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Psalms 76

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God Is Known in Judah and Zion 1–3

1
In Judah is God known: His name is great in Israel. ​
2
In Salem also is his tabernacle, And his dwelling-place in Zion. ​
3
There he brake the arrows of the bow; The shield, and the sword, and the battle. [Selah

The Defeat of the Mighty Kings 4–6

4
Glorious art thou and excellent, From the mountains of prey.
5
The stouthearted are made a spoil, They have slept their sleep; And none of the men of might have found their hands. ​
6
At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, Both chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.

The Awesome Judgment of the Lord 7–9

7
Thou, even thou, art to be feared; And who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
8
Thou didst cause sentence to be heard from heaven; The earth feared, and was still,
9
When God arose to judgment, To save all the meek of the earth. [Selah ​

Exhortation to Worship the Terrible God 10–12

10
Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: The residue of wrath shalt thou gird upon thee. ​
11
Vow, and pay unto Jehovah your God: Let all that are round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. ​
12
He will cut off the spirit of princes: He is terrible to the kings of the earth.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 76

Verse 1

In Judah is God known — The title gives the psalm to Asaph, 'on Neginoth', the stringed instruments. 'Known' is yada, made known by what he has done for his people, so that 'his name is great in Israel'. The deliverance that follows is of the kind recorded when 'the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians' (Isa 37:36).

Verse 2

In Salem also is his tabernacle — Salem is the city of Melchizedek, 'king of Salem' and 'priest of the most high God' (Gen 14:18), whom Hebrews 7:2 interprets as 'King of peace'. Here it stands beside Zion as the place of God's 'dwelling place' (meonah), the city of which he said, 'This is my rest for ever' (Ps 132:14).

Verse 5

they have slept their sleep — The 'stouthearted' were stripped of their spoil while they slept, and 'none of the men of might have found their hands'. The verb num is slumber; it is the word of Ps 121:4, where he that keepeth Israel 'shall neither slumber nor sleep'. In Isaiah's day the Assyrians woke to find 'they were all dead corpses' (2 Kings 19:35).

Verse 9

to save all the meek of the earth — The judgment is for the rescue of the 'meek' (anav), the humble who wait on God. The LORD arises (qum) against oppressors as the psalmist prays in Ps 7:6, 'Arise, O LORD', and the promise to the same people is 'the meek shall inherit the earth' (Ps 37:11), repeated by Christ (Matt 5:5).

Verse 10

the wrath of man shall praise thee — Men's anger, even against God's people, ends in his praise. Peter's company says the same of Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and Israel gathered against Christ, to do 'whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done' (Acts 4:27–28). The remainder of wrath the LORD 'restrains' (chagar, to gird, bind on).

Verse 11

Vow, and pay — Nadar is to vow and shalam to pay in full, as in 'pay thy vows unto the most High' (Ps 50:14). The nations 'round about' are told to 'bring presents' (shay, a gift, found only here, Ps 68:29 and Isa 18:7) to him who 'ought to be feared' (mora, the fear that belongs to him).