BIBLE STUDY MANUALS - PSALM 68 OBSERVATIONS

PSALM 68

OBSERVATIONS

The purpose of the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand in accordance with the framework in which it was written: a framework which is defined by the normative rules of language, context and logic - rules which do not impose undue, unintended meanings to the text , and which largely limit the observer to the content offered by Paul's epistle to the Ephesians and his other writings. In order for any passage from elsewhere to be considered, it must have a relationship with the context at hand, such as a Scriptural quotation or a specific cross reference in the passage at hand by the author. This will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.

Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.

I) Introduction

A) The Hebrew Text Provides An Instruction To The Choir Director

(Ps 68 Title NASB) "For the choir director, A Psalm of David. A Song.' "

Psalm 68 was authored by David as a prayer with a poetic and rhythmic structure - in a chorus form to be repeatedly recited and / or sung.

B) Psalm 68 Traces The Establishment Of God's Kingdom From The Time Of His Redemption / Rescue Of His People, Israel, From The Egyptians To The Defeat Of All Opposition To Himself And His People In The Future When All The Kingdoms Of The World Will Submit To And Believe In The God Of Israel As The God Of Their Salvation, King Of Kings, And Lord Of All; And All Will Pay Tribute And Homage To Him

Psalm chapter 68 traces the establishment of God's Kingdom from the time of His redemption / rescue of His people, Israel, from the Egyptians to the defeat of all opposition to Himself and His people in the future when all the kingdoms of the world will submit to and believe in the God of Israel as the God of their salvation, King of kings, and Lord of all and all will pay tribute and homage to Him.

1) [Compare Bible Studys.Org - Introductory Comments]:

https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible Books/Psalms/Psalm 68.html

"Psalm 68: Though no superscription is found in this psalm, most interpreters agree that it was written when the Ark of the Lord was transferred from the house of Obed-edom to the new location on Zion’s mountain (2 Sam. 6:2-18). Certainly, it describes the procession attached to that significant event, but it is more than a historical narrative. It is rich with theology since, at that time, God’s person and His place for Israel in the world seem to have been understood in a much deeper way. The procession is first introduced (verses 1-3). Because the Ark represented the presence of God with His people, its movement to a new location is a reflection of God’s continual blessing on His people and conquest of her foes. Next is a call to praise the Lord for His majesty and His care for the needy (verses 4-6). The present event of relocating the Ark is now put into perspective within the history of the Lord’s works (verses 7-23). Specifically, it is, in a sense, a reliving of the Exodus (verses 7-10), and of the conquest of Canaan (verses 11-14).

The Lord has clearly elected Zion as His abode from which He protects His people (verses 15-23). David next describes the procession itself (verses 24-27), with its “singers” and “players” (verse 25), and the various tribes (verse 27). Finally, the psalm concludes with two hymns (verses 28-35): a hymn of Israel expressing her prayer for continued deliverance (verses 28-31), and a universalistic hymn that speaks of the Lord’s rule over all the earth (verses 32-35). The theological significance of this majestic hymn is twofold. First, it reiterates in a beautiful way, the Lord’s election of Israel as a basis from which His rule and blessing flow to the earth.

Second, it reveals a growing understanding of the person of the God of Israel. A study of the names of God alone in the psalm establishes this second point: “God” (verse 1), “his name JAH” (verse 4), “the Almighty (verse 14), “the Lord” (verse 16), “the Lord God” (verse 18), “the Lord (verse 19); a different Hebrew word from (the one in verse 16), and “God the Lord (verse 20). The action of God in deliverance (verse 18), is interpreted messianically by Paul and applied to the ascension of our Lord (Eph. 4:8).

Verses 1-35: This exuberant psalm includes prayer, praise, thanksgiving, historical reminder, and imprecation. It expresses a pride in Jehovah God for His care over His people and His majesty in the universe. The writing of this psalm may have come out of David’s jubilant restoration of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (compare 2 Sam. 6:12-15)."

II) [Ps 68:1-35]:.

(Ps 68:1 NASB) "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

(Ps 68:2 NASB) As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God.

(Ps 68:3 NASB) But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.

(Ps 68:4 NASB) Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him Who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.

(Ps 68:5 NASB) A Father of the fatherless and a Judge for the widows, [is] God in His holy habitation.

(Ps 68:6 NASB) God [lit., makes the lonely dwell in a house] makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, [Or prisoners with joyous music; Hebrew uncertain] Only the rebellious dwell in a parched [land.]

(Ps 68:7 NASB) O God, when You went forth before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.

(Ps 68:8 NASB) The earth quaked; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

(Ps 68:9 NASB) You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched [lit. weary].

(Ps 68:10 NASB) Your creatures settled in it; You provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.

(Ps 68:11 NASB) The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:

(Ps 68:12 NASB) 'Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!'

(Ps 68:13 NASB) When you lie down among the sheepfolds, [Or cooking stones or saddle bags] You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And its pinions with glistening gold.

(Ps 68:14 NASB) When the Almighty scattered the kings there [lit. in it], It was snowing in Zalmon.

(Ps 68:15 NASB) A mountain of God is [like] the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

(Ps 68:16 NASB) Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, At the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely the LORD will dwell there forever.

(Ps 68:17 NASB) The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

(Ps 68:18 NASB) You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there.

(Ps 68:19 NASB) Blessed be the Lord, Who daily bears our burden, The God Who is our salvation. Selah.

(Ps 68:20 NASB) God is to us a God of deliverances; And to Jehovah [וְלֵיהוִ֥ה = YHWH] [my] Lord [Adonai] belong escapes [from] [temporal] death.

(Ps 68:21 NASB) Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies, The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.

(Ps 68:22 NASB) The Lord said, 'I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;

(Ps 68:23 NASB) That your foot may shatter them in blood, The tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies.'

(Ps 68:24 NASB) They have seen Your procession [lit., goings], O God, The [lit., goings] procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary [lit., in the sanctuary].

(Ps 68:25 NASB) The singers went on, the musicians after them, In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.

(Ps 68:26 NASB) Bless God in the congregations, Even the LORD, you who are of the fountain of Israel.

(Ps 68:27 NASB) There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, The princes of Judah in their throng, The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

(Ps 68:28 NASB) Your God has commanded your strength; Show Yourself strong, O God, Who have acted on our behalf.

(Ps 68:29 NASB) Because of Your temple at Jerusalem Kings will bring gifts to You.

(Ps 68:30 NASB) Rebuke the beasts in the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Trampling under foot the pieces of silver; He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

(Ps 68:31 NASB) Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

(Ps 68:32 NASB) Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.

(Ps 68:33 NASB) To Him Who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times; Behold, He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice.

(Ps 68:34 NASB) Ascribe strength to God; His majesty is over Israel And His strength is in the skies.

(Ps 68:35 NASB) O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!"

A) [(Ps 68:1-6) Let God Arise, Let His Enemies Be Scattered, And Let Those Who Hate Him Flee Before Him. As Smoke Is Driven Away, So Drive Them away; As Wax Melts Before The Fire, So Let The Wicked Perish Before God. But Let The Righteous Be Glad; Let Them Exult Before God; Yes, Let Them Rejoice With Gladness. Sing To God, Sing Praises To His Name; Lift Up A Song For Him Who Rides Through The Deserts, Whose Name Is The LORD, And Exult Before Him. A Father Of The Fatherless, And A Judge For The Widows, Is God In His Holy Habitation. God Makes A Home For The Lonely; He Leads Out The Prisoners Into Prosperity, Only The Rebellious Dwell In A Parched Land]:

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1) Psalm 68:1 opens the Psalm with "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him," who are also enemies of Israel because of their being God's chosen people, (ref. Zech chapters 9-14). The first verse uses phrases associated with the movement of the ark of the covenant, (cf. Nu 10:1-35). When the ark was first set out before Israel, Moses said, "Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” In singing this psalm, the people of Israel were raising their voices to the Lord in song and / or recitation as a prayer to God to act, evidently as He has done in the past, against their "enemies," (v. 1), i.e., the "wicked," (v. 2). Israel's prayer stipulates that in God's presence ("before him," (v. 1) no foe can stand. This verse is associated with the movement of the ark ahead of the nation Israel which began at Sinai and occurred repeatedly as Israel journeyed in the wilderness, often in battle with victory the outcome:

a) [Compare Nu 10:11-14, 28, 33-35]:

(Nu 10:11 NASB) "Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony;

(Nu 10:12 NASB) and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran.

(Nu 10:13 NASB) So they moved out for the first time according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

(Nu 10:14 NASB) The standard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, set out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army ...

[Each tribe followed Judah in order as commanded - all behind the Arc of the Covenant]:

(Nu 10:28 NASB) This was the order of march of the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.

(Nu 10:33 NASB) Thus they set out from the mount of the LORD [Mt. Sinai] three days' journey, with the ark of the covenant of the LORD journeying in front of them for the three days, to seek out a resting place for them.

(Nu 10:34 NASB) The cloud of the LORD was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

(Nu 10:35 NASB) Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, "Rise up, O LORD! And let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You."

b) [Compare Bible Studys.Org On Ps 68:1]:

(Ps 68:1 NASB) "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him."

''' “Let God arise”: The first sentence in this psalm is essentially the same as Num. 10:35. It was perhaps a fanfare of words announcing the movement of the Ark of the Covenant (compare verses 24-27; also 2 Sam. 6:12-15).

This psalm echoes the Song of Deborah in (Judges chapter 5): the presence of the wicked on the earth is an affront to the holiness of God.

God in verse one above, is Elohim. Some noted scholars believe that this was sung when the Ark was moved to mount Zion. This is about the same thing that happened when the cloud by day, and the fire by night, moved to lead the children of Israel in the wilderness. As long as the presence of God was stationary over the camp, the Israelites stayed camped, but when the presence of God moved, by the fire or the smoke, the people followed. In a sense, it was God rising and moving. We do know that when God sent them into battle with the Ark with them, they won the battle. In a sense again, the enemy was scattered.'''

A cont.) [(Ps 68:1-6 cont.) Let God Arise, Let His Enemies Be Scattered, And Let Those Who Hate Him Flee Before Him. As Smoke Is Driven Away, So Drive Them away; As Wax Melts Before The Fire, So Let The Wicked Perish Before God. But Let The Righteous Be Glad; Let Them Exult Before God; Yes, Let Them Rejoice With Gladness. Sing To God, Sing Praises To His Name; Lift Up A Song For Him Who Rides Through The Deserts, Whose Name Is The LORD, And Exult Before Him. A Father Of The Fatherless, And A Judge For The Widows, Is God In His Holy Habitation. God Makes A Home For The Lonely; He Leads Out The Prisoners Into Prosperity, Only The Rebellious Dwell In A Parched Land, (cont.)]:

2) Ps 38:2 which reads, "(Ps 68:2 NASB) As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God" ...

has in view two images which portray God's victory over His enemies as they perish before God: "the wicked" being driven away as smoke is driven away by the wind; and as wax melts before a fire.

a) [Compare Bible Studys.Org On Ps 68:2]:

(Ps 68:2 NASB) "As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God."

"Smoke is of no permanent nature. When the wind blows, it moves with the wind. Perhaps that is what is intended here. The enemy is like a puff of smoke, blown away. Everyone who has ever lit a candle knows what happens to wax when the heat comes in contact with it. It is very much like the smoke, it is gone. The wicked will perish at the presence of God. If God looks upon sin, He burns it up. This is the case here.'''

3) Ps 68:3, in contrast to the wicked perishing in view in verse 2, reads emphatically an exhortation to the righteous: "But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness." Ps 38:3 emphatically confirms that it is God Who is being entreated to intervene against the wicked for the righteous - evidently for those who are in right standing with God, i.e., for those who have been declared righteous amongst His people Israel through the faith of Abraham in a coming Messiah / Savior by the grace of God . And let the righteous be glad in the sense that their prayers to God for His deliverance of them from their and God's enemies will be answered!! For the enemies of Israel are the enemies of God, (cf. Zech 9:8; Isa 52:1; 54:14; Joel 3:17). And let them exult - leap for joy, rejoice with gladness before their God, for it is they who are emphatically exhorted to be absolutely confident that their God will once again intervene and rescue them from the wicked.

4) Ps 68:4-6 continues this song with the congregation singing of their confident praise to God for His bringing them victory / deliverance, (ref. Ps 68:20), from their enemies - a song of God's deliverance of them as His people:

a) Ps 68:4 reads "Sing to God, sing praises together in the congregation to His name; Lift up a song for Him Who rides through the deserts, [MT reads "deserts." Targum reads "heavens; (cp Ps 68:34; Isa 19:1)] Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him."

The Hebrew word transliterated "bĕāyhh" and translated "Lord" in the phrase "Whose name is the LORD" can be spelled "Yah" a short version of the divine name Yahweh or Jehovah and translated "I AM" as in Exodus 3:14-15 - the personal and most sacred name that Israelites have for their God.

Note that vv. 3-4 contain seven synonyms for joyful laudation giving the verses a poetic tone that may joyfully be sung or recited aloud.

Author David further exhorts the people to sing praises to the name of their God "Who rides through the deserts - the terrain in which the Israelites then resided, evidently as if on the clouds, (ref. v. 33; 104:3; Isa 19:1), a poetic description of God's exalted majesty which resides in heaven and which traverses through the desert in His protection and deliverance of His chosen people, Israel.

Author David has in view personal remembrances of times when Israel was mobilized for battle, when the ark was carried into war before the people, when God carried the victory for them. This then leads him to recall various events showing the overall grand victory that God has achieved for Israel culminating in the ascension into the victorious state of Israel in Mt Zion [Jerusalem] under King David.

b) Ps 68:5-6 follow Ps 68:4 which the latter reads:

(Ps 68:4 NASB) "Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him Who rides through the deserts Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him"

[Note that the phrase rendered "the deserts" is a description of the terrain where God's people reside and through which God is poetically described as riding on the clouds, (ref. v. 33; 104:3; Isa 19:1]

And then Ps 68:5-6 continue to describe the LORD as follows: "a Father of the fatherless and a Judge for the widows, [Who is] God in His holy habitation [i.e., the heavens]. God makes a home for the lonely [lit., God makes the lonely dwell in a house; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, [Or prisoners with joyous music; Hebrew uncertain]. Only the rebellious dwell in a parched [land], i.e., those of Israel who are rebellious will dwell / remain in a parched desert land, not being permitted to enter the Promised Land.

So Ps 68:5-6 corroborate that God is Father of the fatherless and a Judge for the widows, He Who is in His holy habitation in heaven, (cf. Dt 26:15; Jer 25:30; Zech 2:13). He makes a home for the lonely; and He leads out the prisoners, i.e., the exiles, (cf Ps 69:33), into prosperity. The rebellious - those in Israel, especially the first generation of Israelites who did not make it into the Promised Land; and everywhere those who are the wicked, proud and arrogant - they all will dwell in a parched land. Beginning with the wording in Ps 68:1, the thanksgiving and praise for God's deliverance of Israel, His people, from Egypt is foremost in view, especially in Ps 68:6: God makes a home for the lonely... leads out the prisoners into prosperity, only the rebellious, i.e., the older generation of Israelites who remained behind, dwell in a parched land the wilderness / desert.

Verses 5 and 6 praise God for His concern, protection, and involvement in the lives of orphans, widows, the lonely (those destitute of friendship and help), and prisoners.

B) [(Ps 68:7-18) O God, When You Went Forth Before Your People, When You Marched Through The Wilderness, The Earth Quaked; The Heavens Also Dropped Rain At The Presence; Sinai Itself Quaked At The Presence Of God, The God Of Israel. You Shed Abroad A Plentiful Rain, O God; You Confirmed Your Inheritance When It Was Parched. Your Creatures Settled In It; You Provided In Your Goodness For The Poor, O God. The Lord Gives The Command; The Women Who Proclaim The Good Tidings Are A Great Host. 'Kings Of Armies Flee, They Flee, And She Who Remains At Home Will Divide The Spoil. When You Lie Down Among The Sheepfolds You Are Like Wings Of A Dove Covered With Silver, And Its Pinions With Glistening Gold. When The Almighty Scattered The Kings There, It Was Snowing In Zalmon. A Mountain Of God is [like] the mountain of Bashan; A Mountain Of Many Peaks is [like] the mountain of Bashan. Why Do You Look With Envy, O Mountains With Many Peaks, At The Mountain Which God Has Desired For His Abode? Surely The LORD Will Dwell There Forever. The Chariots Of God Are Myriads, Thousands Upon Thousands; The Lord Is Among Them As At Sinai, In Holiness. You Have Ascended On High, You Have Led Captive Your Captives; You Have Received Gifts Among Men, Even Among The Rebellious Also, That The LORD God May Dwell There.

(Ps 68:1 NASB) "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him. (Ps 68:2 NASB) As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish before God. (Ps 68:3 NASB) But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God; Yes, let them rejoice with gladness. (Ps 68:4 NASB) Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him Who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him. (Ps 68:5 NASB) A Father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. (Ps 68:6 NASB) God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. (Ps 68:7 NASB) "O God, when You went forth before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah. (Ps 68:8 NASB) The earth quaked; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel. (Ps 68:9 NASB) You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched [lit. weary]. (Ps 68:10 NASB) Your creatures settled in it; You provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God. (Ps 68:11 NASB) The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host: (Ps 68:12 NASB) 'Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!' (Ps 68:13 NASB) When you lie down among the sheepfolds, [Or cooking stones or saddle bags] You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And its pinions with glistening gold. (Ps 68:14 NASB) When the Almighty scattered the kings there [lit. in it], It was snowing in Zalmon. (Ps 68:15 NASB) A mountain of God is [like] the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is [like] the mountain of Bashan. (Ps 68:16 NASB) Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, At the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely the LORD will dwell there forever. (Ps 68:17 NASB) The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness. (Ps 68:18 NASB) You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there.' =

A review of verses 1-6 as they lead into verses 7-18:

1) Ps 68:1-6 is a hymn, a song to be sung or recited in prayer to God. In view is Israel's thanksgiving and praise for God's deliverance of His people from Egypt and thereafter.

a) Ps 68:1-2 the following are all best rendered to begin with the word "Let," signifying praying to God: "Let God arise," "let His enemies be scattered," "let those who hate Him flee before Him," "let the wicked perish before God;"

b) Ps 68:3 says in contrast: "let the righteous be glad," "let them exult before God," "let them rejoice with gladness." These two groups of phrases contrast with one another in that the first group has in view those who oppose God; and the second group has in view those who are righteous before God whom God delivers from His enemies: those of His people, Israel. This second group of people are evidently those who have been declared righteous through a moment of the faith of Abraham in a coming Messiah / Savior through Abraham's seed by the grace of God , the faithful remnant of God's chosen people .

c) Ps 68:4a David writes of commands to Israel to "Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him Who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the LORD." Note that elsewhere God has been portrayed as a pillar of cloud leading the Israelites through the deserts by day in the wilderness, (Ps 78:14; Isa 4:5; Ex 13:21-22; Ex 40:38; Nu 9:16; 14:14; Dt 1:33; Ne 9:12, 19); and riding upon the highest heavens, (Ps 68:33); and making the clouds His chariot, walking upon the wings of the wind, (Ps 104:3); and riding on a swift cloud to come to Egypt, (Isa 19:1) - poetic descriptions of God's exalted majesty in heaven and of His deliverance of His people, Israel.

d) Ps 68:4b & 5 have in view Israel being commanded to sing to God Whose name is the LORD, and to exult before Him Who is a Father of the fatherless and a Judge for the widows, Who is God in His holy habitation.

e) Ps 68:6 in view is the God Who makes a home for the lonely: Who leads the prisoners out of slavery into prosperity - reflecting upon Israel's exodus from Egypt - the Israelites being laden with the wealth of the Egyptians' tribute / plunder as they departed and onward finally unto eternal prosperity in the Eternal Kingdom of God, (Ps 68:19-35). It is only the rebellious Israelites who remained behind having lived out their lives wandering in the parched wilderness land, having refused to go into the Promised Land out of fear and lack of faith in God's deliverance of them into the Promised Land.

2) Ps 68:7 "O God, when You went forth before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah," confirms that God went forth before His people, and marched them out of Egypt and through the wilderness of Sinai in great power"

Ex 13:17-22; Ps 78:14, 52; Hab 3:13; Judg 5:4: God provided a pillar of cloud by day, pillar of fire by night moving ahead of the Israelites to lead / guide them along.

These verses recount the impact of God's presence at Mount Sinai and through the wilderness experience. God was present with His people in the Exodus and wilderness experiences in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

a) [Compare Dt 32:9-10]:

(Dt. 32:9 NASB) "For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

(Dt 32:10 NASB) He found him [Jacob = Israel] in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye."

******Note that Ps 68:7 ends with "Selah" which may mean Pause, Crescendo or Musical interlude.

3) Ps 68:8 has in view the earth quaking and the heavens dropping rain accompanying God's presence being made known on Mt Sinai - the immediate destination of God's chosen people whom God took out of the hands of slavery in Egypt: "The earth quaked; the heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God at Mount Sinai. Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel."

So Mount Sinai quaked at the presence of God (Exodus 19:18). God also refreshed His people with rain. On more than one occasion rain reassured God's people of His concern for them (see the account of Sisera in Judges 4-5 and the ending of the drought predicted by Elijah in 1 Kgs 18:41-45). Because of the rains sent by God, the Israelites were able to survive and dwell in an otherwise parched land.

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a) [Compare The Presence of God in Scripture:

Refs: Ex 19:16-18, cf. Ex 40:34, 38; Lv 9:23-24; Judg 5:4; 2 Sam 22:8; Ps 77:18; Jer 10:10 ]:

(Ex 19:16 NKJV) "Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.

(Ex 19:17 NKJV) And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

(Ex 19:18 NKJV) Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly."

4) Ps 68:9 which reads "You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God; You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched [lit. weary];" then confirms to the people and to the world that as Protector and Deliverer, the LORD God provided for His people, Israel, "plentiful rain" as well as food from the time of her Exodus and thereafter into the Eternal Kingdom of God. And by this God confirmed that His inheritance is His people Israel, the latter whose inheritance is the Promised Land. For when Israel was parched in the sense that the land - the wilderness where she was led by God to traverse and wander through was parched and food was scarce, He provided water and food for them. He promised to them the land of Canaan - land of milk and honey - for His people to live and thrive in forever, but first was the test of the wilderness:

a) [Compare Ps 107:1-7, 35-36]:

(Ps 107:1 NASB) "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

(Ps 107:2 NASB) Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary

(Ps 107:3 NASB) And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.

(Ps 107:4 NASB) They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city.

(Ps 107:5 NASB) They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them.

(Ps 107:6 NASB) Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.

(Ps 107:7 NASB) He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city."

b) [Compare Jos 5:6]:

(Jos 5:6 NASB) "For the sons of Israel walked forty [Dt 2:7, 14] years in the wilderness, until all the nation, that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt, [lit., were finished] perished because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD, [Nu 14:29-35; 25:63-65] to whom the LORD had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey."

c) [Compare Ex 16:4]:

(Ex 16:4 NASB) "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction."

d) [Compare Ps 78:24]:

(Ps 78:24 NASB) "He rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven."

e) [Compare Jud 5:5]:

(Jud 5:5 NASB) "The mountains quaked at the presence of the LORD, This Sinai, at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel."

5) Ps 68:10 follows with, "And in Your creatures settled in it; You provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God," speaking of the creatures of God - of His inheritance: His chosen people Israel - who will have wandered for forty years in the parched wilderness land until an unfaithful, rebellious generation has died leaving the next generation of Israel to enter into and settle in the Promised Land as priests of the world forever in fulfillment of God's New Covenant with Israel . The Lord provided abundantly [in His goodness] for them; He established them ("settled") in the land and provided bountifully ("from your bounty," lit., "from your goodness" (cf. 23:6) for "the poor" ('ani), in the sense of for those who had been afflicted under slavery in Egypt.

a) [Compare Dt 4:20]:

(Dt 4:20 NASB) "But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today."

6) Ps 68:11, which reads, "The Lord gives the command; The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:" conveys the sense that the LORD gives the command for the Israelites to bring forth the battle to conquer the Promised Land; and the host of women who remain at home proclaim the good news of victory are great in number.

Verses 11-14 recite the impact of God's presence in battle. These verses describe victory in battle by the Israelites and the taking and dividing of spoil.

7) Ps 68:12-13 then say, "When you lie down among the sheepfolds ...

[Note that the Hebrew noun transliterated, "shephattayim" occurs twice in the OT, and its meaning is in doubt. It has been variously translated "pegs," "hooks," "edges" or "saddlebags." In any case it refers to a place where the women of the warriors dwelt behind the lines of battle and waited for the battle to be over.]

... You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And with glistening gold." So the women of the warriors will sing of how the kings of Canaan fled with their armies, leaving their spoils behind, (cf. Nu 21:1ff). Among the spoils were precious objects of art: evidently a dove covered with silver and gold - a well known Canaanite religious object that was frequently made of precious metals and jewelry.

The phrase rendered "she who remains at home," in the NASB literally, "newat bayith" can mean "abode" or "pasture" & "of the house," i.e., "the country's pasture land," (cf. Ps 2:131), could be explained as a participle: "the one dwelling at home" or "the women at home," in the sense that the ones who remain at home divide the spoil.

8) Ps 68:14 follows with "When the Almighty scattered the kings there, it was snowing in Zalmon." Mount Zalmon, meaning "black mountain," was located in Palestine near Shechem (Judg. 9:48). Its snowcapped peaks evidently helped Israel rout the enemy.

9) Ps 68:15-16 moves from Mount Zalmon to Mount Basham. Mount Basham is today within the boundary of the Golan Heights, east of the Sea of Galilee. The great mountains of the land of Bashan refer to the Hermon mountain range, only a few miles north of Bashan, bordered on the north by the majestic Mount Hermon.

The psalmist declares in Ps 68:15 "A mountain of God is [like] the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan" which literally conveys that "The mountain of God [emphatic] is [like] Mount Bashan, a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan." The Canaanites associated the dwelling place of their gods with high and lofty mountains, and Mount Bashan qualified from its natural endowments as a primary condidate for being the center of Yahweh's kingship on earth.

On the other hand, Ps 68:16 declares, "Why do you [Mount Bashan] look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, At the mountain [Mount Zion] which God has desired for His abode? Surely the LORD will dwell there forever."

The psalmist expresses poetically that the glory of Mount Bashan is dwarfed by the holiness of Mount Zion. He dramatizes the grandeur of Mount Bashan followed by a focus upon her jealousy: He personifies Mount Bashan as looking with "envy" at Mount Zion, because the LORD chose to establish His reign there.

a) [Compare Ps 68:24]:

(Ps 68:24 NASB) "They have seen Your procession, [lit., Your comings and goings], O God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary."

b) [Compare Ps 132:13-14]:

(Ps 132:13 NASB) "For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.

(Ps 132:14 NASB) This is My resting place forever, Here I will dwell, for I have desired it."

10) Ps 68:17, the psalmist wrote, "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness."

Choosing Zion for His dwelling place, God entered the city of Jerusalem with a vast company ("thousands of thousands") of angelic hosts, pictured here as riding in "chariots." Thus the LORD went all the way "from Sinai" (cf. Ps 68:8) to "His sanctuary" in Zion (Jerusalem).

11) Ps 68:18 reads, "You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there,"

in other words:

"You," meaning God,

"have ascended on high" in the sense of His presence being made evident on high up upon the top of Mount Zion, i.e., upon the hill that comprises Jerusalem where God will make His presence known to His chosen people, Israel. Although God is omnipresent, the presence of God was made evident to the Israelites at the time when Moses was appointed by God to be His representative to and of the people of Israel. Thereafter God's presence was made evident to the Israelites as they exited Egypt, moved through the wilderness and on into the Promised Land where they, under David their king, battled with those who occupied the Land. God's presence was evidenced by the Tabernacle being built with the Israelites' gifts from Egypt in order to worship God and make known His presence as further evidenced by the presence of the Ark of the Covenant moving on ahead of the tribes as they traveled and ascended on high to the top of Mount Zion, i.e., Jerusalem.

"You have led captive Your captives" in the sense that God has led the Israelites in a benign protective captivity as His "captives" - His chosen people - out of captivity / enslavement under Egypt - protecting them every step of the way to freedom to where He will dwell in Mt. Zion (Jerusalem) as the God of His chosen people, Israel; who will themselves dwell all around Mt. Zion where they were to reside and worship Him.

"You have received gifts among men," in the sense that God has received gifts as tribute / plunder which Moses took as a representative of God from the conquered Egyptians whom God conquered and from whom God demanded that tribute / plunder, (Ex 23:21-22 ).

Note that this tribute was then given by God through Moses as gifts among men in the sense of given to the Israelites, who in turn voluntarily gave the gifts back to God to build the Tabernacle, (Exodus 25:1-9 ).

"Even among the rebellious also" = God has received tribute / gifts / plunder through Moses taken even among [from] those Egyptians who remained opposed to God and Israel to their early demise.

"that the LORD God may dwell there" in the sense of God's presence made evident to be dwelling in the Tabernacle as Israel traveled in the wilderness and thereafter throughout the Promised Land to Mount Zion (Jerusalem) - thereafter in the Temple that would be built there by Solomon, David's son.

a) [Compare Ps 68:18a]:

"You [God] have ascended on high," in the sense of up onto Mount Zion, i.e., Jerusalem, (ref. Ps 68:16-17; 132:13-14).

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b) The Tabernacle And The Ark And The Presence Of God In The Midst Of The Israelites

Scripture indicates that David conquered Jerusalem and entered it, (2 Sam 5:6-8). And David moved the ark, the symbol of the presence of God, (ref. Nu 14:43-45), up the hill to Jerusalem, (2 Sam 6:1ff). He, God's representative, king of God's chosen people, was a mighty conqueror ascending "on high" with "captives," God taking / receiving tribute / gifts from the vanquished peoples that Israel conquered through God's supernatural intervention "the rebellious," beginning with the Egyptians and the other peoples who dwelt in the Promised Land over whom God brought victory for Israel and gifts were taken as David took possession of the promised land to be used to build the Temple in Jerusalem by David's son, Solomon.

To the people of Israel the ark of the covenant was the place of the presence of God that was made evident to them by God. While the Lord evidenced His Presence among His people in the Exodus, (Ex. 13:17–18, 21–22), He localized His presence in the ark in the tabernacle for the benefit of His people in order to encourage them to be obedient and faithful. So the tabernacle was constructed so that there would be evidence of the presence of the Lord among His people.

i) [Compare Ex 25:8]:

(Ex 25:8 NASB) "Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them."

on the presence of God.

And in an even more specific way, the ark served as the place of the presence of God:

ii) [Compare Ex 25:22]:

(Ex 25:22 NASB) "There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel."

The eternal God who is not constrained by the existence of time, the infinite God Who is not bound by space, or time yet is omnipresent in all Creation made manifest Himself for His peoples' benefit in one locale.

The psalmist set this truth about the nature of Israel’s God to song so that His people could celebrate Him:

iii) [Compare Ps 113:4-6]:

(Ps 113:4-6 NASB) "The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.

(Ps 113:5 NASB) Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high,

(Ps 113:6 NASB) Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth?"

The fact that the ark was the place of the manifestation of the Lord’s presence among His people brought great assurance to the people of God of their continued temporal deliverance / redemption.

iii_a) [The Temple And The Presence of God Amidst The Israelites]

Tabernacle

While at Sinai, God gives Moses the plans to build a Tabernacle. This is to become a portable sanctuary and worship center for Israel, where they can go and perform their newly-prescribed sacrifices. More importantly, the Tabernacle exists to serve as a dwelling place for the presence of God in the midst of Israel’s camp (Exodus 25:8).

In Exodus chapters 25-31, God gives Moses specific instructions on how to build every aspect of the Tabernacle. When looked at a whole, these building plans describe a tent filled with opulence—thanks to the gold of Egypt—and dedicated to the worship of God. Another role of the Tabernacle is to serve as a reminder to Israel: a reminder of God’s deliverance (through the Ark of the Covenant), a reminder of God’s holiness (through the Holy of Holies), and a reminder of man’s sinfulness (through the altar in the outer court).

Solomon’s Temple

Years later, after David had conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital of Israel, his son Solomon constructed a permanent Temple to the Lord. This replaced the aging Tabernacle, but still continued the primary purposes and activities of the tent. Described in 1 Kings chapters 5 - 8, Solomon’s Temple was massive and ornate. At the dedication to the Temple, Solomon acknowledged the futile thinking that this Temple could ever house the entirety of God’s presence (1 Kings 8:27). Yet God did keep His presence evidenced in the Temple for a season, (1 Kings 8:10–11) so that He could dwell in the midst of His people.

But God’s presence in the Temple was short-lived. In Ezekiel 10, the prophet describes a vision of the glory of God's manifested presence leaving the Temple; and God’s presence, which had brilliantly appeared in the Temple in 1 Kings 8, was now leaving. This was a result of the nation and her leaders flirting with idolatry and following the gods of other nations. This also foretold the destruction of the Temple by Babylon in 587 B.C.

After the Exile in Babylon, some of those returning under the leadership of Ezra sought to rebuild the Temple. This reconstruction was designed to restore the altar and to commence celebrating the Jewish festivals. Curiously, there is no mention of the presence of God returning to Ezra’s rebuilt Temple. This new Temple existed to reestablish the sacrificial system, but not for God to manifest His presence in the midst of the people." For by this time - the times of the Assyrian's invasion of the Northern Kingdom and the Babylonian Captivity of Judah, God had announced that generations of Israelites were no longer His people until a future generation would unanimously believe in the coming Messiah Savior, (Ro 9:25-26; cf Hosea chapters one and two ).

11 cont.) Ps 68:18, (cont.) reads, "You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there," (cont.)

So the word rendered "gifts" in Ps 68:18 refers to the spoils / the tribute that Moses, as God's representative, gave to the Israelites as gifts what he took from the Egyptians as plunder, (ref. Ex 3:21-22). The plunder from the Egyptians was material - gold, earrings, and the like. When the Jews received the Law at Sinai fifty days later, they dedicated their plunder / gifts to God in order to build the Tabernacle in Exodus 25:1-9, when God gave them the Law.

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c) [Compare Ex 25:1-9]:

(Ex 25:1 NASB) "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

(Ex 25:2 NASB) 'Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution.

(Ex 25:3 NASB) This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze,

(Ex 25:4 NASB) blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair,

(Ex 25:5 NASB) rams' skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood,

(Ex 25:6 NASB) oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

(Ex 25:7 NASB) onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

(Ex 25:8 NASB) Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.

(Ex 25:9 NASB) According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.' "

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d) [Compare Ex 3:21-22]:

(Ex 3:21 NASB) "I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed.

(Ex 3:22 NASB) But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians."

e) [Compare Eph 4:8]:

(Eph 4:8 NASB) "Therefore He [God] says, 'When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.' [Ps 68:1ff]"

Note that Psalms chapter 68 was referred to by Paul in Ephesians 4:8. Author Paul wrote of Moses, representing God, demanding / receiving / taking tribute from the vanquished Egyptians as the Israelites left Egypt under the protective captivity of God, which tribute was then given by God through Moses as gifts among men, i.e., to the Israelites who in turn voluntarily gave the gifts back to God to build the Tabernacle, (Exodus 25:1-9 ).

In Eph. 4:8, Paul has in view but not literally, Ps 68:18 ("to Take") using the exact opposite term: ἔδωκεν ("to Give").

But Psalms 68:18 in the Hebrew text reads לָקַ֣חְתָּ which is translated into Greek as: ἔλαβες, ("to take").

Similarly, Ps 68:18 in the LXX reads, "You have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts [taken gifts, ἔλαβες δόματα] - among men [ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ], yes, among the rebellious also, that Yah God might dwell there."

Hence Paul's point in Eph 4:8 encompassing an overall view of the context of the entire chapter, not just one verse, is that there is the taking of plunder by the Israelites from the Egyptians at the command of God through Moses, and God's giving the plunder as gifts to the Israelites - all through Moses. So the giving of gifts to mankind is compared to the context in Ps 68 of taking gifts from one group of people to give to another.

So the word rendered "gifts" in Ps 68:18 refers to the spoils that the Israelites received from Egypt. The plunder from the Egyptians was material - gold, earrings, clothing, etc. whereupon the Jews received the Law at Sinai fifty days later. It was then that they dedicated their plunder to God in order to build the Tabernacle in Exodus 25:1-9, when God gave them the Law.

So in Eph 4:8, Paul is comparing God's victory over and the plundering of the wealth of Egypt, His deliverance of His chosen people, Israel, from slavery, and His giving of that plunder as gifts to His people; to the victory of Christ over sin: the sin of the world, the sin of the flesh and the sin of the devil - setting those who believe in Him free from being controlled by that sin, (Ro 6:1 ), and His giving of spiritual gifts to those of His body so that believers did not leave their sinful past empty handed. Jesus is not saying that they left with golden earrings but that God filled their hands with gifts from His Spirit, (Eph 4:8).

Peter says that believers were not redeemed from slavery to sin with gifts of perishable things like silver or gold, but with the gift of the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

f) [Compare 1 Pet 1:18-19]:

(1 Pet 1:18 NASB) "[Having known] that you were not redeemed [from slavery] with [gifts of] perishable things like silver or gold from [the slavery to] your futile way of life [in the sense of sinful way of life] inherited from your forefathers.

(1 Pet 1:19 NASB) But with [the gift of] the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"

Since the preceding verse, (Ps 68:17), has Sinai in view, and since the chapter begins with Israel's Exodus from Egypt through their journey in the wilderness, their conquering and rulership of the Promised Land under King David through Israel's occupation of Jerusalem (Mount Zion); then the context in view in Ps 68:1-18 includes God descending from Mt Sinai to save his people from Egypt and the ascension is God giving Israel the victory and possession of the plunder of her enemies culminating with David's triumphal entry and ascension up to the top of Mt Zion with the ark of the covenant symbolizing the presence of God.

C) (Ps 68:19-23) Blessed Be The LORD, Who Daily Bears Our Burden, The God Who Is Our Salvation. Selah. God Is To Us A God Of Deliverances; And To Jehovah [YHWH] [My] Lord [Adonai] Belong Escapes From [Temporal] Death. Surely God Will Shatter The Head Of His Enemies, The Hairy Crown Of Him Who Goes On In His Guilty Deeds. The LORD Said, 'I Will Bring Them Back From Bashan. I Will Bring Them Back From The Depths Of The Sea; That Your Foot May Shatter In Blood, The Tongue Of Your Dogs May Have Its Portion From Your Enemies.']

(Ps 68:19 NASB) "Blessed be the Lord, Who daily bears our burden, The God Who is our salvation. Selah. (Ps 68:20 NASB) God is to us a God of deliverances; And to Jehovah [וְלֵיהוִ֥ה = YHWH] [my] Lord [Adonai] belong escapes [from] [temporal] death. (Ps 68:21 NASB) Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies, The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds. (Ps 68:22 NASB) The Lord said, 'I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the depths of the sea; (Ps 68:23 NASB) That your foot may shatter them in blood, The tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies.' " =

1) Ps 68:19-20

In view of the comfort of God's constant presence that He had been demonstrating with Israel, His people, the author of this psalm, David, exhorts his readers to praise the LORD God Who daily bears His people's burdens and saves them in the sense of delivers them from physical harm and premature temporal death. The God of Israel, the God of David is referred to by David and Israel as follows: "to Jehovah [YHWH] [my] Lord [Adonai] belong escapes [deliverances] from [premature physical] death.

Note that the words referring to salvation / saved, etc. can mean a number of things depending upon the context of the passage . In the case of Ps 68:19-20, the context is escaping / deliverances from premature physical death.

The Hebrew Tetragramaton "וְלֵיהוִ֥ה" literally, "YHWH" in Ps 68:20 is rendered "And [to] Jehovah" in the YLT. It may be vocalized "Yahweh" in English. It is the special, proper, most sacred name of God which was used by the Israelites for their God as stipulated in the Hebrew Bible (OT). This name was used especially to describe God's unique relationship with His people, Israel. For example when God promised to redeem in the sense of deliver His chosen people from Egyptian rule and enslavement .

And in Ps 68:20 God is also called "Adonai" translated "Lord" in the sense of being Creator and Absolutely Sovereign over His people and of all creation.

So "Adonai" is a Divine name as well. It is translated "LORD" in English in most translations. When the Hebrew reader came to the sacred tetragramaton letters, "וְלֵיהוִ֥ה" literally, "YHWH," i.e., Lord, he always substituted in pronounciation the word as transliterated " 'adhonay,' " or "Lord" in the NASB. It's vowels were combined with the sacred tetragramaton to form the word "Yahweh," together signifying both the most sacred name of God plus the God Who is Absolute Sovereignty - one and the same God!

So when "the LORD" appears in Ps 68:20 it signifies the Almighty God Who promised Israel deliverance and victory.

a) [Compare Ps 68:16-17]:

(Ps 68:16 NASB) "Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, At the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely the LORD will dwell there forever.

(Ps 68:17 NASB) The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; The Lord [" 'adhonay,' "] is among them as at Sinai, in holiness."

And as v. 16 says above, "Surely the LORD will dwell there [in Jerusalem: Mt Zion] forever!

So it is "The LORD [" 'adhonay,' "] Who gives the command," (cf. Ps 68:11); and has come with His tens of thousands of angels from Mt Sinai to dwell at Mt Zion - in Jerusalem, (Ps 68:17-18).

It is this same Almighty Creator God of the universe Who is Jehovah and LORD of all mankind Who can be trusted to provide Salvation - both eternal and temporal to all who trust in Him for that, (Ps 68:20).

It is God's temporal salvation / deliverance, protection and vindication of Israel as His people which find expression in Ps 68:20 with the repeated use of the Hebrew root word transliterated "yāaha" = to save, to deliver in the sense of delivered / saved unto temporal victory, or preserved from harm as indicated in the phrases, "God our Savior" (v. 19; lit., "the God of our salvation"), and "a God Who saves" (v. 20; lit. "God of salvations;" cf. Ps 44:4: "Who decrees victories"); which the God of His people Israel, is known by her by His most sacred same, "Yahweh," (LORD," Ps 68:20).

b) [Compare Ps 68:4]:

(Ps 68:4 NASB) "Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Lift up a song for Him Who rides through the deserts, Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him."

However, even in His closeness to His covenant people, He is still "the LORD, (Adonai), rendered Lord ('Adonaid in the NIV in Ps 68:20: from "ădōāny yĕhwih" = "Adonai Yahweh" - the Lord God as well as in Ps 71:5, 16; 73:28; 109:21; 140:7; 141:8

2) Ps 68:21 reads, "Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds."

In view in the three verses in Ps 68:19-21 which read as follows:

is a God Whose name is expressed as Jehovah, (v. 20), [וְלֵיהוִ֥ה = YHWH] the sacred Hebrew name for God; Lord, (v. 20), [Adonai] - Creator God, the absolutely sovereign name for God Who is Creator in command of all creation - angels and men; and as "El" three times: "the God Who is our salvation, (v. 19) ... "to us [our] God of [temporal] salvations / deliverances, (v. 20); ... "Surely God ["ĕlōhîm"] will shatter the head of His enemies," (v. 21). This implies that God's rule extends over all the angels in heaven and to all the inhabitants of the earth and to all creation. For He is Lord ('Adonai' cf. Ps 68:20: "ădōāny yĕhwih" = "Adonai Yahweh" - the Lord God - as well as in Ps 71:5, 16; 73:28; 109:21; 140:7; 141:8). In His rule He vindicates, protects, saves and delivers. The activities of protection and vindication, etc., find in the context of verses 19-21 that God will shatter the head of His enemies, either personally or through His people - causing harm and death to Israel's enemies who do guilty / sinful deeds.

The phrase rendered, "Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies" implies certain death. And the phrase rendered, "The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds" speaks of individuals who take an oath to wear long and shaggy hair to frighten and defeat those they intend to kill in destroying others in battle.

2 cont.) Ps 68:21 (cont.) reads, "Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds," (cont.)

So in Ps 68:21 the people of God continue to praise Him, (Ps 68:19 - "bârûk" = praise God; cf 104:1; Jud 5:2, 9), because of His ongoing faithfulness in saving / delivering them from temporal harm. He not only has repeatedly redeemed them from temporal difficulties, (v. 21; Ex 19:4; Dt 1:31; Ps 28:9; Isa 40:11); but He daily bears their burden, (v. 19). He continually leads His people out of premature, physical "death," (Ps 68:20), as He did at the Exodus.

3) Ps 68:22-23,

(Ps 68:22 NASB) "The Lord said, 'I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;

(Ps 68:23 NASB) That your foot may shatter them in blood, The tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies.' "

David indicates in verse 22a that God will bring Israel deliverance from temporal harm as those experienced in Bashan when she conquered Og:

a) [Compare Nu 21:33-35]:

(Nu 21:33 NASB) "Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out with all his people, for battle at Edrei.

(Nu 21:34 NASB) But the LORD said to Moses, 'Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.'

(Nu 21:35 NASB) So they killed him and his sons and all his people, until there was no remnant left him; and they possessed his land."

And David wrote the words in Ps 68:22b rendered, "I will bring them back from the depths of the sea," which words refer to the time when God saved / delivered His people Who redeemed them from temporal destruction by the pursuing chariot army of Egypt - a deliverance unto Israel's temporal salvation; which chariot army God caused to perish in the Red Sea:

b) [Compare Isa 51:10]:

(Isa 51:10 NASB) "Was it not You Who dried up the sea. The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a pathway. For the redeemed to cross over?"

Note that the word rendered "redeemed" in Isa 51:10 has in view being delivered by God out of physical slavery and premature physical death.

c) [Compare Isa 11:15-16, (cf. Isa 50:2; 63:11-12)]:

(Isa 11:15 NASB) "And the LORD will utterly destroy The tongue of the Sea of Egypt; And He will wave His hand over the River With His scorching wind; And He will strike it into seven streams And make men walk over dry-shod.

(Isa 11:16 NASB) And there will be a highway from Assyria. For the remnant of His people [those He redeemed in the sense of saved them from temporal destruction by the Assyrians] who will be left, [in the sense of will physically survive the military onslaught of the Assyrians]. Just as there was for Israel In the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt."

d) [Compare Ex 15:13; (cf. Isa 63:9)]:

(Ex 15:13 NASB) "In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed [delivered unto possession of the Promised Land and Mt Zion / Jerusalem - God's holy habitation]

e) [Compare Ps 106:10]:

(Ps 106:10 NASB) "So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy."

f) [Compare Isa 63:9]:

(Isa 63:9 NASB) "In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them [Israel from Egyptian enslavement]; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old."

The particular meaning of the word rendered "redeemed" in Ex 15:13; Ps 106:10 and Isa 63:9 above is to do the duty of a kinsman and redeem / save them from temporal slavery, difficulty, danger, premature physical death, etc.

On the other hand, the word "redeemed" in another kind of redemption: the context of mankind being enslaved in the slave market of sin is not present in Ps 68, as some contend it is .

Furthermore, in Ps 68:22-23 David wrote that God would cause Israel to be victorious over her enemies, picturing her as having their feet covered in the blood of their enemies while dogs licked the blood:

g) [Compare 1 Kgs 22:35-38]:

(1 Kgs 22:34 NASB) "Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, 'Turn around and take me out of the fight; for I am severely wounded.

(1 Kgs 22:35 NASB) The battle raged that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot.

(1 Kgs 22:36 NASB) Then a cry passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, 'Every man to his city and every man to his country.'

(1 Kgs 22:37 NASB) So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.

(1 Kgs 22:38 NASB) They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), according to the word of the LORD which He spoke."

D) (Ps 68:24-27) [They [Israelites] Have Seen Your [God's] Procession / Goings; My King, In The Sanctuary [Of The Temple]. The Singers Went On, The Musicians After Them, In The Midst Of The Maidens Beating Tambourines. Bless God In The Congregations, Even The LORD, You Who Are Of The Fountain Of Israel. There Is Benjamin, The Youngest [Tribe]; Ruling Them - The Princes [The Tribe] Of Judah In Their Throng; The Princes Of Zebulun; The Princes Of Naphtali

(Ps 68:24 NASB) "They have seen Your procession [lit., goings], O God, The [lit., goings] procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary [lit., in the sanctuary]. (Ps 68:25 NASB) The singers went on, the musicians after them, In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines. (Ps 68:26 NASB) Bless God in the congregations, Even the LORD, you who are of the fountain of Israel. (Ps 68:27 NASB) There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, The princes of Judah in their throng, The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali." =

David wrote in Ps 68:24-27 that they [the Israelites, God's chosen people] have seen Your [God's] procession / goings; my King, in the Sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem. The singers went on, the musicians after them, in the midst of the maidens beating tambourines. Bless God in the congregations, even the LORD, You Who are of the fountain of Israel. There is Benjamin, the youngest [Tribe]; ruling them - the princes [the Tribe] of Judah in their throng; the princes of Zebulun; the princes of Naphtali.

God's triumphal entrance into Zion and the sanctuary is again described here, pictured as a victory parade with singers and other musicians. All who saw God's victorious entrance into Jerusalem should praise Him. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah, one small and one large, represent the southern portion of the kingdom and Zebulun and Naphtali represent the northern portion - the latter two tribes evidently representing the ten northern tribes.

1) [Compare Ps 68:17-18)]:

(Ps 68:17 NASB) "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

(Ps 68:18 NASB) You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among men, Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there."

Since Ps 68:17 has Sinai in view, and since the chapter begins with Israel's Exodus from Egypt through their journey in the wilderness, their conquering and rulership of the Promised Land under King David through Israel's triumphal occupation of Jerusalem (Mount Zion); then the context in view in Ps 68:1-18 includes God descending from Mt Sinai to save his people from Egypt and the ascension is God giving Israel the victory and possession of the plunder of her enemies culminating with David's triumphal entry and ascension up to the top of Mt Zion [Jerusalem] with the ark of the covenant symbolizing and demonstrating the presence of God.

So likewise Ps 68:24-27 are written to inspire the people with greater hope as they await the victorious "procession" (v. 24) of God. So ahead of the Israelites is the Lord, Whom the psalmist addresses personally as "my God and King" (cf. 44:4; 74:12). Previously the whole community of Israel was involved in thanksgiving, as they celebrated the mighty acts of "God our Savior.... Our God" (vv. 19-20). This time the personal pronoun ("my" in the phrase rendered "my God and my King") involves each worshiper individually as he anticipates the coming of the procession of his God and King. The Lord is viewed returning victoriously from battle and back to His "sanctuary" (cf. 47:5-9). The processional language reflects the customs of battle: the king, the singers, musicians, and maidens (vv. 24-25). The princes and leaders of the tribes join in singing the victory hymn (v. 26).

David's longing for God came because of his vision of God's power, strength and glory, (ref. Ps 63:2). This awareness of God came before his enemies had driven David into the wilderness:

2) [Compare Ps 63:1-11]:

(Ps 63:1 NASB) "O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

(Ps 63:2 NASB) Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.

(Ps 63:3 NASB) Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.

(Ps 63:4 NASB) So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

(Ps 63:5 NASB) My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

(Ps 63:6 NASB) When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,

(Ps 63:7 NASB) For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

(Ps 63:8 NASB) My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

(Ps 63:9 NASB) But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth.

(Ps 63:10 NASB) They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes.

(Ps 63:11 NASB) But the king will rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped."

The ark was the symbol of the Lord's glory and strength (cf. 1 Sam. 4:21-22). God's omnipresence was made evident by the presence of the Ark. David had the joy of seeing the evidence of God's omnipresence in the sanctuary of the Temple and the tabernacle in Jerusalem, as well as when he was in the wilderness in Judah, (see Ps 63:1-11 above).

In Exodus 13:17–18 and 21–22, it is indicated that God made His presence known in the tabernacle for the benefit of His people. The tabernacle was constructed so that there would be evidence of the presence of the Lord among His people:

i) [Compare Ex 25:8]:

(Ex 25:8 NASB) "Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them."

And in an even more specific way, the ark served as the place of the presence of God:

ii) [Compare Ex 25:22]:

The eternal omnipresent God Who is not constrained by the existence of time, the infinite God who is not bound by the constraints of space, the transcendent God who dwells above and beyond all time and space, and the immense God who fills all time and space became manifest for their benefit in one locale. This God is not bound by time, but He bound Himself to the time-bound experience of His people.

The psalmist set this truth about the nature of Israel’s God to song so that His people could celebrate Him:

iii) [Compare Ps 113:4-6]:

(Ps 113:4-6 NASB) "The LORD is high above all nations; His glory is above the heavens.

(Ps 113:5 NASB) Who is like the LORD our God, Who is enthroned on high,

(Ps 113:6 NASB) Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in heaven and in the earth?"

E) (Ps 68:28-31) Your God Has Commanded Your [Israel's] Strength; Show Yourself Strong, O God, [You] Who Have Acted On Our [Israel's] Behalf. Because Of Your Temple At Jerusalem Kings Will Bring Gifts To You. Rebuke The Beasts In The Reeds, The Herd Of Bulls With The Calves Of The Peoples, Trampling Under Foot The Pieces Of Silver; He Has Scattered The Peoples Who Delight In War.

(Ps 68:28 NASB) "Your God has commanded your strength; Show Yourself strong, O God, Who have acted on our behalf. (Ps 68:29 NASB) Because of Your temple at Jerusalem Kings will bring gifts to You. (Ps 68:30 NASB) Rebuke the beasts in the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Trampling under foot the pieces of silver; He has scattered the peoples who delight in war. (Ps 68:31 NASB) Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God." =

1) In Ps 68:28, the writer declared speaking to Israel, "Your God has commanded your strength in the sense of providing strength to Israel in order to face trials such as battles with the peoples who occupied the Promised Land. Then the writer addressed God, "Show Yourself, O God Who have acted on our [Israel's and the writer's] behalf in bringing victories. For God had revealed the terror and majesty of His strength in His past victorious acts, by His own decree:

a) [Compare Ps 68:22-23]:

(Ps 68:22-23) "The Lord said, 'I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the depths of the sea; That your foot may shatter them in blood, The tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies.' "

... and by His nature as the Redeemer-God:

b) [Compare Ps 68:5-6; 19-20]:

(Ps 68:5 NASB) "A Father of the fatherless and a Judge for the widows, [is] God in His holy habitation.

(Ps 68:19 NASB) Blessed be the Lord, Who daily bears our burden, The God Who is our salvation. Selah.

(Ps 68:20 NASB) God is to us a God of deliverances; And to Jehovah [וְלֵיהוִ֥ה = YHWH] [my] Lord [Adonai] belong escapes [from] [temporal] death."

... so the community expects God to act again. Hence God was asked in Ps 68:28 by the writer to demonstrate His power once again in the face of the inevitable challenges by nations against Israel's occupation of the Promised land, with the result that kings would pay tribute to God in submission to Him:

2) In Ps 68:29, In view of God's ever faithful temporal deliverances / redemptions of His chosen people, Israel as affirmed in the previous 28 verses, the writer explained, "Because of Your [God's] Temple at Jerusalem - referring to God's evidencing His presence in the Temple - kings will bring gifts [in the sense of tributes] to You. The Lord has established His presence and majesty in His temple in Jerusalem. The subject nations, led by their kings, will in the future bring Him homage. This indicates that the timeframe of Ps 68:28-31 looks back to the Exodus, the wandering in the wilderness, the entry into the Promised Land, the conquering of the Promised Land, the Israelites' entering of Jerusalem led by David as victors, the building of the Temple under Solomon with the presence of God made evident in the Holy of holies in the Temple in Jerusalem.

a) [Hag 2:7, (Ps 76:11; Isa 18:7; 60:3-7; 66:20; Hag 2:7; Zech 2:11-13; 6:15; 8:21-22; Rev 21:24)]:

(Hag 2:7 NASB) " 'I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD of hosts."

E cont.) (Ps 68:28-31 cont.) Your God Has Commanded Your [Israel's] Strength; Show Yourself Strong, O God, [You] Who Have Acted On Our [Israel's] Behalf. Because Of Your Temple At Jerusalem Kings Will Bring Gifts To You. Rebuke The Beasts In The Reeds, The Herd Of Bulls With The Calves Of The Peoples, Trampling Under Foot The Pieces Of Silver; He Has Scattered The Peoples Who Delight In War, (cont.)

3) Ps 68:30-31 follow:

(Ps 68:30 NASB) "Rebuke the beasts in the reeds, The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples, Trampling under foot the pieces of silver; He has scattered the peoples who delight in war. (Ps 68:31 NASB) Envoys will come out of Egypt; Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God."

The prayer also contains a petition to strike those nations that will not submit themselves to God. The beast among the reeds is a symbolic representation of the enemy, which the Psalmist writes for God to rebuke, trample under foot and scatter with the calves of the peoples who delight in war. This evidently includes Egypt and Cush [Ethiopia - Egypt's neighbor and frequent ally] and all of Israel's enemies who delight in war. Note that the phrase rendered "trampling under foot the pieces of silver" refers to the tribute that is given when a nation has accepted God's redemption for them. For the giving of silver in tribute to God signifies submission to the authority of God over one. Since the parties in verse 30 are those who delight in war, the trampling under foot the pieces of silver - that which symbalizes an act of tribute / submission to the authority of - is indeed rebellion against God resulting in God's vengeance upon them.

Instead, envoys will come out of Egypt and Ethiopia who will quickly stretch out their hands with tribute to the God of Israel.

Note that the Hebrew word transliterated "hašmanîm" commonly means "envoys" or "ambassadors."

F) (Ps 68:32-35) Sing To God, O Kingdoms Of The Earth, Sing Praises To The Lord, Selah. To Him Who Rides Upon The Highest Heavens, Which Are From Ancient Times; Behold, He Speaks Forth With His Voice, A Mighty Voice. Ascribe Strength To God; His Majesty Is Over Israel And His Strength Is In The Skies. O God You Are Awesome From Your Sanctuary. The God Of Israel Himself Gives Strength And Power To The People. Blessed Be God!

(Ps 68:32 NASB) "Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, Sing praises to the Lord, Selah. (Ps 68:33 NASB) To Him Who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times; Behold, He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice. (Ps 68:34 NASB) Ascribe strength to God; His majesty is over Israel And His strength is in the skies. (Ps 68:35 NASB) O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!" =

1) In Ps 68:32 The psalmist begins a last refrain to his psalm, "Sing to God, O kingdoms [nations / peoples] of the earth, Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.

This is a call to all the peoples of the world to express in song and praise their recognition of God's power and majesty which heretofore had been largely displayed through His chosen people Israel. Implied is that the God of Israel is the God of all mankind Who offers eternal and temporal salvation to all who trust in Him - evidently through a grace provision of redemption through His chosen people - through a Descendant of Abraham .

2) Ps 68:33 continues from verse 32, ("Sing to God, O kingdoms [nations / peoples] of the earth, Sing praises to the Lord, Selah ):

(Ps 68:33 NASB) "to Him Who rides upon the highest heavens from ancient times;" in the sense that He is the Creator God from the highest heavens extending to everything that has been created, [cf. Dt 10:14; 1 Kg 8:27];

"Behold He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice," = the voice of the One Who from the beginning of creation as Creator speaks forth with His mighty - Almighty voice].

3) In Ps 68:34 the psalmist continued to instruct all the nations of the world to:

"Ascribe [= acknowledge, recognize] strength to God" - in the sense of acknowledging His having Almighty power.

to declare that, "His majesty is to Israel and His strength is in the skies," affirming God's Sovereignty being exclusively dedicated to His chosen people, Israel - a God

"[Whose] strength is in the skies" affirming His Almighty power.

4) Then in Ps 68:35 the psalmist exlaims, "O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!"

Notice the status of Israel as God's chosen people, and God Who is the Almighty God of all the nations of the world.

The phrase rendered, "O God You are awesome from Your sanctuary" reflects upon the operation of God amonst His people even as He reveals Himself to them from the sanctuary in the Temple at Mt Zion (Jerusalem) - in the sense of He being awesome, unfathomable, supernatural and almighty.

This is followed by, "The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God." The world has seen the power by which Israel was delivered out of Egypt and by which Israel possessed the Promised Land, as evidence for example by David's triumphal march with the Ark up to Jerusalem and the glory years of Solomon when the temple was built and Israel was a leading national power in the world, etc.

All nations are invited to recognize the awesome majesty, power and sovereignty of God - "Who rides upon the highest heavens" that is, recognize His omnipotence and praise Him for it. A proper understanding of God will cause men to respond to Him in reverence and praise.

5) (Ps 68:32-35) [Compare Expositor's Bible Commentary]:

"32-33 The conclusion to the psalm and to this section is a hymn. Since the kingdom of the Lord extends to all nations, and since the nations must one day submit to him, the Lord calls on the "kingdoms of the earth" to respond appropriately to his sovereignty. The invocation to praise is a complementary expansion of the hymn of v.4:
v.4: Sing to God, sing praise to his name, / extol Him Who rides on the clouds.

vv. 32-33: Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth / sing praise to the Lord, / to Him Who rides the ancient skies above, / Who thunders with mighty voice.
Here the kingdoms of the earth are clearly in view, whereas it was unclear to whom the invocation of v.4 was addressed. Verse 32 refers to the Great King as "God" and "the Lord" (Adonai; cf. vv.11, 17, 19), whereas the emphasis lies on "the name" of God ("the Lord," Yahweh). The poetic description of his rule develops that of v.4:

v.4: Who rides on the clouds
v.33: to Him Who rides the ancient skies above, / Who thunders with mighty voice.
The phrase "the ancient skies above" suggests the excellency of the Lord Whose rule extends to the highest heaven (cf. Deut 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27). The thunder reveals the majesty and power of His rule (cf. Pss 18:13; 29:3) on behalf of his own (cf. Deut 33:26).

34 The praise of the subject nations must include an ascription of His sovereignty ("the power of God"; cf. v.28). He has shown His dominion ("majesty"; cf. Deut 33:26) over Israel. Here the emphasis lies on the sovereignty and power of His rule, whereas the hymn (vv.5-6) stresses the personal dimension of His rule: the Lord delivers the oppressed with justice and compassion.
35 This God is "awesome" (nora') in His deeds (cf. 47:2; 65:5; Exod 15:11; Deut 10:17; Rev 15:3-4) but still present with His people ("in Your sanctuary"; cf. vv.16, 24). He alone is the source of strength for His people. This God is "blessed" (baruk; NIV, "praise be") and is to be "blessed" (cf. 89:52). ...

From this the Psalmist argues, that should God liberally supply the wants of His people, the consequence would be, to increase the fear of His name, since all ends of the earth would, by what they saw of His fatherly regard to His own, submit themselves with greater cheerfulness to his government. (3:4)"