They saw, so they marveled;
They were troubled, they fled.
Fear seized them there,
As pain seizes a woman in travail,
While thou didst shatter them,
As an east wind the great merchantmen.
Our psalmist and his associates are obviously pilgrims to Jerusalem. They had previously heard of such events as the deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib; they have now seen with their own eyes the sacred sites which testify to such deliverances. They have meditated on Yahwe’s goodness in the holy temple, and are certain of his universal fame. Therefore, they can bid Zion and the towns of Judah rejoice in their God:
As we have heard, so have we seen
In the city of Yahwe of hosts, in the city of our God.
God will establish it forever.