Psalm 68
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Key verse
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
The chapter
Chapter summary
A processional of triumph: 'Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered', the words of the ark's setting out (Numbers 10:35). A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God; he setteth the solitary in families. Sinai quaked; kings of armies flee; 'thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led away captives; thou hast received gifts among men': Paul reads the Ascension there (Ephesians 4:8). 'Blessed be the Lord, who daily beareth our burden.' Kingdoms of the earth, sing praises unto God.
Context
Poetry · David, Asaph, Sons of Korah, others · Psalms overview
Where the chapter sits
Psalms 68 falls in Book II: Davidic + Korahite (chapters 42–72). Sons of Korah cluster (42–49); Davidic continuation (51–65, 68–70); Ps 51 as penitential anchor (David + Bathsheba). Doxology at 72:18–20: ''the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.''
Before it: Book I: Davidic core, chapters 1–41. After it: Book III: Asaph and covenant crisis, chapters 73–89.
The whole shape of Psalms→The world behind this chapter
Psalms 68The history
The first line is a quotation. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered is what Moses said whenever the ark set out on the march through the wilderness. So the psalm opens with a marching formula that was centuries old before anyone sang this, and it uses it to move God from Sinai to Zion.
The rest of the history, and what it meant to them
The middle of the psalm describes the procession in order: the singers go first, then the players on instruments, and among them the young women with hand drums, tambourine-style frame drums, an instrument women played in Israel from the Red Sea onward. Then the tribal companies are named, little Benjamin leading, with Judah, Zebulun, and Naphtali. That matches the account of the ark coming up to Jerusalem with the Levites appointed to sing.
Bashan is a real place with a reputation. It is the high volcanic tableland east of the Sea of Galilee, with Mount Hermon rising behind it, genuinely bigger, greener, and more impressive than Jerusalem's modest ridge. The psalm has those great mountains looking on with envy at the hill God chose. Bashan was also remembered as the country of the giants under Og, and in Canaanite texts the region carries associations with the realm of the dead, a thread later readers connect to the unseen-realm material in Scripture; the plain sense here is the mountain rivalry.
Leading captivity captive and receiving gifts among men describes the victory parade of an ancient king: prisoners roped in a column and tribute carried behind the chariot, up the main street, in front of everyone. Reliefs from Egypt and Assyria show the scene in detail.
What it meant to them
The ark arriving on Zion meant the God of the wilderness now had an address in Israel's capital. The psalm's job is to say that this did not domesticate him, he is still the one who scatters kings and rides on the heavens.
And the middle of the parade is a promise to the people at the bottom: a father of the fatherless and a judge of the widows is God in his holy habitation. The King who just entered the city runs it for the ones with no protector.
Sources cited
- John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews & Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
- Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services
A. Verses 1 to 35
1. (vv. 1-3)
a.The opening words are the ark's own marching prayer. Numbers 10:35 has Moses say at every setting out, May Your enemies be scattered. Smoke blown away and wax melting are the pictures of that scattering, and the righteous are glad before the same presence.
Psalms 68:1, 2 voicesWhat preachers and commentators have said about these verses, in their own words.
Psalms 68:1
Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered. This psalm is understood both in a special sense and in a general sense. In the special sense, of the Lord himself, that he should rise from the dead and scatter his enemies — that is, the devil and his army, or the Jews. But in the general sense, whenever we are in tribulation and distress, and we say, "Arise, why do you sleep, O Lord? and help us"; just as the apostles too, in the little boat, wake the Lord who was sleeping, saying: "Master, save us, we perish."
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:1
“Let God arise,.... Which, as Kimchi observes, is either by way of prayer, or by way of prophecy; and in either way the sense is the same: for, if it is considered as a prayer, it is a prayer of faith that so it would be; or, if as a prophecy, it is certain that so it should be.”
Psalms 68:2, 2 voices
Psalms 68:2
“As smoke fails, let them fail: not that they should be reduced to nothing, but that they should rest from their sins. As wax flows away before the face of fire. Just as wax is melted, and does not lose its nature, but grows soft: so let these too not perish, but lay aside their hardness, and thus turn to repentance, and be saved. So let sinners perish from before the face of God: because sinners are not worthy to see God.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:2
“As smoke is driven away, so drive them away,.... This both describes the character of wicked men, Christ's enemies; as their darkness and ignorance, their will worship and superstition, and their detestableness to God, Rev 9:2; and the manner of their destruction; which is as easily brought about as smoke is driven by the wind, and is as irretrievable, like smoke that vanisheth into air (o); see Psa 37:20; as wax melteth before fire; whereby its consistency, form, and strength, are lost.”
2. (vv. 4-6)
a.sing praises to his name: The name in verse 4 is YAH, the short form that stands inside every hallelujah. Verses 5 and 6 name Him by what He does: a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, settling the lonely in families and leading prisoners out. The rebellious get the sun-scorched land.
Psalms 68:4, 2 voices
Psalms 68:4
“Sing to God, sing a psalm to his name. "Sing" — in Scripture this always signifies contemplation (theoria): that is, consider the mysteries and the meaning of divine Scripture. But "to make melody" (psallere) Scripture signifies as a good work: for example, that the hearing should furnish its own work, and likewise the mouth, and the eyes, and the hands, and all the members should as it were agree, and thus strike the psaltery in the virtues. Make a way for him who ascends above the sunset: the Lord is his name.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:4
“Jah - Is an abbreviation of the name Jehovah, which the Heathens pronounced Jao. Before him - Before the ark where he is present, as David is said to dance before the Lord, upon this occasion, 2 Sam. vi, 14.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Psalms 68:5, 1 voice
Psalms 68:5
“A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. In the wilderness the people were like an orphan nation, but God was more than a father to them. As the generation which came out of Egypt gradually died away, there were many widows and fatherless ones in the camp, but they suffered no want or wrong, for the righteous laws and the just administrators whom God had appointed, looked well to the interests of the needy. The tabernacle was the Palace of Justice; the ark was the seat of the great King.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:6, 1 voice
Psalms 68:6
“God setteth the solitary in families,.... Which the Jewish writers generally understand of an increase of families, with children in lawful marriage; see Psa 113:9; an instance of which we have in Abraham and Sarah; from which single or solitary ones, when joined in marriage, sprung a numerous offspring, Isa 51:2. And to this sense the Targum paraphrases the words; "God is he that joins, couples single ones into a couple, as one:'' some copies add, "to build an house out of them;'' that is, a family; see Rth 4:”
3. (vv. 7-10)
a.Verse 8 calls God the One on Sinai, a title taken from where He gave the law. The earth shook and the heavens poured rain at His coming, and verse 9 turns that rain into provision for a weary inheritance. He fed the poor from His own bounty.
Psalms 68:7, 1 voice
Psalms 68:7
“O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,.... In the pillar of cloud, and in the pillar of fire, as the Targum adds; and this divine Person was the Son of God, the Angel of his presence, in whom his name was, even his name JAH or Jehovah before mentioned; when thou didst march through the wilderness; at the head of the Israelites, leading, guiding, and directing them; providing for them all things necessary, and protecting them against their enemies.”
Psalms 68:8, 3 voices
Psalms 68:8
“The earth was moved, for the heavens dripped down from before the face of the God of Sinai. The heavens dripped down: that is, the manna. Sinai is interpreted as "temptation." Therefore God dwells in those who are tempted and overcome; but in those who are among delights, he does not dwell.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:8
“The earth shook. Beneath the sublime tread the solid ground trembled. The heavens also dropped at the presence of God, as if they bowed before their God, the clouds descended, and "a few dark shower drops stole abroad." Even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God. Moses tell us, in Exodus 19, that "the whole mountain quaked greatly." That hill, so lone and high, bowed before the manifested God. The God of Israel.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:8
“Sinai itself, that vast mountain, that long ridge of mountains, was moved at the presence of God; see Judg. v. 4, 5; This terrible appearance of the Divine Majesty, as it would possess them with a fear and dread of him, so it would encourage their faith in him and dependence upon him.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Psalms 68:9, 3 voices
Psalms 68:9
Damasus cleansed not, Peter cleansed not, Ambrose cleansed not, Gregory cleansed not; for ours is the ministry, but the sacraments are yours. For human power cannot confer what is divine, but it is, O Lord, your gift and that of the Father, as you have spoken by the prophets, saying, "I will pour out of my Spirit on all flesh, and their sons and their daughters shall prophesy." This is that typical dew from heaven, this is that gracious rain, as we read: "A gracious rain, dividing for his inheritance."
Ambrose of Milan· written before 397· On the Holy Spirit 1.18patristic
Psalms 68:9
“Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain. The march of God was not signalized solely by displays of terror, for goodness and bounty were also made conspicuous. Such rain as never fell before dropped on the desert sand, bread from heaven and winged fowl fell all around the host; good gifts were poured upon them, rivers leaped forth from rocks. The earth shook with fear, and in reply, the Lord, as from a cornucopia, shook out blessings upon it; so the original may be rendered. Whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:9-10
“This looks further to the spiritual provision made for God's Israel; the Spirit of grace and the gospel of grace are the plentiful rain with which God confirms his inheritance, and from which their fruit is found, Isa. xlv. Christ himself is this rain, Ps. lxxii.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Psalms 68:10, 2 voices
Psalms 68:10
“Your animals dwell in it; that is, in the inheritance. But by "animals" he meant those who live in God, that is, the holy ones. You have prepared in your sweetness for the poor man, O God. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." You have prepared the rain, that is, the law.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:10
“Thy congregation hath dwelt therein,.... That is, in the Lord's inheritance, in the midst of his church and people. The word for "congregation" signifies "beasts" or "living creatures" (w): some understand them of the Gentiles, who, before the Gospel came among them, were comparable to such; but, under the Gospel dispensation, being called and taken out by it, were put among the people of God, and dwelt in his inheritance.”
4. (vv. 11-14)
a.The proclaimers of verse 11 are women. The participle is feminine in the Hebrew, and what they announce is verse 12, kings and their armies in flight and the plunder divided at home. Verse 13 sets the dove's silver wings against the sheepfolds, and verse 14 lays snow on Zalmon.
Psalms 68:11, 1 voice
Psalms 68:11
“The Lord will give the word to those who preach the gospel with great power. In the Hebrew it has "the women who preach the gospel"; that is, to those women who were made evangelists to the apostles, where he says "Go, tell my brothers," and the rest. Or else it signifies the souls which have believed in Christ. But according to the Seventy translators he speaks to the apostles, because the Lord gave them the power to preach the gospel.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:12, 3 voices
Psalms 68:12
“The king of the powers of the beloved. "King," the Father; "of the powers," that is, of the holy ones; "of the beloved," of the Son. "Behold my beloved Son, hear him." "Of the beloved." If anyone loves someone, he always has him on his lips: therefore the Holy Spirit, because of the love which he has for the Son, frequently makes mention of him. And to the beauty of the house to divide the spoils. The apostles themselves divide in the churches the spoils, which they have taken from the idols.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:12
“Kings of armies did flee apace,.... Or "they fled, they fled" (y); or "they flee, they flee".”
Psalms 68:12
“Kings of armies--that is, with their armies. she that . . . at home--Mostly women so remained, and the ease of victory appears in that such, without danger, quietly enjoyed the spoils.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Psalms 68:13, 3 voices
Psalms 68:13
“Though ye have lain among the pots,.... Kimchi takes these words to be the words of the women, or of the psalmist addressing the Israelites going out to war; that though they should lie in a low, dark, and disagreeable place, in the camp, in the open field, exposed to wind and weather; yet they should be fair and beautiful, and be loaded with gold and silver, the spoil of the enemy.”
Psalms 68:13
“Though ye have lien among the pots. Does he mean that the women at home, who had been meanly clad as they performed their household work, would be so gorgeously arrayed in the spoil, that they would be like doves of silver wing and golden plumage? Or, would he say that Israel, which had been begrimed in the brick kilns of Egypt, should come forth lustrous and happy in triumph and liberty? Or, did the song signify that the ark should be brought from its poor abode with Obededom into a fairer dwelling place?”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:13
“Some translate this, "When ye shall lie between the borders, ye shall," &c., comparing the peaceful rest in the borders or limits of the promised land to the proverbial beauty of a gentle dove.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Psalms 68:14, 3 voices
Psalms 68:14
While the heavenly one distinguishes kings over her. By "kings" he meant the holy ones, who reign over their own passions. These holy ones, then, are divided among the churches: for example, Paul among the Gentiles, Peter among the circumcision. They shall be made white as snow in Selmon. This is what he says: although they are holy, yet nevertheless in this world they are as it were a shadow, knowing in part. For Selmon is interpreted "shadow."
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:14
“When the Almighty scattered kings in it,.... His inheritance, his congregation, the church, Psa 68:9. Which some understand of his diffusing, and spreading and giving, in large numbers, ministers and preachers of the Gospel, pastors and teachers; who are kings and spiritual governors, are over churches, and have the rule over them in the Lord: and so Jarchi interprets them of the disciples of the wise men.”
Psalms 68:14
“When the almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon. The victory was due to the Almighty arm alone; he scattered the haughty ones who came against his people, and he did it as easily as snow is driven from the bleak sides of Salmon. The word white appears to be imported into the text, and by leaving it out the sense is easy.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
5. (vv. 15-16)
a.Mount Bashan east of the Jordan is a range of many peaks. Verse 16 asks why those peaks gaze in envy, and the answer is the choice itself: God chose this mountain for His dwelling. The LORD will surely dwell there forever.
Psalms 68:15, 1 voice
Psalms 68:15
“Here the priests on the summit of the chosen hill begin to extol the Lord for his choice of Zion as his dwelling place. The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan, or more accurately, "a hill of God is Bashan, "that is to say, Bashan is an eminent mountain, far exceeding Zion in height. According to the Hebrew custom, every great or remarkable thing is thus designated. Where we talk of the Devil's Dyke, the Devil's Ditch, the Devil's Punch Bowl, etc.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:16, 1 voice
Psalms 68:16
Why do you suppose the curdled mountains? This he says to the Jews, who think that Moses and the prophets are like the Savior. The mountain in which it is well pleasing to God to dwell. It signifies the fleshly presence of the Savior, that the deity dwelt in a body: for in no other did the Holy Spirit dwell continuously, except in the Savior, John saying, "He upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, this is he."
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
6. (vv. 17-18)
a.Verse 18 stands behind Ephesians 4:8, which reads, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men. The psalm has Him receiving gifts from men, and Paul has Him giving them; Delitzsch points to the Aramaic Targum here, which already reads gave. Tens of thousands of chariots stand in His sanctuary.
Psalms 68:17, 3 voices
Psalms 68:17
The chariot of God is ten thousandfold manifold. Hyperbolically he speaks of the ministering powers and spirits, that they are innumerable, as he said in Daniel: "Thousands of thousands ministered." And in Ezekiel he describes the cherubim as having four wings in four corners, four faces, whose charioteer is God. And "cherubim" is interpreted "multitude of knowledge."
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:17
“The word "angels" was perhaps introduced in our version, from De 33:2, and Ga 3:19. They are, of course, implied as conductors of the chariots. as . . . Sinai, in the holy place--that is, He has appeared in Zion as once in Sinai.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Psalms 68:17
“As in Sinai - God is no less gloriously, though less terribly present here, than he was in Sinai, when the great God attended with thousands of his angels, solemnly appeared to deliver the law. Yea, here is a greater privilege than Sinai had, The Lord Jehovah descending from heaven into an human body, as appears by his ascending thither again, which the next verse describes.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Psalms 68:18, 5 voices
Psalms 68:18
It does not escape our notice that some copies have likewise, according to Luke: "How much more shall your heavenly Father give a good gift to them that ask him." This good gift is the grace of the Spirit, which the Lord Jesus shed forth from heaven, after having been fixed to the gibbet of the cross, returning with the triumphal spoils of death deprived of its power, as you find it written: "Ascending up on high he led captivity captive, and gave good gifts to people."
Ambrose of Milan· written before 397· On the Holy Spirit 1.5.66patristic
Psalms 68:18
“Thou hast ascended on high. The ark was conducted to the summit of Zion; God himself took possession of the high places of the earth, being extolled and very high. The antitype of the ark, the Lord Jesus, has ascended into the heavens with signal marks of triumph. To do battle with our enemies, the Lord descended and left his throne; but now the fight is finished, he returns to his glory; high above all things is he now exalted. Thou hast led captivity captive. A multitude of the sons of men are the willing captives of Messiah's power.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:18
“He who descended is the same who has ascended. As then ascension was an element of His triumph, so is it now; and He, who, in His humiliation, must be recognized as our vicarious sacrifice and the High Priest of our profession, must also be adored as Head of His Church and author of all her spiritual benefits.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Psalms 68:18
“Captivity - Those whom thou hast taken captive; death and sin, and the devil, and all the enemies of Christ, and of his people, whom Christ led in triumph, having spoiled them, and making a shew of them openly, Colossiansii, 15.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Psalms 68:18
“This magnifies the grace of Christ exceedingly that through him rebels are, upon their submission, not only pardoned, but preferred. They have commissions given them under Christ, which some say, in our law, amounts to the reversing of an attainder. Christ came to a rebellious world, not to condemn it, but that through him it might be saved.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Psalms 68:18
- Quoted inEphesians 4:8This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”
'When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive' ('he saith')
7. (vv. 19-20)
a.The verb in verse 19 is amas, to load or to carry a load, and what He carries daily is the burden. Verse 20 calls Him the rescuer from death. The noun there is totsa'ot, a plural for the ways out, and Barnes reads every escape from dying as God's to give.
Psalms 68:19, 2 voices
Psalms 68:19
“Blessed be the Lord day by day. He who makes progress can bless God daily. For what does it profit me, if I blessed yesterday, and today I cannot bless? The God of our salvations will make our journey prosperous. Be secure, O sinner, do not doubt that you can daily bless God: for behold, he says, God will make our journey prosperous. Therefore God helps us, and works together with us. Of our salvations. He said it well in the plural, "of salvations": because however many sins we have committed, so many salvations also do we have. Diapsalma.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:19
“So constant are they, and so unwearied is he in doing us good, that he daily loads us with them, according as the necessity of every day requires. (2.) He will at length be unto us the God of salvation, of everlasting salvation, the salvation of God, which he will show to those that order their conversation aright ( Ps. l. 23 ), the salvation of the soul.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Psalms 68:20, 1 voice
Psalms 68:20
“Our God is the God of saving, and the outcomes of death belong to the Lord: because he himself rose from the dead, and made us rise together with him. Otherwise, the devil is the entrance of death: but the Lord leads out.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
8. (vv. 21-23)
a.God crushes the heads of His enemies. Those hairy crowns belong to men who persist in guilty ways. Verse 22 has the Lord retrieving them from Bashan and from the depths of the sea, and verse 23 asks for their blood underfoot.
Psalms 68:21, 2 voices
Psalms 68:21
“But nevertheless God will shatter the heads of his enemies: of the devil, and all his powers. "You have shattered the heads of the dragon in the water." As many as the sins are, so many heads does the devil have. The crown of the hair of those who walk in their own trespasses. For his head is so shattered, that there does not remain in him any power by which he may goad those who sin.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:21
“But God shall wound the head of his enemies. The Preserver is also the Destroyer. He smites his foes on the crown of their pride. The seed of the woman crushes the serpent's head. There is no defence against the Lord, he can in a moment smite with utter destruction the lofty crests of his haughty foes. And the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:22, 2 voices
Psalms 68:22
“The Lord has said, From Basan I will turn back: that is, from the confusion of this world I will turn back the human race; that is, through my passion and cross, which these people think foolishness and confusion, I will turn back my people. Since indeed Basan is interpreted "confusion." I will turn back in the depths of the sea: that is, from the deep vices and sins of this world, from the commotion and the waves I will turn back my people.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:22
“This verse, by the insertion of the words, my people, is made to bear the meaning which the translators thought best; but, if their interpolated word is omitted, we probably get nearer to the sense. The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring again from the depths of the sea. Though his foes should endeavour to escape, they should not be able.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:23, 2 voices
Psalms 68:23
“That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies. Vengeance shall be awarded to the oppressed people, and that most complete and terrible. And the tongue of thy dogs in the same. So overwhelming should be the defeat of the foe that dogs should lick their blood. Here "the stern joy which warriors feel" expresses itself in language most natural to the oriental ear.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:23
“That, &c. - And as it was at the Red Sea, and at Bashan before, so yet again thine enemies shall be slain in such numbers, that thou mayst wade in their blood, and thy dogs lick it up in the field.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
9. (vv. 24-27)
a.The order of the procession is given: singers first, then musicians, then the maidens with tambourines. Verse 27 puts Benjamin at the head of the tribes, the youngest of them, and Gill names Benjamin as the tribe of Saul, Israel's first king. Judah, Zebulun and Naphtali follow.
Psalms 68:24, 2 voices
Psalms 68:24
“They have seen your entrances, O God: because in the sight of five hundred men and all the apostles and the cherubim and all the angels you ascended into the heavens. The entrances of my God, of my king who is in the holy place. Because you who are the God of all and the Lord of those who rule and the King of kings, in a special way you are my God, just as also the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and the God of the Hebrews.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:24
“They - Men saw and observed it. Goings - The procession of the ark to Zion, the solemnity whereof is particularly described in the following verses. The sanctuary - The tabernacle prepared for it.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Psalms 68:25, 2 voices
Psalms 68:25
The princes went before, joined with those making melody. The apostles themselves went before, and those who through them believed followed: or certainly the churches. But he says "of the timbrel-players" because their body is dead to sin. And Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron, holding a timbrel in Exodus, went before those making melody, and said: "Let us sing to the Lord, for gloriously has he been honored."
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:25
“The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after. This was the order of the march, and God is to be worshipped evermore with due decorum. First the singers, and lastly the musicians, for the song must lead the music, and not the music drown the singing. In the midst of the vocal and instrumental band, or all around them, were the maidens: among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:26, 2 voices
Psalms 68:26
“In the churches bless God. O you who glory in abstinence, do this in the churches, and do not defend heresy for your own selves. These things can be said to Tatian, who is the chief of the Encratites. The Lord from the fountains of Israel. The Manichaean cannot bless the Lord, because he does not bless from the fountains of Israel: that is, because he does not receive the Old Testament.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:26
Bless ye God in the congregations. Let the assembled company magnify the God whose ark they followed. United praise is like the mingled perfume which Aaron made, it should all be presented unto God. He blesses us; let him be blessed. Even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. A parallel passage to that in Deborah's song: "They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord."
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:27, 3 voices
Psalms 68:27
“There is Benjamin the young lad in ecstasy of mind. He means holy Paul: "there," in the church: "the young lad," the last of all the apostles, of the tribe of Benjamin. The princes of Judah their leaders. The apostles are the princes of Judah, that is, of the Lord, just as Jacob says: "Judah, may your brothers praise you." The princes of Zabulon, the princes of Nephthalim.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:27
“There is little Benjamin with their ruler. The tribe was small, having been greatly reduced in numbers, but it had the honour of including Zion within its territory. "And of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders." Little Benjamin had been Jacob's darling, and now the tribe is made to march first in the procession, and to dwell nearest to the holy place. The princes of Judah and their council.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:27
“There is - Present in this solemn pomp of carrying the ark to Zion. Little - Called little, because it was exceedingly diminished, and almost extinguished under the Judges, Judg. xx, 35; xxi, 3 &c.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
10. (vv. 28-31)
a.Verse 29 ties the nations' gifts to the temple at Jerusalem. Verse 30 asks God to rebuke the beast in the reeds and the herd of bulls until it submits and brings bars of silver. Envoys come from Egypt and Cush stretches out her hands.
Psalms 68:28, 1 voice
Psalms 68:28
“Thy God hath commanded thy strength. His decree had ordained the nation strong, and his arm had made them so. As a commander in chief, the Lord made the valiant men pass in battle array, and bade them be strong in the day of conflict. This is a very rich though brief sentence, and, whether applied to an individual believer, or to the whole church, it is full of consolation. Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us. As all power comes from God at first, so its continual maintenance is also of him.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:29, 2 voices
Psalms 68:29
“Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee. The palace of God, which towered above Jerusalem, is prophesied as becoming a wonder to all lands, and when it grew from the tabernacle of David to the temple of Solomon, it was so. So splendid was that edifice that the queen of far off Sheba came with her gifts; and many neighbouring princes, overawed by the wealth and power therein displayed, came with tribute to Israel's God. The church of God, when truly spiritual, wins for her God the homage of the nations.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:29-31
“This was in part fulfilled by the accession of many proselytes to the Jewish religion in the days of David and Solomon; but it was to have its full accomplishment in the conversion of the Gentile nations to the faith of Christ, and the making of them fellow-heirs, and of the same body, with the seed of Israel, Eph. iii.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Psalms 68:30, 2 voices
Psalms 68:30
“Rebuke the company of spearmen,.... Or, "of the reed" (d); that is, men that use and fight with spears, like to reeds, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it.”
Psalms 68:30
“Rebuke the company of spearmen; or, the beasts of the reeds, as the margin more correctly renders it. Speak to Egypt, let its growing power and jealousy be kept in order, by a word from thee. Israel remembers her old enemy, already plotting the mischief, which would break out under Jeroboam, and begs for a rebuking word from her Omnipotent Friend. Antichrist also, that great red dragon, needs the effectual word of the Lord to rebuke its insolence.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:31, 3 voices
Psalms 68:31
“Legates shall come out of Egypt. Egypt is interpreted "darkness": out of the darkness of this world. Ethiopia shall stretch out her hand before to God. Because we who were black with sins and passions went before the Israelite people, and believe in the Savior: just as she who had a flow of blood went before the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue, and is healed.”
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:31
“Princes shall come out of Egypt,.... The Vulgate Latin and all the Oriental versions render it "ambassadors". This verse is a prophecy of the conversion of the Gentiles, under the names of Egypt and Ethiopia; which will be at the same time that the kings of the earth will become Christians, and antichrist will be destroyed. The Gospel is said to be preached in Egypt by Mark the Evangelist; and no doubt but there were conversions there in the first times of the Gospel; but there will be more in the latter day; see Psa 87:”
Psalms 68:31
“Princes shall come out of Egypt. Old foes shall be new friends. Solomon shall find a spouse in Pharaoh's house. Christ shall gather a people from the realm of sin. Great sinners shall yield themselves to the sceptre of grace, and great men shall become good men, by coming to God. Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. Cush shall hasten to present peace offerings. Sheba's queen shall come from the far south. Candace's chamberlain shall ask of Him who was led as a lamb to the slaughter.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
11. (vv. 32-35)
a.The call widens to every kingdom of the earth. Verse 34 tells them to ascribe the power to God, whose strength is in the skies, and verse 35 says He gives that same strength and power to His people. The last line is Blessed be God.
Psalms 68:32, 3 voices
Psalms 68:32-33
And so, since God is spiritual light and Christ in sacred Scripture is called "Sun of Justice" and "orient," the east should be dedicated to his worship. For everything beautiful should be dedicated to God from whom everything that is good receives its goodness. Also, the divine David says, "Sing to God, all you kingdoms of the earth: sing to the Lord; who mounts above the heaven of heavens, to the east."
John Damascene· written before 749· ORTHODOX FAITH 4:12patristic
Psalms 68:32
“Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth,.... Not only the Egyptian and Ethiopian kingdoms, but all the kingdoms of the world; which will now be converted to Christ, and become his, even all the Papal, Pagan, and Mahometan kingdoms; see Rev 11:”
Psalms 68:32-35
“To Him who is presented as riding in triumph through His ancient heavens and proclaiming His presence--to Him who, in nature, and still more in the wonders of His spiritual government, out of His holy place (Ps 43:3), is terrible, who rules His Church, and, by His Church, rules the world in righteousness--let all nations and kingdoms give honor and power and dominion evermore.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Psalms 68:33, 5 voices
Psalms 68:33
Who ascends above the heaven of heaven to the east. Because above he said, Who ascends above the sunset; here he says, to the east. For when the passions and the sun of iniquity set for us, the sun of righteousness rises for us: that is, the Lord ascends over us, and dwells in us. Behold, he will give to his voice a voice of power. "Lazarus, come forth."
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:33
“To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens, which were of old,.... Or "eastward" (q); the first, second, and third heavens, which were created from the beginning of time by Christ himself, Psa 102:25 compared with Heb 1:”
Psalms 68:33
To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old. Before, he was described in his earthly manifestations, as marching through the desert; now, in his celestial glory, as riding in the heavens of the primeval ages. Long ere this heaven and earth were made, the loftier abodes of the Deity stood fast; before men or angels were created, the splendours of the Great King were as great as now, and his triumphs as glorious. Our knowledge reaches but to a small fragment of the life of God, whose "goings forth were of old, even from everlasting."
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:33
“Of old - From the beginning of the world; whereas the ark was only some hundred years old. A voice - His gospel, published by Christ and his apostles, assisted by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; which might well be called God's voice, and that a mighty voice, because it produced such great and wonderful effects.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Psalms 68:33
“Because of his awful and terrible majesty: He sends out his voice, and that a mighty voice. This may refer either generally to the thunder, which is called the voice of the Lord and is said to be powerful and full of majesty ( Ps. xxix. 3, 4 ), or in particular to that thunder in which God spoke to Israel at Mount Sinai.”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Psalms 68:34, 2 voices
Psalms 68:34
Behold, he will give to his voice a voice of power; his magnificence is over Israel. The magnificence of God is in Israel, who sees God. And his power is in the clouds, that is, in the prophets and apostles. "I have commanded my clouds, that they rain no rain upon Israel."
Jerome· written before 420· Homily 7, on Psalm 67patristic
Psalms 68:34
“Excellency - His excellent power and goodness. Is over - Dwells among them. He is indeed the universal Lord, but in a special manner, he is the God of Israel.”
John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)evangelical
Psalms 68:35, 2 voices
Psalms 68:35
“O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places. You inspire awe and fear. Thy saints obey with fear and trembling, and thine enemies flee in dismay. From thy threefold courts, and especially from the holy of holies, thy majesty flashes forth and makes the sons of men prostrate themselves in awe. The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. In this thou, who art Israel's God by covenant, art terrible to thy foes by making thy people strong, so that one shall chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight.”
Charles Spurgeon· The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)Particular (Reformed) Baptist / Five-point Calvinist / 1689 LBCF / 19th-c. evangelical
Psalms 68:35
“Nor is any attribute of God more dreadful to sinners than his holiness. Because of the grace bestowed upon his people: The God of Israel is he that gives strength and power unto his people, which the gods of the nations, that were vanity and a lie, could not give to their worshippers; how should they help them, when they could not help themselves?”
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
The text of this chapter
This page carries no textual note on Psalms 68. Where this site has examined a place the manuscripts differ, the examination is in the manuscripts room. Every place this site examines →
This page draws on 12 works. Open for the list.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Ambrose of Milan; Charles Spurgeon; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown; Jerome, Homily 7, on Psalm 67; John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms; John Damascene, ORTHODOX FAITH 4:12; John Gill; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765) and Matthew Henry.
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