Psalms 46:3 (DRB)

Passage

For the Lord is high, terrible: a great king over all the earth.

Nearby Context

Psalms 46:1 Unto the end, for the sons of Core.

Psalms 46:2 O clap your hands, all ye nations: shout unto God with the voice of joy,

Psalms 46:3 For the Lord is high, terrible: a great king over all the earth.

Psalms 46:4 He hath subdued the people under us; and the nations under our feet.

Psalms 46:5 He hath chosen for us his inheritance, the beauty of Jacob which he hath loved.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "high", "terrible", "great", "king", "over", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "high", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "O clap your hands all ye nations..." into verse 4's "He hath subdued the people under us...", so "lord" and "high" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "high" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.