Psalms 68:1-2

Context

Psalm 68¹

For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.

68:1 God springs into action!²

His enemies scatter;

his adversaries³ run from him.⁴

68:2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away.⁵

As wax melts before fire,

so the wicked are destroyed before God.

[68:1] ¹sn Psalm 68. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.

[68:1] ²tn Or “rises up.” The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing God’s appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion.

[68:1] ³tn Heb “those who hate him.”

[68:1] ⁴sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: “Spring into action, Lord! Then your enemies will be scattered and your adversaries will run from you.”

[68:2] ⁵tn Heb “as smoke is scattered, you scatter [them].”