Psalms 68
68
Psalm 68#sn Psalm 68. The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.
For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.
1 God springs into action!#tn Or โrises up.โ The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing Godโs appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion.
His enemies scatter;
his adversaries#tn Heb โthose who hate him.โ run from him.#sn The wording of v. 1 echoes the prayer in Num 10:35: โSpring into action, Lord! Then your enemies will be scattered and your adversaries will run from you.โ
2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away.#tn Heb โas smoke is scattered, you scatter [them].โ
As wax melts before fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.
3 But the godly#tn By placing the subject first the psalmist highlights the contrast between Godโs ecstatic people and his defeated enemies (vv. 1-2). are happy;
they rejoice before God
and are overcome with joy.#tn Heb โand they are happy with joyโ (cf. NEB). Some translate the prefixed verbal forms of v. 3 as jussives, โLet the godly be happy, let them rejoice before God, and let them be happy with joy!โ (Cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV; note the call to praise in v. 4.)
4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name!
Exalt the one who rides on the clouds!#tn Traditionally the Hebrew term ืขึฒืจึธืืึนืช (โaravot) is taken as โsteppe-landsโ (often rendered โdesertsโ), but here the form is probably a homonym meaning โclouds.โ Verse 33, which depicts God as the one who โrides on the skyโ strongly favors this (see as well Deut 33:26), as does the reference in v. 9 to God as the source of rain. The term ืขึฒืจึธืึธื (โaravah, โcloudโ) is cognate with Akkadian urpatu/erpetu and with Ugaritic โrpt. The phrase rkb โrpt (โone who rides on the cloudsโ) appears in Ugaritic mythological texts as an epithet of the storm god Baal. The nonphonemic interchange of the bilabial consonants b and p is attested elsewhere in roots common to Hebrew and Ugaritic, though the phenomenon is relatively rare.
For the Lord is his name!#tc Heb โin the Lord his name.โ If the MT is retained, the preposition -ืึฐ (bet) is introducing the predicate (the so-called bet of identity), โthe Lord is his name.โ However, some prefer to emend the text to ืึผึดื ืึธืึผ ืฉืึฐืืึน (ki yah shรฟmo, โfor Yah is his nameโ). This emendation, reflected in the present translation, assumes a confusion of bet (ื) and kaf (ื) and haplography of yod (ื).
Rejoice before him!
5 He is a father to the fatherless
and an advocate for widows.#sn God is depicted here as a just ruler. In the ancient Near Eastern world a king was responsible for promoting justice, including caring for the weak and vulnerable, epitomized by the fatherless and widows.
God rules from his holy palace.#tn Heb โGod [is] in his holy dwelling place.โ He occupies his throne and carries out his royal responsibilities.
6 God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes;#tn Heb โGod causes the solitary ones to dwell in a house.โ The participle suggests this is what God typically does.
he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity.#tn Heb โhe brings out prisoners into prosperity.โ Another option is to translate, โhe brings out prisoners with singingโ (cf. NIV). The participle suggests this is what God typically does.
But sinful rebels live in the desert.#tn Or โin a parched [land].โsn God delivers the downtrodden and oppressed, but sinful rebels who oppose his reign are treated appropriately.
7 O God, when you lead your people into battle,#tn Heb โwhen you go out before your people.โ The Hebrew idiom โgo out beforeโ is used here in a militaristic sense of leading troops into battle (see Judg 4:14; 9:39; 2 Sam 5:24).
when you march through the desert,#sn When you march through the desert. Some interpreters think that v. 7 alludes to Israelโs exodus from Egypt and its subsequent travels in the desert. Another option is that v. 7, like v. 8, echoes Judg 5:4, which describes how the God of Sinai marched across the desert regions to do battle with Sisera and his Canaanite army. (Selah)
8 the earth shakes,
yes, the heavens pour down rain
before God, the God of Sinai,#tn Heb โthis one of Sinai.โ The phrase is a divine title, perhaps indicating that the Lord rules from Sinai.
before God, the God of Israel.#sn The language of vv. 7-8 is reminiscent of Judg 5:4-5, which tells how the God of Sinai came in the storm and annihilated the Canaanite forces led by Sisera. The presence of allusion does not mean, however, that this is a purely historical reference. The psalmist is describing Godโs typical appearance as a warrior in terms of his prior self-revelation as ancient events are reactualized in the psalmistโs experience. (For a similar literary technique, see Hab 3.)
9 O God, you cause abundant showers to fall#tn The verb ื ืึผืฃ (nuf, โcause rain to fallโ) is a homonym of the more common ื ืึผืฃ (โbrandishโ). on your chosen people.#tn Heb โ[on] your inheritance.โ This refers to Israel as Godโs specially chosen people (see Pss 28:9; 33:12; 74:2; 78:62, 71; 79:1; 94:5, 14; 106:40). Some take โyour inheritanceโ with what follows, but the vav (ื) prefixed to the following word (note ืึฐื ึดืึฐืึธื, vรฟnilโah) makes this syntactically unlikely.
When they#tn Heb โit [is],โ referring to Godโs โinheritance.โ are tired, you sustain them,#tn Heb โit,โ referring to Godโs โinheritance.โ
10 for you live among them.#tn The meaning of the Hebrew text is unclear; it appears to read, โyour animals, they live in it,โ but this makes little, if any, sense in this context. Some suggest that ืึธืึผึธื (khayah) is a rare homonym here, meaning โcommunityโ (BDB 312 s.v.) or โdwelling placeโ (HALOT 310 s.v. III *ืึทืึผึธื). In this case one may take โyour community/dwelling placeโ as appositional to the third feminine singular pronominal suffix at the end of v. 9, the antecedent of which is โyour inheritance.โ The phrase ืึธืฉืึฐืืึผึพืึธืึผ (yashvu-vah, โthey live in itโ) may then be understood as an asyndetic relative clause modifying โyour community/dwelling place.โ A literal translation of vv. 9b-10a would be, โwhen it [your inheritance] is tired, you sustain it, your community/dwelling place in [which] they live.โ
You sustain the oppressed with your good blessings, O God.
11 The Lord speaks;#tn Heb โgives a word.โ Perhaps this refers to a divine royal decree or battle cry.
many, many women spread the good news.#tn Heb โthe ones spreading the good news [are] a large army.โ The participle translated โthe ones spreading the good newsโ is a feminine plural form. Apparently the good news here is the announcement that enemy kings have been defeated (see v. 12).
12 Kings leading armies run away โ they run away!#tn The verbal repetition draws attention to the statement.
The lovely lady#tn The Hebrew form appears to be the construct of ื ืึผื (nuh, โpastureโ) but the phrase โpasture of the houseโ makes no sense here. The translation assumes that the form is an alternative or corruption of ื ืฆืื (โbeautiful womanโ). A reference to a woman would be appropriate in light of v. 11b. of the house divides up the loot.
13 When#tn Or โif.โ you lie down among the sheepfolds,#tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated โsheepfoldsโ is uncertain. There may be an echo of Judg 5:16 here.
the wings of the dove are covered with silver
and with glittering gold.#tn Heb โand her pinions with the yellow of gold.โsn The point of the imagery of v. 13 is not certain, though the reference to silver and gold appears to be positive. Both would be part of the loot carried away from battle (see v. 12b).
14 When the sovereign judge#tn The divine name used here is ืฉืึทืึผึทื (โShaddaiโ). 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. scatters kings,#tn The Hebrew text adds โin it.โ The third feminine singular pronominal suffix may refer back to Godโs community/dwelling place (v. 10).
let it snow#tn The verb form appears to be a Hiphil jussive from ืฉืึธืึทื (shalag), which is usually understood as a denominative verb from ืฉืึถืึถื (sheleg, โsnowโ) with an indefinite subject. The form could be taken as a preterite, in which case one might translate, โwhen the sovereign judge scattered kings, it snowed on Zalmonโ (cf. NIV, NRSV). The point of the image is unclear. Perhaps โsnowโ suggests fertility and blessing (see v. 9 and Isa 55:10), or the image of a snow-capped mountain suggests grandeur.sn Zalmon was apparently a mountain in the region, perhaps the one mentioned in Judg 9:46 as being in the vicinity of Shechem. on Zalmon!
15 The mountain of Bashan#sn The mountain of Bashan probably refers to Mount Hermon. is a towering mountain;#tn Heb โa mountain of God.โ The divine name is probably used here in a superlative sense to depict a very high mountain (โa mountain fit for God,โ as it were). Cf. NIV โare majestic mountainsโ; NRSV โO mighty mountain.โ
the mountain of Bashan is a mountain with many peaks.#tn The meaning of the Hebrew term, which appears only here in the OT, is uncertain. HALOT 174 s.v. ืึผึทืึฐื ืึนื suggests โmany-peaked,โ while BDB 148 s.v. ืึผึทืึฐื ึดื suggests โrounded summit.โ
16 Why do you look with envy,#tn The meaning of the Hebrew verb ืจึธืฆึทื (ratsad), translated here โlook with envy,โ is uncertain; it occurs only here in the OT. See BDB 952-53. A cognate verb occurs in later Aramaic with the meaning โto lie in wait; to watchโ (Jastrow 1492 s.v. ืจึฐืฆึทื). O mountains#tn Perhaps the apparent plural form should be read as a singular with enclitic mem (ื; later misinterpreted as a plural ending). The preceding verse has the singular form. with many peaks,
at the mountain where God has decided to live?#tn Heb โ[at] the mountain God desires for his dwelling place.โ The reference is to Mount Zion/Jerusalem.
Indeed#tn The Hebrew particle ืึทืฃ (โaf) has an emphasizing function here. the Lord will live there#tn The word โthereโ is supplied in the translation for clarification. permanently!
17 God has countless chariots;
they number in the thousands.#tn Heb โthousands of [?].โ The meaning of the word ืฉืึดื ึฐืึธื (shinโan), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Perhaps the form should be emended to ืฉืึทืึฒื ึธื (shaโanan, โat easeโ) and be translated here โheld in reserve.โ
The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor.#tc The MT reads, โthe Lord [is] among them, Sinai, in holiness,โ which is syntactically difficult. The present translation assumes an emendation to ืึฒืึนื ึธื ืึผึธื ืึดืกึผึดืื ึทื (โadonay baโ missinay; see BHS note b-b and Deut 33:2).
18 You ascend on high,#tn Heb โto the elevated placeโ; or โon high.โ This probably refers to the Lordโs throne on Mount Zion.
you have taken many captives.#tn Heb โyou have taken captives captive.โ
You receive tribute#tn Or โgifts.โ from#tn Or โamong.โ men,
including even sinful rebels.
Indeed the Lord God lives there!#tn Heb โso that the Lord God might live [there].โ Many take the infinitive construct with -ืึฐ (lamed) as indicating purpose here, but it is unclear how the offering of tribute enables the Lord to live in Zion. This may be an occurrence of the relatively rare emphatic lamed (see HALOT 510-11 s.v. II ืึฐ, though this text is not listed as an example there). If so, the statement corresponds nicely to the final line of v. 16, which also affirms emphatically that the Lord lives in Zion.
19 The Lord deserves praise!#tn Heb โblessed [be] the Lord.โ
Day after day#tn It is possible to take this phrase with what precedes (โThe Lord deserves praise day after dayโ) rather than with what follows. he carries our burden,
the God who delivers us. (Selah)
20 Our God is a God who delivers;
the Lord, the sovereign Lord, can rescue from death.#tn Heb โand to the Lord, the Lord, to death, goings out.โ
21 Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies,
the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion.#tn Heb โthe hairy forehead of the one who walks about in his guilt.โ The singular is representative.
22 The Lord says,
โI will retrieve them#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. from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 so that your feet may stomp#tc Some (e.g. NRSV) prefer to emend ืึธืึทืฅ (makhats, โsmash; stompโ; see v. 21) to ืจึธืึทืฅ (rakhats, โbatheโ; see Ps 58:10). in their blood,
and your dogs may eat their portion of the enemiesโ corpses.โ#tn Heb โ[and] the tongue of your dogs from [the] enemies [may eat] its portion.โ
24 They#tn The subject is probably indefinite, referring to bystanders in general who witness the procession. see your processions, O God โ
the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor.#tn The Hebrew text has simply โin holiness.โ The words โwho marches alongโ are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
25 Singers walk in front;
musicians follow playing their stringed instruments,#tn Heb โafter [are] the stringed instrument players.โ
in the midst of young women playing tambourines.#sn To celebrate a military victory, women would play tambourines (see Exod 15:20; Judg 11:34; 1 Sam 18:6).
26 In your large assemblies praise God,
the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel!#tn Heb โfrom the fountain of Israel,โ which makes little, if any, sense here. The translation assumes an emendation to ืึผึฐืึดืงึฐืจึธืึตื (bรฟmiqraโey, โin the assemblies of [Israel]โ).
27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler,#sn Little Benjamin, their ruler. This may allude to the fact that Israelโs first king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin.
and the princes of Judah in their robes,#tc The MT reads ืจึดืึฐืึธืชึธื (rigmatam), which many derive from ืจึธืึทื (ragam, โto kill by stoningโ) and translates, โ[in] their heaps,โ that is, in large numbers.
along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 God has decreed that you will be powerful.#tn Heb โGod has commanded your strength.โ The statement is apparently addressed to Israel (see v. 26).
O God, you who have acted on our behalf, demonstrate your power,
29 as you come out of your temple in Jerusalem!#tn Heb โBe strong, O God, [you] who have acted for us, from your temple in Jerusalem.โmap For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
Kings bring tribute to you.
30 Sound your battle cry#tn The Hebrew verb ืึผึธืขึทืจ (gaโar) is often understood to mean โrebuke.โ 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 warriorโs 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. against the wild beast of the reeds,#sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.
and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls!#tn Heb โan assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.โ
They humble themselves#tn Heb โhumbling himself.โ The verb form is a Hitpael participle from the root ืจึธืคึทืก (rafas, โto trampleโ). The Hitpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, โhumble oneself,โ a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is โwild beastโ or โassembly,โ 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 (ืึดืชึฐืจึทืคึผึดื, mitrapim) and understand โbullsโ or โcalvesโ as the subject. and offer gold and silver as tribute.#tc Heb โwith pieces [?] of silver.โ The meaning of the Hebrew term ืจึทืฆึผึตื (ratsey) is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to ืึผึถืฆึถืจ ืึฐืึธืกึถืฃ (betser vรฟkhasef, โ[with] gold and silverโ).
God#tn Heb โheโ; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity. scatters#tn The verb ืึผึธืึทืจ (bazar) is an alternative form of ืคึผึธืึทืจ (pazar, โscatterโ). the nations that like to do battle.
31 They come with red cloth#tn This noun, which occurs only here in the OT, apparently means โred clothโ or โbronze articlesโ (see HALOT 362 s.v. ืึทืฉืึฐืึทื; cf. NEB โtributeโ). Traditionally the word has been taken to refer to โnoblesโ (see BDB 365 s.v. ืึทืฉืึฐืึทื; cf. NIV โenvoysโ). Another option would be to emend the text to ืึทืฉืึฐืึทื ึผึดืื (hashmannim, โthe robust ones,โ i.e., leaders). from Egypt,
Ethiopia#tn Heb โCush.โ voluntarily offers tribute#tn Heb โcauses its hands to run,โ which must mean โquickly stretches out its handsโ (to present tribute). to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God!
Sing praises to the Lord, (Selah)
33 to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times!#tc Heb โto the one who rides through the skies of skies of ancient times.โ If the MT is retained, one might translate, โto the one who rides through the ancient skies.โ (ืฉืึฐืึตื [shรฟmey, โskies ofโ] may be accidentally repeated.) The present translation assumes an emendation to ืึผึทืฉืึผึธืึทืึดื ืึดืงึผึถืึถื (bashamayim miqqedem, โ[to the one who rides] through the sky from ancient timesโ), that is, God has been revealing his power through the storm since ancient times.
Look! He thunders loudly.#tn Heb โhe gives his voice a strong voice.โ In this context Godโs โvoiceโ is the thunder that accompanies the rain (see vv. 8-9, as well as Deut 33:26).
34 Acknowledge Godโs power,#tn Heb โgive strength to God.โ
his sovereignty over Israel,
and the power he reveals in the skies!#sn The language of v. 34 echoes that of Deut 33:26.
35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple!#tn Heb โawesome [is] God from his holy places.โ The plural of ืึดืงึฐืึผึธืฉื (miqdash, โholy placesโ) perhaps refers to the temple precincts (see Ps 73:17; Jer 51:51).
It is the God of Israel#tn Heb โthe God of Israel, he.โ who gives the people power and strength.
God deserves praise!#tn Heb โblessed [be] God.โ
Dewis Presennol:
Psalms 68: NET
Uwcholeuo
Copi
Cymharu
Rhanna
Eisiau i'th uchafbwyntiau gael eu cadw ar draws dy holl ddyfeisiau? Cofrestra neu mewngofnoda
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