Psalms · psalm 68 of 150
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Psalm 68 is a victory hymn by David to the God who arises, scatters his enemies and marches with his people from Sinai to the sanctuary. He is father of the fatherless and protector of widows, gives the lonely a home and leads prisoners out. It ends by calling all the kingdoms of the earth to sing to the God whose power is in the skies and in his sanctuary.
The title calls it a psalm and song of David, addressed to the choirmaster. It belongs to Book II and is one of the most difficult poems in the Psalter, because of its rare vocabulary and its allusions to Israel's history. It has been linked with the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem, although the text does not say so. Its main ideas are clear: God conquers, protects the weak and receives the praise of all kingdoms.
The psalm opens with a prayer that recalls the words said when the ark set out in Numbers 10:35: let God arise, let his enemies be scattered and let the righteous be glad before him. Then it invites them to sing to the one who rides through the deserts. His name is the Lord, and he is father of the fatherless and protector of widows in his holy habitation. He gives the lonely a home to dwell in and leads out the prisoners to prosperity, while the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
Verses 7 to 14 recall Israel's departure from Egypt: God marched through the wilderness, the earth quaked and the heavens poured down rain before him, at Sinai. His inheritance was weary, and he restored it. Then his flock dwelt in it, and the kings of the armies fled.
Verses 15 to 18 show God choosing Mount Zion rather than the high mountains of Bashan. His chariots are twice ten thousand, and the Lord is among them, as at Sinai, in the holy place. He ascends on high, leads captives in his train and receives gifts among men.
Verses 19 to 31 bless the God who daily bears our burden and is the God of salvation. They describe his triumph, the procession into the sanctuary with singers, musicians and young women with tambourines, and the part of the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, Zebulun and Naphtali. They ask God to show his strength from his temple at Jerusalem and for kings to bring gifts. Egypt and Cush will stretch out their hands to God. The psalm closes by calling the kingdoms of the earth to sing to the one who rides in the heavens, whose voice is mighty: ascribe power to God, for he gives power and strength to his people.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered and let those who hate him flee before him. It is a war prayer that trusts that God acts and that evil does not last.
God is father of the fatherless and protector of widows in his holy habitation, and he gives the lonely a home. God's strength is especially shown in his care for the most vulnerable.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, the God who is our salvation. God does not save only in great victories but sustains his people day after day.
God is awesome from his sanctuary and gives power and strength to his people. The psalm ends by saying that the same powerful God is the one who sustains his own.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: As father of the fatherless and protector of widows. — Psalm 68:5
Answer: He gives the lonely a home and leads the prisoners out to prosperity. — Psalm 68:6
Answer: The earth quaked and the heavens poured down rain before God, at Sinai. — Psalm 68:7-8
Answer: Zion, not the mountains of Bashan. — Psalm 68:15-16
Answer: He bears their burden. — Psalm 68:19
Answer: To his people. — Psalm 68:35
Psalm 68 shows what kind of power God has: the kind that protects those with no one to defend them. A church that reads it carefully asks about the orphans, widows, immigrants and lonely people in its community. In a small group you can ask which family or nearby person needs us to make them part of ours.
Verse 19 comforts the weary: God bears the burden daily. It is not a promise that the burden will disappear but that we do not carry it alone. Someone praying with this psalm can name their burdens, hand them over one by one and remember that the God who rises against evil is the same one who upholds the weak.
Psalm 68 ends with a call for all kingdoms to sing to God, who gives power to his people. Psalm 69 changes tone: now David is sunk in deep waters and cries out for salvation.
In the psalm it describes God going up victoriously to Zion with defeated enemies and receiving tribute. In Ephesians 4:8 Paul quotes the verse with a variation to speak of Christ, who ascended and gave gifts to his church. Scholars discuss the exact relation between the two texts, but the New Testament applies it to Christ's victory.
It contains rare Hebrew words, jumps between images and alludes to ancient events, such as Sinai and the tribes of Israel. That is why translations vary quite a bit in some verses. The main message, however, is clear: God triumphs, protects the weak and receives the praise of all kingdoms.