ.

Psalms 48:14 For this God [is] our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide [even] unto death.Ver. 14. For this God is our God] To draw them up to this consideration it was, that the prophet so calls upon people to view Zion, &c., and to take notice that she might well have written upon her gates (as that city Hippocrates writeth of had) Intacta manet, the daughter of Zion is a maid still, through the prowess of her champion. Even unto death] And after too; for this is not to be taken exclusive. He will never leave us, nor forsake us.

(14) Unto death.—The words (‘al mûth) are proved by the ancient versions and various readings to be really a musical direction, either placed at the end instead of the beginning, as in Habakkuk 3:19, or shifted back from the title of the next psalm. See Psalms 9 title, ‘alamôth.

Verse 14. For this God] Who did all these wonderful things, - Is our God] He is our portion, and he has taken us for his people. He will be our guide] Through all the snares and difficulties of life, - Even unto death] He will never leave us; and we, by his grace, will never abandon him. He is just such a God as we need; infinite in mercy, goodness, and truth. He is our Father, and we are the sons and daughters of God Almighty. Even unto and in death, he will be our portion. ANALYSIS OF THE FORTY-EIGHTH PSALM Under the type of Jerusalem is set down the happiness of the Church, which is always protected by the Divine favour. There are three parts in this Psalm: - I. The excellences and privileges of the city of God, Psalms 48:1-3. II. A narration of a miraculous deliverance she obtained, and the terror that fell upon her enemies, Psalms 48:4-8. III. An exhortation to consider it, and to praise God, Psalms 48:9-14. I. The psalmist begins with a maxim: "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised." Great in himself; and greatly to be praised for all things, in all places; but especially in the city of our God, in the mountain of holiness. Then he descends to set forth the excellences and ornaments of the Church. 1. It is "the city of God," built and governed by him, and in it he resides. 2. "It is a holy mountain:" The religion in it is holy; the people, a holy people. 3. "It is beautiful for situation:" God has put his beauty upon it. 4. "The joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion:" The joy and ornament of all the land of Judea then, and afterwards of the whole world, because the law was to come out of Zion. 5. "It is the city of the great King," i.e., God. He founded, and rules in it. 6. "God is known in her palaces:" In her is the knowledge of God; yea, and by an experimental knowledge, he is found to be an asylum, a sure refuge. II. And it is well that it is so; for Jerusalem, i.e., the Church, has many and great enemies, which (Psalms 48:5) the prophet begins to describe; and desires that notice may be taken of them, for he points them out with "Lo! or Behold!" 1. They are many and powerful. They were "kings," a plurality of them. 2. Confederate kings: "The kings were assembled." United power is the more effectual. But all the endeavours of those kings, those confederate kings, came to nothing. 1. "They passed by together:" together they came, together they vanished. 2. "They saw - they marvelled:" They saw the strength of this city, and wondered how it could be so strangely delivered out of their hands. 3. On this they were troubled, they trembled, and hasted away. Fear took hold upon them; which the prophet illustrates by a double similitude: 1.

14. For this God &c.] For such is God [Jehovah] our God for ever and ever. Jehovah is a God who has proved Himself the defender of His city and people, and will continue to be the same for ever. he will be our guide even unto death] Beautiful as is the thought, He (emphatic—He and no other) will be our guide unto death (or, in death, or, over death), it cannot be legitimately extracted from the present text, nor would such an expression of personal faith form a natural conclusion to this wholly national Psalm. Possibly the words ‘al mϋth (rendered unto death) should be read as one, with different vowels, ‘τlβmτth, ‘for ever.’ So the LXX and Symmachus. Possibly the words are the remains of a musical direction like that of Psalms 9, ‘al muth labbηn, meaning ‘set to the tune of mϋth,’ or that of Psalms 46, ‘set to ‘Alβmτth,’ which has been placed at the end of the Ps. (as in Habakkuk 3:19) instead of at the beginning, as is the rule in the Psalter, or which has been accidentally transferred from the beginning of Psalms 49. In this case the clause he will guide us seems incomplete, (though he will save us in Isaiah 33:22 offers an exact parallel), and we must either with Delitzsch suppose that the concluding words are lost; or, with Bickell, Cheyne, and others, transpose words from the first line to the second, and read For (or, That) such is God [Jehovah] our God: He will guide us for ever and ever. Cp. Isaiah 25:9.

For this God is our God forever and ever - The God who has thus made his abode in the city, and who has manifested himself as its prorector.

14. For this God is our God—Glorious confession! to which the astonished people are led by their inspection and circuit of the city walls. For ever and ever—Two of the strongest Hebrew words for endless duration.