The Meaning of Psalms 46:4 Explained

Psalms 46:4

KJV: There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

YLT: A river -- its rivulets rejoice the city of God, Thy holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

Darby: There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God, the sanctuary of the habitations of the Most High.

ASV: There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[There is] a river,  the streams  whereof shall make glad  the city  of God,  the holy  [place] of the tabernacles  of the most High. 

What does Psalms 46:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 46:1-11 - "our Refuge And Strength"
The historical origin of this psalm cannot be certainly determined. Probably it was composed when Jerusalem was beleaguered by Sennacherib's hosts, 2 Kings 18:1-37. It befits every era in which the Church is in danger from her foes, and foretells the final destruction of Antichrist. It was Luther's favorite psalm, and is rendered into verse in his memorable hymn, Ein' Feste Burg. During the sitting of the Diet of Augsburg he sang it every day to his lute, standing at the window and looking up to heaven. The theme of the psalm is the security of God's people, and this is elaborated in three stanzas, each of which ends with Selah.
Alone among great cities, Jerusalem lacked a river; but God was willing to become all that a river could be and more. Your deficiencies give more room for God's all-sufficiency. Mark the beautiful alternative translation of Psalms 46:5, r.v., margin, "at the dawn of morning." Your sorrow is limited to a single night. See also Isaiah 37:36; Matthew 14:25. Be still, O troubled heart! The God of the nations is your Father! Desolations are the snapping off of the dead branches to prepare for the spring. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 46

1  The confidence which the church has in God
8  An exhortation to behold it

What do the individual words in Psalms 46:4 mean?

[There is] a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God the holy [place] of the tabernacle of the Most High
נָהָ֗ר פְּלָגָ֗יו יְשַׂמְּח֥וּ עִיר־ אֱלֹהִ֑ים קְ֝דֹ֗שׁ מִשְׁכְּנֵ֥י עֶלְיֽוֹן

נָהָ֗ר  [There  is]  a  river 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָהָר  
Sense: stream, river.
פְּלָגָ֗יו  whose  streams 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פֶּלֶג  
Sense: channel, canal.
יְשַׂמְּח֥וּ  shall  make  glad 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׂמַח  
Sense: to rejoice, be glad.
עִיר־  the  city 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
אֱלֹהִ֑ים  of  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
קְ֝דֹ֗שׁ  the  holy  [place] 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: קָדֹושׁ  
Sense: sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart.
מִשְׁכְּנֵ֥י  of  the  tabernacle 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מִשְׁכָּן  
Sense: dwelling place, tabernacle.
עֶלְיֽוֹן  of  the  Most  High 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עֶלְיׄון 
Sense: high, upper.