Bible Strands
Psalms 48:6
Trembling seized them there, anguish like a woman in labor.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist records the enemy's physical reaction after witnessing God's manifest power in Zion, directly following their astounded flight in terror.
The words — The Hebrew רְעָדָה (re'adah, trembling) and אֲחָזָה (achazah, seizure) merge with חִיל (chil, anguish) and יוֹלֵדָה (yoledah, childbirth) to describe a sudden, paralyzing fear.
The thread — The motif of trembling seizing leaders appears in Exodus 15:15, while the specific labor pain imagery is noted in Isaiah 13:8.
Why it lands — The passage states that divine action produces involuntary physical panic in opponents, demonstrating that human resistance collapses under God's intervention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 13:6 Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
- 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.
- Exodus 15:15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
- 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.
- Jeremiah 30:6 Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?
- Daniel 5:6 his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.