Psalm 48:6
New International Version
Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor.

New Living Translation
They were gripped with terror and writhed in pain like a woman in labor.

English Standard Version
Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.

Berean Standard Bible
Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor.

King James Bible
Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

New King James Version
Fear took hold of them there, And pain, as of a woman in birth pangs,

New American Standard Bible
Panic seized them there, Anguish, as that of a woman in childbirth.

NASB 1995
Panic seized them there, Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.

NASB 1977
Panic seized them there, Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.

Legacy Standard Bible
Panic seized them there, Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.

Amplified Bible
Panic seized them there, And pain, as that of a woman in childbirth.

Christian Standard Bible
Trembling seized them there, agony like that of a woman in labor,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Trembling seized them there, agony like that of a woman in labor,

American Standard Version
Trembling took hold of them there, Pain, as of a woman in travail.

Contemporary English Version
They trembled all over like women giving birth

English Revised Version
Trembling took hold of them there; pain, as of a woman in travail.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Trembling seized them like the trembling that a woman experiences during labor.

Good News Translation
There they were seized with fear and anguish, like a woman about to bear a child,

International Standard Version
Trembling seized them there, pains like those of a woman in labor,

Majority Standard Bible
Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor.

NET Bible
Look at them shake uncontrollably, like a woman writhing in childbirth.

New Heart English Bible
Trembling took hold of them there, pain, as of a woman in travail.

Webster's Bible Translation
Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

World English Bible
Trembling took hold of them there, pain, as of a woman in travail.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Trembling has seized them there, "" Pain, as of a travailing woman.

Young's Literal Translation
Trembling hath seized them there, Pain, as of a travailing woman.

Smith's Literal Translation
Trembling seized them there, pain as of her bringing forth.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
trembling took hold of them. There were pains as of a woman in labour.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Trembling took hold of them. In that place, their pains were that of a woman in labor.

New American Bible
Trembling seized them there, anguish, like a woman’s labor,

New Revised Standard Version
trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a woman in labor,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Fear took hold of them, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And trembling seized them, and pains, as of labor.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Trembling took hold of them there, Pangs, as of a woman in travail.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Trembling took hold on them: there were the pangs as of a woman in travail.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Broken Bondage
5They saw and were astounded; they fled in terror. 6Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor. 7With a wind from the east You wrecked the ships of Tarshish.…

Cross References
Isaiah 13:8
Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.

Jeremiah 6:24
We have heard the report; our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor.

Jeremiah 50:43
The king of Babylon has heard the report, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.

Nahum 2:10
She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!

Isaiah 21:3
Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.

Isaiah 26:17
As a woman with child about to give birth writhes and cries out in pain, so were we in Your presence, O LORD.

Micah 4:9-10
Why do you now cry aloud? Is there no king among you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? / Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!

Hosea 13:13
Labor pains come upon him, but he is an unwise son. When the time arrives, he fails to present himself at the opening of the womb.

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Matthew 24:8
All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Mark 13:8
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

John 16:21
A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.

Revelation 12:2
She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth.

Isaiah 66:7-8
“Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before she was in pain, she delivered a boy. / Who has heard of such as this? Who has seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.

Jeremiah 4:31
For I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child—the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands to say, “Woe is me, for my soul faints before the murderers!”


Treasury of Scripture

Fear took hold on them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

Fear

Exodus 15:15,16
Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away…

Isaiah 13:6-8
Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty…

Daniel 5:6
Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

pain

Isaiah 21:3
Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.

Jeremiah 30:6,7
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? …

Hosea 13:13
The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.

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Psalm 48
1. The ornaments and privileges of the church














Trembling seized them there
The word "trembling" in Hebrew is "רְעָדָה" (ra'adah), which conveys a sense of intense fear or shaking. This term is often used in the Old Testament to describe a reaction to the presence or judgment of God. In the context of Psalm 48, this trembling is a response to the divine protection and power that God exhibits over Jerusalem, His holy city. Historically, Jerusalem was a city of great significance, often under threat from surrounding nations. The "seizing" of trembling suggests an overwhelming and involuntary reaction, indicating that the enemies of God are rendered powerless and in awe of His might. This phrase emphasizes the sovereignty of God and His ability to instill fear in those who oppose His will.

anguish like a woman in labor
The comparison to "a woman in labor" uses the Hebrew word "חִיל" (chil), which refers to the intense pain and distress associated with childbirth. This imagery is powerful and vivid, illustrating a situation of unavoidable and acute suffering. In ancient times, childbirth was a perilous event, often fraught with danger and uncertainty, making this metaphor particularly poignant. The use of this simile in Psalm 48 underscores the depth of the enemies' despair and helplessness when confronted with God's power. It also reflects a broader biblical theme where the pains of labor are used to describe times of great trial and transformation, ultimately leading to new beginnings. This phrase serves as a reminder of God's ultimate control over the forces of chaos and His ability to bring about His purposes, even through the most intense struggles.

Verse 6. - Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail. This description is wholly inapplicable to the destruction of Sennacherib's host, unperceived until it was accomplished (2 Kings 19:35), but is sufficiently in agreement with the narrative of 2 Chronicles 20:1-23.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Trembling
רְ֭עָדָה (rə·‘ā·ḏāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7461: A trembling

seized
אֲחָזָ֣תַם (’ă·ḥā·zā·ṯam)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 270: To grasp, take hold, take possession

them there,
שָׁ֑ם (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

anguish
חִ֝֗יל (ḥîl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2427: A writhing, anguish

like a woman in labor.
כַּיּוֹלֵֽדָה׃ (kay·yō·w·lê·ḏāh)
Preposition-k, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage


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OT Poetry: Psalm 48:6 Trembling took hold of them there pain (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 48:5
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