Psalms 68:14

68:14 When the sovereign judge ¹  scatters kings, ² 

let it snow ³  on Zalmon!

Psalms 68:30

68:30 Sound your battle cry ⁴  against the wild beast of the reeds, ⁵ 

and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls! ⁶ 

They humble themselves ⁷  and offer gold and silver as tribute. ⁸ 

God ⁹  scatters ¹⁰  the nations that like to do battle.

Psalms 59:11

59:11 Do not strike them dead suddenly,

because then my people might forget the lesson. ¹¹ 

Use your power to make them homeless vagabonds and then bring them down,

O Lord who shields us! ¹² 

Psalms 89:10

89:10 You crushed the Proud One ¹³  and killed it; ¹⁴ 

with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

Isaiah 41:15-16

41:15 “Look, I am making you like ¹⁵  a sharp threshing sledge,

new and double-edged. ¹⁶ 

You will thresh the mountains and crush them;

you will make the hills like straw. ¹⁷ 

41:16 You will winnow them and the wind will blow them away;

the wind will scatter them.

You will rejoice in the Lord;

you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.

Ezekiel 5:2

5:2 Burn a third of it in the fire inside the city when the days of your siege are completed. Take a third and slash it with a sword all around the city. Scatter a third to the wind, and I will unleash a sword behind them.

Ezekiel 12:14-15

12:14 All his retinue – his attendants and his troops – I will scatter to every wind; I will unleash a sword behind them.

12:15 “Then they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among foreign countries.

Daniel 2:35

2:35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction ¹⁸  and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind carries away. Not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth.

[68:14]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[68:30]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.

[68:30]  ⁶ tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”

[68:30]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[68:30]  ¹⁰ tn The verb בָּזַר (bazar) is an alternative form of פָּזַר (pazar, “scatter”).

[59:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “do not kill them, lest my people forget.”

[59:11]  ¹² tn Heb “make them roam around by your strength and bring them down, O our shield, the Lord.”

[89:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.” Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7), the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to replace order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 appears to combine the mythological and historical referents. The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) suggests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12), when God overcame the great deep and brought order out of chaos.

[89:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”

[41:15]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “into” (so NIV); ASV “have made thee to be.”

[41:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “owner of two-mouths,” i.e., double-edged.

[41:15]  ¹⁷ sn The mountains and hills symbolize hostile nations that are obstacles to Israel’s restoration.

[2:35]  ¹⁸ tn Aram “as one.” For the meaning “without distinction” see the following: F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 36, §64, and p. 93; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 60.