NOTES for Psa 48
The poetic form of the psalm makes it possible to describe figuratively what a person experiences within and what is often simply inexpressible. Beginning with the description of a real-life situation that took place in history, the psalmist gradually paints a very characteristic picture. It is extremely difficult to describe the state of a person who experiences an encounter with God and contemplates His majesty and His mercy. Yet the combination of wars and battles outside with complete peace where a person stands face to face with God perhaps defines most accurately the unfathomable difference between the external world and the Kingdom of Heaven.