Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Psalm 48 Bible study: The city of the great King
Number its towers (Psalm 48:12) and tell the next generation (Psalm 48:13) are one Hebrew verb: count it, then recount it. The kings "saw" and hurried away (Psalm 48:5), and the psalm's "we" have "seen" with the same verb (Psalm 48:8). And "the city of the great King" (Psalm 48:2) comes again, word for word in the WEB, on Jesus' lips (Matthew 5:35).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even to death.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In Psalm 48, the kings who saw the city hurried away.”
Is that in Psalm 48, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Kings come to the great King's city
The title reads, "A Song. A Psalm by the sons of Korah" (48:1). Then the psalm opens with God before it opens with the city: "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain" (48:1) (tap Great). Then the mountain: "Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the north sides, the city of the great King" (48:2) (tap elevation, joy, King). Then what the city holds: "God has shown himself in her citadels as a refuge" (48:3) (tap citadels, refuge). The verse doesn't call the citadels the refuge; it says God has shown himself in them as a refuge. Then other kings arrive: "For, behold, the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together" (48:4). In Hebrew King in 48:2 and kings in 48:4 are one word, melekh (tap King). Kings, plural, come to a city the psalm has already called the great King's.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 48
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 48 is waiting in Favor
- They saw; we have seen
- Count it, then tell it
- "The city of the great King", in Jesus' words
- Trembling, in the song at the sea
- Telling the generation to come
- 7 questions as you read
- 12 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 48 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
מֶלֶךְmelekhsay MEH-lekh
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "king". Strong's: "a king". Mount Zion is "the city of the great King" (48:2), and two verses later "the kings assembled themselves, they passed by together" (48:4): in Hebrew one word for both. Great in 48:2 is rav, which Brown-Driver-Briggs gives as "much, many, great". Psalm 47 calls the LORD "a great King over all the earth" (Psalm 47:2) with another word for great, gadol (tap Great). Jesus spoke of Jerusalem as "the city of the great King" (Matthew 5:35); Matthew doesn't name the psalm.
For your group
Psalm 48 Bible study questions
- 1"As we have heard, so we have seen" (48:8). Is there something about God you first heard from others and later saw for yourself?
- 2"We have thought about your loving kindness, God, in the middle of your temple" (48:9). Where, or when, do you find it easiest to stop and think about God's kindness?
- 3"That you may tell it to the next generation" (48:13). Who told you about God, and who in the generation after you might hear it from you?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 48 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Psalm 48 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 48 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Psalm 48
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home