Psalms 68

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Psalms 68 is a triumphant psalm celebrating God's power and victory over His enemies. It recounts His mighty acts from the Exodus and Sinai to His dwelling in Zion, where He protects the vulnerable and bestows blessings. The psalm culminates in a vision of all nations acknowledging God's supreme authority and bringing Him praise.

The Battle Cry and Prayer for Victory 1–6

¶ To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

God's March Through the Wilderness 7–14

¶ O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:

The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.

Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

The Ascent to Zion, God's Chosen Dwelling 15–21

¶ The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.

Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

Salvation and Judgment of Enemies 22–23

¶ The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

The Triumphal Procession in the Temple 24–27

They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

Prayer for Strength and Global Submission 28–31

Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.

Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.

Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.

Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

Praise of the Cosmic King 32–35

¶ Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 68

Verse 1

Let God arise — These are the words Moses spoke 'when the ark set forward': 'Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee' (Num 10:35). The psalm opens with the prayer of the march, and Ps 132:8 sets the same call to the ark, 'Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength'.

Verse 4

his name JAH — Yah, the short form of the divine name. The KJV prints it as JAH only here; elsewhere it stands as 'the LORD' (Ex 15:2; Ps 118:14), and it is the ending of 'Praise ye the LORD' (Ps 150:1). 'Him that rideth upon the heavens' echoes Deut 33:26, 'who rideth upon the heaven in thy help'.

Verse 5

A father of the fatherless — 'Judge' is dayyan, the word David used of the LORD in 1 Sam 24:15, 'The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee'. It is found only there and here. The care of the fatherless and widow belongs to God's own character: 'He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow' (Deut 10:18).

Verse 6

the solitary in families — 'Solitary' is yachid, one alone, the word rendered 'only son' in Gen 22:2 and 'desolate' in Ps 25:16. 'In families' is literally 'a house', and Ps 113:9 gives the same care: 'He maketh the barren woman to keep house'. 'Rebellious' (sarar) is the word of v.18; 'chains' (kosharah) occurs only here.

Verse 7

thou wentest forth before thy people — The line is also sung by Deborah: 'LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom' (Judg 5:4). The leading is that of the pillar: 'the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud' (Ex 13:21). Selah marks a pause in the singing.

Verse 8

Sinai itself was moved — Ex 19:18 gives the event: 'mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire', and 'the whole mount quaked greatly'. 'Dropped' is the verb of Judg 5:4, 'the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped', which continues in 5:5, 'even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel'.

Verse 13

among the pots — The Hebrew is a dual noun (shephatayim) found only here and in Ezek 40:43, where it is rendered 'hooks'. The verse sets a low place against a bright one: those who have lain there 'yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold'.

Verse 14

white as snow in Salmon — 'The Almighty' is Shaddai, the name 'God Almighty' by which God appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex 6:3). He 'scattered kings' and the effect is whiteness, like snow on Salmon. Salmon (Zalmon) is the height where Abimelech cut a bough from the trees (Judg 9:48).

Verse 15

the hill of Bashan — Bashan is the kingdom of Og (Num 21:33), a land of high ground. 'An high hill' (gabnon, a peaked mountain) occurs only here and in v.16. The mountains of Bashan are named as the measure of height; the next verse says that they are not the hill God has chosen.

Verse 16

Why leap ye, ye high hills? — Ratsad, to look askance, with envy, occurs only here. The hills of Bashan are passed over for 'the hill which God desireth to dwell in', Zion: 'the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation… This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell' (Ps 132:13–14).

Verse 17

twenty thousand — The Hebrew is a dual, two ten-thousands. 'Angels' is shinan, found only here. The host recalls Deut 33:2, 'he came with ten thousands of saints' from Sinai, and Dan 7:10, 'thousand thousands ministered unto him'. Christ speaks of 'more than twelve legions of angels' (Matt 26:53).

Verse 18

Thou hast ascended on high — Paul cites it of Christ: 'When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men' (Eph 4:8), and names the gifts in 4:11: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. 'Rebellious' (sarar) is the word of v.6; the gifts reach even them, that the LORD God 'might dwell among them'.

Verse 19

daily loadeth us — Amas, to load or carry a burden; the word 'benefits' is supplied by the KJV. The picture is of God as the bearer: 'I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you' (Isa 46:4), 'borne by me from the belly' (Isa 46:3). 'Salvation' here is yeshuah.

Verse 20

the issues from death — 'Issues' is totsa'ot, the ways out, exits. They belong to 'GOD the Lord': 'I kill, and I make alive' (Deut 32:39), 'The LORD killeth, and maketh alive' (1 Sam 2:6). Christ says of himself, 'I am he that liveth, and was dead… and have the keys of hell and of death' (Rev 1:18).

Verse 22

from Bashan… the depths of the sea — Bashan is the land of Og, who 'went out against' Israel (Num 21:33); the 'depths' of the sea (metsulah) are where the persecutors were thrown, 'as a stone into the mighty waters' (Neh 9:11; cf. Ex 15:5). From both places the Lord says, 'I will bring my people again'.

Verse 24

They have seen thy goings — 'Goings' is halikah, a march or procession, used twice. The procession is described in v.25: 'The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.' The one who goes is 'my God, my King, in the sanctuary'.

Verse 27

little Benjamin — 'Little' is tsa'ir, the youngest or smallest: Saul called himself 'a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel' (1 Sam 9:21). With Benjamin come the princes of Judah and of Zebulun and Naphtali, the north; their land is 'the land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim… Galilee of the Gentiles' (Matt 4:15). 'Council' (rigmah) occurs only here.

Verse 28

commanded thy strength — The psalm moves from what God has done to a prayer: 'strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us'. 'Commanded' (tsavah) is the verb of command. The same confidence is in Ps 138:8, 'forsake not the works of thine own hands', and Phil 1:6, 'he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it'.

Verse 29

kings bring presents — 'Presents' (shai) is a word found only here, in Ps 76:11, 'let all that be round about him bring presents', and in Isa 18:7. The tribute comes 'because of thy temple at Jerusalem'. The queen of Sheba's gifts are an instance: 'an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store' (1 Kgs 10:10).

Verse 30

Rebuke the company of spearmen — The words are literally 'living creature' (chayyah) and 'reed' (qaneh). The 'bulls' (abbir, the strong ones) recall 'strong bulls of Bashan' (Ps 22:12). The prayer is that each 'submit himself with pieces of silver', and that the LORD scatter 'the people that delight in war'.

Verse 31

Princes shall come out of Egypt — 'Princes' (chashmannim) occurs only here. Ethiopia 'shall soon stretch out her hands unto God'. The Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8:27 'had come to Jerusalem for to worship', and Zeph 3:10 speaks of 'my suppliants' from 'beyond the rivers of Ethiopia'. Isa 19:25: 'Blessed be Egypt my people'.

Verse 32

Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth — The call of v.4, 'Sing unto God, sing praises', is now widened from Israel to all kingdoms: the same two verbs, shir and zamar. Deut 32:43 says 'Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people', and Rev 15:4 says 'all nations shall come and worship before thee'.

Verse 33

the heavens of heavens — The same title as v.4, 'him that rideth upon the heavens', now 'of heavens, which were of old'. The reach is that of Solomon's prayer, 'the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee' (1 Kgs 8:27). The God who 'rode upon a cherub' (Ps 18:10) also 'doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice'.

Verse 35

terrible out of thy holy places — 'Terrible' is a form of yare, to be feared; 'holy places' is the plural of the sanctuary. 'Strength and power' (oz and ta'atsumoth) are given 'unto his people', as in Ps 29:11, 'The LORD will give strength unto his people'. Ta'atsumah occurs only here. The psalm ends where it began, in blessing.