Psalms 68:12
in Psalms 68“Kings and their armies flee in haste; she who waits at home divides the plunder.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Kings of armies flee, they flee; And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.
KJV
Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.
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This verse in Psalms 68
Commentary
12 notes on this verseThe 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.
This site's exposition
The Lord gives the command
on Psalms 68:11-14
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.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"The Lord shall give the Word" [Psalm 68:11]: to wit, food for His animals which shall dwell therein. But what shall these animals work to whom He shall give the word? What but that which follows? "To them preaching the Gospel in much virtue." With what virtue, but with that strength wherein He leads forth men fettered? Perchance also here he speaks of that virtue, wherewith in preaching the Gospel they wrought wondrous signs. Who then "shall give the Word to men preaching the Gospel with much virtue"? "The King," he says, "of the virtues of the Beloved" [Psalm 68:12]. The Father therefore is King of the virtues of the Son. For the Beloved, when there is not specified any person that is beloved, by a substitution of name, of the Only Son is understood. Is not the Son Himself King of His virtues, to wit of the virtues serving Himself? Because with much virtue the King of Virtues shall give the Word to men preaching the Gospel, of Whom it has been said, "The Lord of Virtues, He is the King of Glory?" But his not having said King of Virtues, but "King of the Virtues of the beloved," is a most usual expression in the Scriptures, if any one observe: which thing chiefly appears in those cases where even the person's own name is already expressed, so that it cannot at all be doubted that it is the same person of whom something is said. Of which sort also is that which in the Pentateuch in many passages is found: "And Moses did it, as the Lord commanded Moses." He said not that which is usual in our expressions, And Moses did, as the Lord commanded him; but, "Moses did as the Lord commanded Moses," as if one person were the Moses whom He commanded, and another person the Moses who did, whereas it is the very same. In the New Testament such expressions are most difficult to find. […]
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 3 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Whatever is said in the Bible of the sun shedding light, or of other diffusions, or of banquets, is said of His bounty. Hence, in the Psalm: "The household shall divide the spoils." And in Isaiah: "They rejoice before You as men make merry when …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Kings of armies did flee apace,.... Or "they fled, they fled" (y); or "they flee, they flee".
Kings - The kings of Canaan, and other nations who came forth against the Israelites, accompanied with great and numerous armies. The spoil - There was enough, not only for those who took it, but also to be divided to their wives and children, when they came home.
God spoke in his holiness, and then Gilead is mine. That they had prophets, as God's messengers, to make known his mind to them. God gave them his word ( the word of the Lord came unto them) and then great was the company of the preachers --prophets and prophetesses, for the word is feminine.
5 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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.
Kings of armies did flee apace. The lords of hosts fled before the Lord of Hosts. No sooner did the ark advance than the enemy turned his back: even the princely leaders stayed not, but took to flight. The rout was complete, the retreat hurried and disorderly;—they "did flee, did flee; "helter skelter, pell mell, as we say. And she that tarried at home divided the spoil. The women who had published the war cry shared the booty. The feeblest in Israel had a portion of the prey. Gallant warriors cast their spoils at the feet of the women and bade them array themselves in splendour, taking each one "a prey of divers colours, of divers colours of needlework on both sides." When the Lord gives success to his gospel, the very best of his saints are made glad and feel themselves partakers in the blessing.
Kings of armies did flee apace. The lords of hosts fled before the Lord of Hosts. No sooner did the ark advance than the enemy turned his back: even the princely leaders stayed not, but took to flight. The rout was complete, the retreat hurried and disorderly;—they "did flee, did flee; "helter skelter, pell mell, as we say. And she that tarried at home divided the spoil. The women who had published the war cry shared the booty. The feeblest in Israel had a portion of the prey.
Kings of armies did flee - Rabin and the kings of the Canaanites, who united their forces to overwhelm the Israelites. And she - Deborah the prophetess, a woman accustomed to tarry at home, and take care of the family; she divided the spoils, and vanquished their kings.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Kings of armies did flee apace - Margin, as in Hebrew, did flee, did flee. This is the Hebrew mode of expressing that which is emphatic or superlative. It is by simply repeating the word. The idea is, that they fled speedily; they fled at once, and in alarm. Psa 68:12-13 are marked by DeWette as a quotation, and the language is supposed by him to be the substance of the song that was sung by the women as referred to in Psa 68:11. This supposition is not improbable. The reference is, undoubtedly, to the former victories achieved by the people of God when they went out to war; and the idea is, that when the command came, when God gave the word Psa 68:11, their foes fled in consternation. And she that tarried at home divided the spoil - The women remaining in their homes, while the men went out to war. On them devolved the office of dividing the plunder, and of giving the proper portions to each of the victors. They would take an interest in the battle, and receive the booty, and assign the portion due to each of the brave soldiers - the more acceptable as given to them by female hands. Possibly, however, the meaning may be, that the victors would bring the plunder home, and lay it at the feet of their wives and daughters to be divided among the women themselves. The dividing of the spoils of battle after a victory was always an important act. Compare Jdg 5:30; Jos 7:21; 1Ch 26:27; Heb 7:4.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The Lord will give out a word; they will announce it to a great multitude Heb. אמר, [like] מאמר, statement. He will yet roar with [His] voice to allow the hosts of the great nations to hear it. Now what is the word?
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Your congregation dwelt therein Heb. (חיתך). Your congregation has dwelt therein, as (II Sam.:11): “and the Philistines gathered together their camp (sic) into a troop (לחיה).” Another explanation: The congregation of Israel is known as the animal and the beast of the Holy One, blessed be He.
The kings of the hosts of nations will wander, yea they will wander.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מַלְכֵ֣י | malkhei | kings of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| צְ֭בָאוֹת | tzevaot | armies | H6635 → | 485 times |
| יִדֹּד֣וּן | yidodun | they flee ! | H5074 → | 28 times |
| יִדֹּד֑וּן | yidodun | they flee ! | H5074 → | 28 times |
| וּנְוַת | unevat | and [the] beautiful woman of | H5116 → | |
| בַּ֝֗יִת | bayit | [the] house | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| תְּחַלֵּ֥ק | techalek | she divides | H2505 → | 65 times |
| שָׁלָֽל׃ | shalal | [the] plunder | H7998 → |
מַלְכֵ֣יkings of
malkheiH4428 →2525 times
צְ֭בָאוֹתarmies
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
יִדֹּד֣וּןthey flee !
yidodunH5074 →28 times
יִדֹּד֑וּןthey flee !
yidodunH5074 →28 times
וּנְוַתand [the] beautiful woman of
unevatH5116 →
בַּ֝֗יִת[the] house
bayitH1004 →2046 times
תְּחַלֵּ֥קshe divides
techalekH2505 →65 times
שָׁלָֽל׃[the] plunder
shalalH7998 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Samuel 30:24Who will listen to your proposal? The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.”
it leads to
- Joshua 22:8
saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.”
- Numbers 31:27
Then divide the captives between the troops who went out to battle and the rest of the congregation.
- Joshua 22:8
Through
Judges 5:19Kings came and fought; then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they took no plunder of silver.
it leads to
- Judges 5:30
‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the neck of the looter?’
- Judges 1:27
At that time Manasseh failed to drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and their villages; for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land.
- 1 Kings 4:12
Baana son of Ahilud in Taanach, in Megiddo, and in all of Beth-shean next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah and on past Jokmeam;
- Psalms 68:12–14
“Kings and their armies flee in haste; she who waits at home divides the plunder.
- Revelation 19:19
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army.
- Judges 5:30
Through
Joshua 10:16Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 13:6
Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.
- 1 Samuel 13:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 68; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 3; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 7, on Psalm 67; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.