Psalms 68:24-27

68:24 They ¹  see your processions, O God –

the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor. ² 

68:25 Singers walk in front;

musicians follow playing their stringed instruments, ³ 

in the midst of young women playing tambourines. ⁴ 

68:26 In your large assemblies praise God,

the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel! ⁵ 

68:27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler, ⁶ 

and the princes of Judah in their robes, ⁷ 

along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

[68:24]  ¹ tn The subject is probably indefinite, referring to bystanders in general who witness the procession.

[68:24]  ² tn The Hebrew text has simply “in holiness.” The words “who marches along” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[68:25]  ³ tn Heb “after [are] the stringed instrument players.”

[68:25]  ⁴ sn To celebrate a military victory, women would play tambourines (see Exod 15:20; Judg 11:34; 1 Sam 18:6).

[68:26]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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.