Discovery BoxPsalms 68:13-35
Context68:13 When 1 you lie down among the sheepfolds, 2
the wings of the dove are covered with silver
and with glittering gold. 3
68:14 When the sovereign judge 4 scatters kings, 5
let it snow 6 on Zalmon!
68:15 The mountain of Bashan 7 is a towering mountain; 8
the mountain of Bashan is a mountain with many peaks. 9
68:16 Why do you look with envy, 10 O mountains 11 with many peaks,
at the mountain where God has decided to live? 12
Indeed 13 the Lord will live there 14 permanently!
68:17 God has countless chariots;
they number in the thousands. 15
The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor. 16
you have taken many captives. 18
You receive tribute 19 from 20 men,
including even sinful rebels.
Indeed the Lord God lives there! 21
68:19 The Lord deserves praise! 22
Day after day 23 he carries our burden,
the God who delivers us. (Selah)
68:20 Our God is a God who delivers;
the Lord, the sovereign Lord, can rescue from death. 24
68:21 Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies,
the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion. 25
68:22 The Lord says,
“I will retrieve them 26 from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
68:23 so that your feet may stomp 27 in their blood,
and your dogs may eat their portion of the enemies’ corpses.” 28
68:24 They 29 see your processions, O God –
the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor. 30
68:25 Singers walk in front;
musicians follow playing their stringed instruments, 31
in the midst of young women playing tambourines. 32
68:26 In your large assemblies praise God,
the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel! 33
68:27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler, 34
and the princes of Judah in their robes, 35
along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
68:28 God has decreed that you will be powerful. 36
O God, you who have acted on our behalf, demonstrate your power,
68:29 as you come out of your temple in Jerusalem! 37
Kings bring tribute to you.
68:30 Sound your battle cry 38 against the wild beast of the reeds, 39
and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! 40
They humble themselves 41 and offer gold and silver as tribute. 42
God 43 scatters 44 the nations that like to do battle.
68:31 They come with red cloth 45 from Egypt,
Ethiopia 46 voluntarily offers tribute 47 to God.
68:32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God!
Sing praises to the Lord, (Selah)
68:33 to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times! 48
Look! He thunders loudly. 49
68:34 Acknowledge God’s power, 50
his sovereignty over Israel,
and the power he reveals in the skies! 51
68:35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple! 52
It is the God of Israel 53 who gives the people power and strength.
God deserves praise! 54
[68:13] 2 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “sheepfolds” is uncertain. There may be an echo of Judg 5:16 here.
[68:13] 3 tn Heb “and her pinions with the yellow of gold.”
[68:14] 4 tn The divine name used here is שַׁדַּי (“Shaddai”). Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king/judge of the world who grants life, blesses and kills, and judges. In Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses (protects) and takes away life and/or happiness.
[68:14] 5 tn The Hebrew text adds “in it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix may refer back to God’s community/dwelling place (v. 10).
[68:14] 6 tn The verb form appears to be a Hiphil jussive from שָׁלַג (shalag), which is usually understood as a denominative verb from שֶׁלֶג (sheleg, “snow”) with an indefinite subject. The form could be taken as a preterite, in which case one might translate, “when the sovereign judge scattered kings, it snowed on Zalmon” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The point of the image is unclear. Perhaps “snow” suggests fertility and blessing (see v. 9 and Isa 55:10), or the image of a snow-capped mountain suggests grandeur.
[68:15] 7 sn The mountain of Bashan probably refers to Mount Hermon.
[68:15] 8 tn Heb “a mountain of God.” The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very high mountain (“a mountain fit for God,” as it were). Cf. NIV “are majestic mountains”; NRSV “O mighty mountain.”
[68:15] 9 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term, which appears only here in the OT, is uncertain. HALOT 174 s.v. גַּבְנוֹן suggests “many-peaked,” while BDB 148 s.v. גַּבְנִן suggests “rounded summit.”
[68:16] 10 tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb רָצַד (ratsad), translated here “look with envy,” is uncertain; it occurs only here in the OT. See BDB 952-53. A cognate verb occurs in later Aramaic with the meaning “to lie in wait; to watch” (Jastrow 1492 s.v. רְצַד).
[68:16] 11 tn Perhaps the apparent plural form should be read as a singular with enclitic mem (ם; later misinterpreted as a plural ending). The preceding verse has the singular form.
[68:16] 12 tn Heb “[at] the mountain God desires for his dwelling place.” The reference is to Mount Zion/Jerusalem.
[68:16] 13 tn The Hebrew particle אַף (’af) has an emphasizing function here.
[68:16] 14 tn The word “there” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[68:17] 15 tn Heb “thousands of [?].” The meaning of the word שִׁנְאָן (shin’an), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Perhaps the form should be emended to שַׁאֲנָן (sha’anan, “at ease”) and be translated here “held in reserve.”
[68:17] 16 tc The MT reads, “the Lord [is] among them, Sinai, in holiness,” which is syntactically difficult. The present translation assumes an emendation to אֲדֹנָי בָּא מִסִּינַי (’adonay ba’ missinay; see BHS note b-b and Deut 33:2).
[68:18] 17 tn Heb “to the elevated place”; or “on high.” This probably refers to the Lord’s throne on Mount Zion.
[68:18] 18 tn Heb “you have taken captives captive.”
[68:18] 21 tn Heb “so that the
[68:19] 22 tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”
[68:19] 23 tn It is possible to take this phrase with what precedes (“The Lord deserves praise day after day”) rather than with what follows.
[68:20] 24 tn Heb “and to the
[68:21] 25 tn Heb “the hairy forehead of the one who walks about in his guilt.” The singular is representative.
[68:22] 26 tn That is, the enemies mentioned in v. 21. Even if they retreat to distant regions, God will retrieve them and make them taste his judgment.
[68:23] 27 tc Some (e.g. NRSV) prefer to emend מָחַץ (makhats, “smash; stomp”; see v. 21) to רָחַץ (rakhats, “bathe”; see Ps 58:10).
[68:23] 28 tn Heb “[and] the tongue of your dogs from [the] enemies [may eat] its portion.”
[68:24] 29 tn The subject is probably indefinite, referring to bystanders in general who witness the procession.
[68:24] 30 tn The Hebrew text has simply “in holiness.” The words “who marches along” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[68:25] 31 tn Heb “after [are] the stringed instrument players.”
[68:25] 32 sn To celebrate a military victory, women would play tambourines (see Exod 15:20; Judg 11:34; 1 Sam 18:6).
[68:26] 33 tn Heb “from the fountain of Israel,” which makes little, if any, sense here. The translation assumes an emendation to בְּמִקְרָאֵי (bÿmiqra’ey, “in the assemblies of [Israel]”).
[68:27] 34 sn Little Benjamin, their ruler. This may allude to the fact that Israel’s first king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin.
[68:27] 35 tc The MT reads רִגְמָתָם (rigmatam), which many derive from רָגַם (ragam, “to kill by stoning”) and translates, “[in] their heaps,” that is, in large numbers.
[68:28] 36 tn Heb “God has commanded your strength.” The statement is apparently addressed to Israel (see v. 26).
[68:29] 37 tn Heb “Be strong, O God, [you] who have acted for us, from your temple in Jerusalem.”
[68:30] 38 tn The Hebrew verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts such as Ps 68 this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Ps 106:9 and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
[68:30] 39 sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.
[68:30] 40 tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”
[68:30] 41 tn Heb “humbling himself.” The verb form is a Hitpael participle from the root רָפַס (rafas, “to trample”). The Hitpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, “humble oneself,” a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is “wild beast” or “assembly,” though both of these nouns are grammatically feminine, while the participle is a masculine form. Perhaps one should emend the participial form to a masculine plural (מִתְרַפִּם, mitrapim) and understand “bulls” or “calves” as the subject.
[68:30] 42 tc Heb “with pieces [?] of silver.” The meaning of the Hebrew term רַצֵּי (ratsey) is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to בֶּצֶר וְכָסֶף (betser vÿkhasef, “[with] gold and silver”).
[68:30] 43 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[68:30] 44 tn The verb בָּזַר (bazar) is an alternative form of פָּזַר (pazar, “scatter”).
[68:31] 45 tn This noun, which occurs only here in the OT, apparently means “red cloth” or “bronze articles” (see HALOT 362 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NEB “tribute”). Traditionally the word has been taken to refer to “nobles” (see BDB 365 s.v. חַשְׁמַן; cf. NIV “envoys”). Another option would be to emend the text to הַשְׁמַנִּים (hashmannim, “the robust ones,” i.e., leaders).
[68:31] 47 tn Heb “causes its hands to run,” which must mean “quickly stretches out its hands” (to present tribute).
[68:33] 48 tc Heb “to the one who rides through the skies of skies of ancient times.” If the MT is retained, one might translate, “to the one who rides through the ancient skies.” (שְׁמֵי [shÿmey, “skies of”] may be accidentally repeated.) The present translation assumes an emendation to בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִקֶּדֶם (bashamayim miqqedem, “[to the one who rides] through the sky from ancient times”), that is, God has been revealing his power through the storm since ancient times.
[68:33] 49 tn Heb “he gives his voice a strong voice.” In this context God’s “voice” is the thunder that accompanies the rain (see vv. 8-9, as well as Deut 33:26).
[68:34] 50 tn Heb “give strength to God.”
[68:34] 51 sn The language of v. 34 echoes that of Deut 33:26.
[68:35] 52 tn Heb “awesome [is] God from his holy places.” The plural of מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “holy places”) perhaps refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 73:17; Jer 51:51).
