Psalm 48:12
New International Version
Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers,

New Living Translation
Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers.

English Standard Version
Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers,

Berean Standard Bible
March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers,

King James Bible
Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.

New King James Version
Walk about Zion, And go all around her. Count her towers;

New American Standard Bible
Walk around Zion and encircle her; Count her towers;

NASB 1995
Walk about Zion and go around her; Count her towers;

NASB 1977
Walk about Zion, and go around her; Count her towers;

Legacy Standard Bible
Walk about Zion and go around her; Count her towers;

Amplified Bible
Walk about Zion, go all around her; Count her towers,

Christian Standard Bible
Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Go around Zion, encircle it; count its towers,

American Standard Version
Walk about Zion, and go round about her; Number the towers thereof;

Contemporary English Version
Let's walk around Zion and count its towers.

English Revised Version
Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Walk around Zion. Go around it. Count its towers.

Good News Translation
People of God, walk around Zion and count the towers;

International Standard Version
March around Zion; encircle her; count her towers.

Majority Standard Bible
March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers,

NET Bible
Walk around Zion! Encircle it! Count its towers!

New Heart English Bible
Walk about Zion, and go around her. Number its towers.

Webster's Bible Translation
Walk about Zion, and go round her: number her towers.

World English Bible
Walk about Zion, and go around her. Number its towers.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Surround Zion, and go around her, count her towers,

Young's Literal Translation
Compass Zion, and go round her, count her towers,

Smith's Literal Translation
Surround ye Zion, and go round about her: recount her towers.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Surround Sion, and encompass her: tell ye in her towers.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Encircle Zion and embrace her. Discourse in her towers.

New American Bible
Go about Zion, walk all around it, note the number of its towers.

New Revised Standard Version
Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Circle Zion, and go round about her; count the towers thereof.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Surround Zion and go around it and count its towers.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Walk about Zion, and go round about her; Count the towers thereof.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Go round about Sion, and encompass her: tell ye her towers.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Broken Bondage
11Mount Zion is glad, the daughters of Judah rejoice, on account of Your judgments. 12March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers, 13consider her ramparts, tour her citadels, that you may tell the next generation.…

Cross References
Nehemiah 3:1-32
At the Sheep Gate, Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests began rebuilding. They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building as far as the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel, they dedicated the wall. / The men of Jericho built next to Eliashib, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them. / The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. ...

Isaiah 62:6-7
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD shall take no rest for yourselves, / nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

Ezekiel 40:5-16
And I saw a wall surrounding the temple area. Now the length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits (each measuring a cubit and a handbreadth), and he measured the wall to be one rod thick and one rod high. / Then he came to the gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured the threshold of the gate to be one rod deep. / Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide, and there were five cubits between the gate chambers. The inner threshold of the gate by the portico facing inward was one rod deep. ...

2 Chronicles 8:5
He rebuilt Upper and Lower Beth-horon as fortified cities with walls, gates, and bars,

2 Kings 25:9-10
He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. / And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 31:38-40
“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me, from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. / The measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah. / The whole valley of the dead bodies and ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley, to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east, will be holy to the LORD. It will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

Zechariah 2:1-5
Then I lifted up my eyes and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. / “Where are you going?” I asked. “To measure Jerusalem,” he replied, “and to determine its width and length.” / Then the angel who was speaking with me went forth, and another angel came forward to meet him ...

1 Kings 9:15
This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.

Lamentations 2:8-9
The LORD determined to destroy the wall of the Daughter of Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withdraw His hand from destroying. He made the ramparts and walls lament; together they waste away. / Her gates have sunk into the ground; He has destroyed and shattered their bars. Her king and her princes are exiled among the nations, the law is no more, and even her prophets find no vision from the LORD.

Isaiah 26:1
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation is established as its walls and ramparts.

Revelation 21:10-14
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city of Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, / shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal. / The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates. ...

Hebrews 11:10
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Revelation 21:2
I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Matthew 5:14
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Revelation 3:12
The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.


Treasury of Scripture

Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.

Walk

Nehemiah 12:31-40
Then I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great companies of them that gave thanks, whereof one went on the right hand upon the wall toward the dung gate: …

Matthew 24:1,2
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple…

tell

Isaiah 33:18-20
Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers? …

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Psalm 48
1. The ornaments and privileges of the church














March around Zion
The phrase "March around Zion" invites the faithful to actively engage with the holy city, Zion, which is often synonymous with Jerusalem. In Hebrew, "Zion" (צִיּוֹן, Tziyon) is a term that holds deep spiritual significance, representing not just a physical location but also the spiritual heart of God's chosen people. Historically, Zion was the site of the Jebusite fortress captured by King David, and it became the City of David. The act of marching around Zion symbolizes a call to remember and celebrate God's protection and the city's divine significance. It is an invitation to witness the strength and beauty of God's dwelling place, encouraging believers to reflect on God's enduring promises and faithfulness.

encircle her
To "encircle her" suggests a protective and reverent action, akin to a guard or a watchman ensuring the safety and sanctity of the city. The Hebrew root סָבַב (sabab) conveys the idea of surrounding or encompassing, which implies a thorough and attentive observation. This action is not merely physical but also spiritual, as it calls the faithful to meditate on the divine presence and the historical acts of God within the city. Encircling Zion is a metaphor for embracing God's covenant and acknowledging His sovereignty over His people.

count her towers
The instruction to "count her towers" emphasizes the strength and fortification of Zion. Towers in ancient cities were symbols of defense and vigilance, often used to watch for approaching enemies. The Hebrew word מִגְדָּל (migdal) refers to these structures, which were integral to the city's security. Counting the towers is an act of recognizing God's provision and protection, as each tower represents a testament to His care and the city's resilience. It serves as a reminder of the spiritual fortifications that God provides for His people, encouraging believers to trust in His unwavering defense against spiritual adversaries.

(12) Walk about Zion.--Notice here the strong patriotic feeling of Hebrew song. The inhabitants of the city are invited to make a tour of inspection of the defences which, under God's providence, have protected them from their foes. We are reminded of the fine passage in Shakespeare's Cymbeline, which gratefully recalls "the natural bravery" of our own island home, or of the national songs about our "wooden walls." Comparison has also been drawn between this passage and a similar burst of patriotic sentiment from the lips of a Grecian orator (Thuc. Ii. 53); but while the Greek thinks only of the men who made Athens strong, the Hebrew traces all back to God.

(12) Tell--i.e., count. So in Milton, "Every shepherd tells his tale," i.e., counts his sheep.

Verse 12. - Walk about Zion, and go round about her; tell the towers thereof. Admire, i.e., O Israelites, your glorious city, which God has preserved for you intact. Walk around it, view it on every side; observe its strength and beauty. Nay, count its towers, and see how many they are, that ye may form a true estimate of its defences, which render it well-nigh impregnable. Such a survey would "tend to the glorifying of the God of Israel, and to the strengthening of their faith" (Hengstenberg).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
March around
סֹ֣בּוּ (sōb·bū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround

Zion,
צִ֭יּוֹן (ṣî·yō·wn)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6726: Zion -- a mountain in Jerusalem, also a name for Jerusalem

encircle her,
וְהַקִּיפ֑וּהָ (wə·haq·qî·p̄ū·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5362: To strike, to knock together, surround, circulate

count
סִ֝פְר֗וּ (sip̄·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

her towers,
מִגְדָּלֶֽיהָ׃ (miḡ·dā·le·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4026: A tower, a rostrum, a, bed of flowers


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OT Poetry: Psalm 48:12 Walk about Zion and go around her (Psalm Ps Psa.)
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