Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
Parallel translations
- WEB Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the north sides, the city of the great King.
- BSB Beautiful in loftiness, the joy of all the earth, like the peaks of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the great King.
- NKJV Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.
- NASB Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King.
- NLT It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Mount Zion is beautiful and the joy of the whole earth, the city of the great King. It matters because God's dwelling place is the source of true joy for all peoples.
Overview
Zion is praised for its beauty and as the joy of all the earth, the city of God the great King. Its splendor lies in being the place of God's presence and rule. This anticipates the new Jerusalem and the reign of Christ, the great King, whose city brings joy to all the redeemed from every nation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Ps 50:2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
- Matt 5:35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
- Lam 2:15All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?
- Heb 12:22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
- Ezek 20:6In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:
- Isa 14:13For thou hast said in thine heart, 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:
- Dan 11:16But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
- Isa 66:10Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
- Ps 47:7–8For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
- Mal 1:14But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the LORD a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.
- Dan 8:9And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
- Isa 60:15–20Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
- Mal 3:12And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
- Jer 3:19But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 48:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.