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Ordinary Time · The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica · Year C

Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 (5)

God Is Our Refuge and Strength

November 9, 2028

Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, Edward Lear
Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, Edward Lear, 1859Google Art Project
Lear, better known for nonsense verse, was a working topographical painter who travelled the Levant. The city is drawn from the east with the accuracy of a surveyor.There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.Edward LearBest remembered for nonsense verse, but by trade a topographical painter and ornithological draughtsman who travelled constantly.Google Art ProjectRecorded through an online image archive; the holding institution is not named with the image.Google Art Project
Roman Lectionary
GospelJohn 2:13-22Jn 2:13-22
Second Reading1 Cor. 3:9c-11, 16-171 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17
First ReadingEzek. 47:1-2, 8-9, 12Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Responsorial PsalmPs. 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 (5)Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 (5)

Overview & Insights

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Psalm 46 is a type of poem that challenges form criticism’s assumptions. Gunkel has identified it as a subtype of the hymn, which he labels “Zion Songs.”1 Goldingay helpfully lays out the features of this psalm that overlap with other types and concludes that the psalm of trust is the best choice of categories.2 Indeed, the spirit of trust in God as refuge pervades the poem. More specifically, the plural pronouns and first common plural verbs point to the community psalm of trust, along with Psalms 90; 115; 123; 124; 125; and 126.3 The city of Jerusalem is not mentioned by name in Psalm 46, but its identification as the “city of God” is unmistakable. Other psalms celebrate Jerusalem, or Zion, as Israel’s theological center because of God’s presence there and his association with Jerusalem (48; 76; 84; 87; 122).

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Take it further: Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 (5)

Commentary

Psalm 46 CommentaryPs 46 Commentary Enduring Word · David Guzik

Verse-by-verse walk through God as refuge and the river that gladdens the city.

Psalm 46 CommentariesPs 46 Commentaries BibleHub

Aggregates classic commentaries in one view.

Psalm 46 - Gill's ExpositionPs 46 - Gill's Exposition StudyLight

Detailed older exposition of each verse.

Background & Word Study

Psalm 46Ps 46 Sefaria

Hebrew text of the psalm with Jewish study notes.

Psalm 46 InterlinearPs 46 Interlinear BibleHub

Shows the underlying Hebrew word by word.

Questions preachers ask

Why is Psalm 46 the Reformation psalm?

It declares God our refuge though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Luther paraphrased it in “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” the anthem of the Reformation.

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