Psalms 48:6
Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
Psalms 48:6
Psalm 48 celebrates Zion, the city of God, as a secure refuge and glorious dwelling place. This line—“Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail”—appears within the psalm’s vivid depiction of enemies overwhelmed by panic as they behold Jerusalem’s strength and divine protection. The surrounding verses describe the city’s grandeur, the beauty of its citadels, and the recognition that God has established Zion as a perpetual sanctuary. The simile of birth pains conveys intense, inescapable distress that culminates in something new and unstoppable—here, the fall of enemies and the triumph of God’s dwelling among his people. In the ancient Near Eastern imagination, childbirth was a powerful image for transformation and renewal, signaling the end of one season and the birth of another. The verse thus echoes the larger psalmic pattern: opposition falters in the face of God’s steadfast presence. It also underscores the human response to divine deliverance—fear yields to awe-filled confidence as the city’s safety becomes evident.
This verse emphasizes God’s protective sovereignty over Zion and, by extension, over his people. The fear and pain of enemies reveal the crushing inevitability of divine judgment against arrogance and aggression. The childbirth image communicates that God’s intervention propels a new reality: the ruin of those who oppose him and the establishment of a secure, life-giving sanctuary for his people. Importantly, it also speaks to human vulnerability and dependence on God’s strength. The Psalm invites readers to recognize that human fear in the face of divine justice is not the final word; God’s presence transforms terror into awe. Theologically, it reinforces themes of divine refuge, righteous judgment, and the in-breaking of God’s salvific program through his chosen city, which in Christian reading foreshadows God’s ultimate deliverance in Christ and the new creation.
When we face overwhelming threats—disappointment, injustice, personal danger—the verse invites us to shift from fear to trust in God’s protecting presence. Like witnesses to a storm becoming still in a fortress, believers can acknowledge the reality of fear but anchor themselves in God’s steadfastness. Practical steps: pray for discernment to see how God is at work in difficult circumstances; remind ourselves of past deliverances to gain courage for the present; gather with faith communities for encouragement, much as Jerusalem’s people stood together under God’s protection. The childbirth image can reframe hardship as a sign that God is birthing new life and hope out of struggle. In family life, when conflicts threaten peace, invite God’s guiding presence to bring renewal rather than retreat. In workplaces or communities facing upheaval, remember that God’s security is not contingent on political strength but on his faithful dwelling with his people.
Cross-References: Psalm 2:4; Psalm 46:1; Isaiah 8:12-14; Nahum 1:7; Revelation 21:2-3