Delitzsch suggested that this psalm might have originally been prompted by the retreat of the Assyrians after the prayer of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19). Since the psalm speaks of Israel coming to worship God at Zion, it could have been associated with worship at a pilgrim festival.
Van Gemeren notes that verses 1-4 of this psalm speak of the blessedness of God's presence, while verses 5-13 speak of the blessedness of God's rule as King over all.
In verses 1-4, God's people come to worship thankfully, expressing gratitude for God's forgiveness and answers to prayer. Those brought near in verse 4 include priests and, more broadly, God's kingdom of priests (Ex 19:6).
The rest of the psalm pictures God as not just the hope of Israel, but the creator and ruler of all the earth. Verse 7 ("who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves") reminds us of Jesus stilling the waters of the Sea of Galilee (Matt 8:26; 14:32).
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