Psalms 76:2-4

Context

76:2 He lives in Salem;¹

he dwells in Zion.²

76:3 There he shattered the arrows,³

the shield, the sword, and the rest of the weapons of war.⁴ (Selah)

76:4 You shine brightly and reveal your majesty,

as you descend from the hills where you killed your prey.⁵

[76:2] ¹sn Salem is a shorter name for Jerusalem (see Gen 14:18).

[76:2] ²tn Heb “and his place of refuge is in Salem, and his lair in Zion.” God may be likened here to a lion (see v. 4).

[76:3] ³tn Heb “flames of the bow,” i.e., arrows.

[76:3] ⁴tn Heb “shield and sword and battle.” “Battle” probably here stands by metonymy for the weapons of war in general.

[76:4] ⁵tn Heb “radiant [are] you, majestic from the hills of prey.” God is depicted as a victorious king and as a lion that has killed its victims.