Psalm 48 praises God and his holy city: “Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.” In the Temple the people reflect on God’s love: “We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple,” words the Church sings on the feast of the Presentation, when Simeon received the Christ Child in the Temple. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 47. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 48 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
A psalm of a canticle, for the sons of Core, on the second day of the week.
Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.
With the joy of the whole earth is mount Sion founded, on the sides of the north, the city of the great king.
In her houses shall God be known, when he shall protect her.
For behold the kings of the earth assembled themselves: they gathered together.
So they saw, and they wondered, they were troubled, they were moved:
Trembling took hold of them. There were pains as of a woman in labour.
With a vehement wind thou shalt break in pieces the ships of Tharsis.
As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God: God hath founded it for ever.
We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
According to thy name, O God, so also is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of justice.
Let mount Sion rejoice, and the daughters of Juda be glad; because of thy judgments, O Lord.
Surround Sion, and encompass her: tell ye in her towers.
Set your hearts on her strength; and distribute her houses, that ye may relate it in another generation.
For this is God, our God unto eternity, and for ever and ever: he shall rule us for evermore.
Psalm 48 or Psalm 47?
The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 47 is Psalm 48 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Magnus Dominus et laudabilis nimis. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- The city of God: Sion, the mountain where God dwells; for Christians, the Church and the heavenly Jerusalem.
- God protects his city: enemy kings see it and flee.
- Mercy in the temple: “We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple.”
- Walk around Sion: count its towers and tell the next generation.
- God our guide for ever: “This is God, our God unto eternity, and for ever and ever: he shall rule us for evermore.”
How the Church uses Psalm 48
- On the Presentation of the Lord (February 2): its verse Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam tuam is the entrance antiphon, because Simeon “received” the Lord’s mercy, Jesus, in the Temple. See the Presentation of the Lord.
- On the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, whose entrance antiphon is the same verse.
- At the dedication of a church and in the Liturgy of the Hours.
A prayer with Psalm 48
Written for this page:
Great is the Lord and worthy of all praise in his holy city.
In your temple, O God, we ponder your merciful love.
With Simeon, I receive your Son, the Light of the nations.
Be our God for ever and guide us to the end. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What does Suscepimus mean?
“We have received,” the first word of Psalm 48:10 in Latin, the entrance antiphon of the Presentation of the Lord.
What is Psalm 48 about?
Praise of God and his holy city, Sion, which he protects, and reflection on his mercy in the Temple.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 47 (48), Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.