Psalm 46

I did a first portrait of Psalm 46. Looking at it, I wonder if the reconstructed refrain should not be omitted except for the one word Selah. The reason is that the centre piece, the security of Jerusalem, is lost with the extra chorus. In the background also is the eschatalogical vision of the second to last section, followed by God in the first person, hinted at throughout the Psalm.

So here is an alternate portrait - making the Psalm bi-partite with God's presence and promise at the centre of each part. here

Ibn Ezra connects the river whose streams make glad the city to that of Psalm 1 (Four Approaches to the Book of Psalms - Uriel Simon p 322) . It is the same phrase in both psalms. It is a reference to God's fruitfulness and the tree of life. Dahood suggests fertility instead of desolations in verse 9. This is a reading that fits the movement of the Psalm.