Discovery BoxPsalms 48:11-13 
Context48:11 Mount Zion rejoices;
the towns 1 of Judah are happy, 2
because of your acts of judgment. 3
48:12 Walk around 4 Zion! Encircle it!
Count its towers!
48:13 Consider its defenses! 5
Walk through 6 its fortresses,
so you can tell the next generation about it! 7
1 tn Heb “daughters.” The reference is to the cities of Judah surrounding Zion (see Ps 97:8 and H. Haag, TDOT 2:336).
2 tn The prefixed verbal forms are understood as generalizing imperfects. (For other examples of an imperfect followed by causal לְמַעַן [lÿma’an], see Ps 23:3; Isa 49:7; 55:5.) Another option is to interpret the forms as jussives, “Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let the towns of Judah be happy!” (cf. NASB, NRSV; note the imperatives in vv. 12-13.)
3 sn These acts of judgment are described in vv. 4-7.
4 tn The verb forms in vv. 12-13 are plural; the entire Judahite community is addressed.
5 tn Heb “set your heart to its rampart.”
6 tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew word translated “walk through,” which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Cf. NEB “pass…in review”; NIV “view.”
7 sn The city’s towers, defenses, and fortresses are outward reminders and tangible symbols of the divine protection the city enjoys.
