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Psalm 46:4-6
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 46:4-6
New Catholic Bible
4 though its waters rage and seethe
and the mountains tremble at the upheaval.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.[a] Selah
5 There is a river[b] whose streams bring joy to the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
6 God is in her midst; she will not be overcome;
God will help her at break of dawn.[c]
Footnotes
- Psalm 46:4 The Lord of hosts is with us; / the God of Jacob is our fortress: this comforting refrain occurs three times in the psalm—here and in vv. 8, 12 (although the Hebrew lacks it in v. 4). The first part (The Lord . . . is with us) is similar in structure and meaning to the name of the royal child in Isaiah: “Immanuel”—“God is with us” (Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10). The Lord of hosts: see note on Ps 24:10.
- Psalm 46:5 River: symbol of God’s blessings; the symbolic waters (see Ps 36:9) that spring forth (see Ezek 47:1, 12; Joel 4:18; Zec 14:8) make the holy land fruitful, purify it (see Zec 13:1), and turn it into a new Eden (see Gen 2:10).
- Psalm 46:6 At break of dawn: the most favored time for attacks to be set in motion against cities but also for God’s blessings (see Pss 17:15; 49:15; 101:8; Song 2:17; Isa 17:14). The psalm here most likely alludes to the retreat of Sennacherib’s armies in 701 B.C. (see 2 Ki 19:35).
