Doctrines Covered		Doctrines Alluded To
Çâlal	Jerusalem Mountains	The Ark of God
The Trinity in the Old Testament	Doctrine of Tôwtsâôwth
Doctrine of Âshâm

An Introduction to Psalm 68

I ntroduction: Psalm 68 is one of the most difficult psalms to exegete. When it comes to understanding a psalm, organization is often quite helpful, and, most of the time, the selah’s in a psalm tell you how the psalm should be broken up. However, that is not the case with Psalm 68, where a musical interlude is thrown into the midst of a thought, which is clearly continued after the selah. Secondly, there are a number of words found in this psalm which are found nowhere else; and other words found here which are relatively rare. Thirdly, there is at least one word which is translated very similarly by most translators, but in a way that we do not find it elsewhere. Finally, some verses standing on their own do not seem to make sense (e.g., vv. 13, 21, 23, 27, and 30). In beginning this psalm, I must admit to feeling overwhelmed by it. Now that I have examined a couple dozen different translations, I feel a little less intimidated, although I would not be surprised if I am unable to explain some sections of this psalm.

To become oriented, there is a specific time and place and occasion for this psalm: David attempted to move the Ark of God previously, and, in doing so, one of the caretakers of the Ark was struck dead. David stopped the procession because he realized that he had screwed up. He spent a few months studying the Bible, and felt confident enough to attempt to move the Ark once again into Jerusalem, the new capital of Israel. The first verse of this psalm is taken from the word of Moses—it is what Moses would say every morning before breaking camp and moving forward, and these words were specifically tied to the moving of the Ark. Vv. 24–27 offer further evidence that we are speaking of a procession. Secondly, the first 18 verses of this psalm give us an historical perspective of Israel, from Egypt to Canaan, and their conquering of the Land of Promise. The final 17 verses are more difficult to classify. Are we speaking of Israel in the Tribulation? Are we examining a few doctrinal points about the relationship between God and Israel? Throughout portions of the latter half of this psalm, I was somewhat flummoxed.

However, I do think that I can give the big picture view of this psalm:
Psalm 68: the Big Picture
Verses	Title	Commentary
vv. 1–14	God’s Past Dealings with Israel	The past. David begins with Moses leading his people through the desert and culminates with the victories of Israel over the heathen of the land.
vv. 15–18	The Ark of God Comes to Rest in Mount Zion, just as God will Rule from Zion Eternally	The present. This section views parallel time periods: the Ark being taken into Jerusalem, which is symbolic of our Lord ruling forever from Mount Zion.
vv. 19–35	God’s Future Dealings with Israel	The future. The previous few verses are transitional, connecting the symbols of Israel’s present to Israel’s true future under God.

Bear in mind that, even though this is the big picture, all the time David is mindful of the moving of the Ark into Jerusalem. Therefore, throughout this psalm, there will be continued references to the actual moving of the Ark (vv. 1, 17b, 24–25—a reference for each major section of this psalm).

At this point in time, I have almost completed this psalm, and I am reasonably satisfied with the results. However, for many of the individual verses, you may be asking out loud, why didn’t you just say this in the first place? Quite frankly, much of the exegesis here is me thinking out loud and throwing in the comments of a dozen other commentators. Although the final explanation for this or that verse may seem fairly simple and on target, getting to that point was not easy.

When all is said and done, you will find that there are two verses for which I did not give a complete and reasonable explanation (vv. 13, 30). With the help of a commentator (Barnes, I believe), that inability to understand and explain those verses actually had great meaning in and of itself (you’ll see).

There will be a few more verses where I believe that I have explained portions of them, or given the gist of their meanings, but was unable to fully and completely develop them.

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As you read this commentary, now and again you are going to feel as if you are slogging through knee-deep mud. This is how I felt throughout most of this psalm, although I must admit that, as I near the final week or two or working on it, that I am becoming more and more confident and comfortable with the results.

That being said, the NET Bible® probably gives us the most concise summary of this psalm: The psalmist depicts God as a mighty warrior and celebrates the fact that God exerts his power on behalf of his people.

One of the most marvelous applications of this study is false concept that, the believer with the greatest faith can go sit on a park bench, and God will provide for him. Why isn’t this God’s plan for our lives? Why doesn’t God expect us to reach a point of faith in our lives where we can simply open up our hands, and God will drop money into them? What is Christian growth if it is not aimed toward complete faith and dependence upon God? We’ll cover this topic when we get to v. 28, and there are a number of concepts which will suddenly come together for you: faith, Christian growth, maturity, and how this all relates to us being shadow images of God.

Allow me to offer up, as is my tradition, an alternate outline for this chapter:

Barnes Outlines Psalm 68

I. A prayer that God would arise and scatter all his enemies (Psalm 68:1–2).

II. A call on the people to praise God, with reference to his greatness, and to his paternal character (Psalm 68:3–6).

III. A reference to what he had done in former times for his people in conducting them from bondage to the promised land (Psalm 68:7–14).

IV. A particular reference to the ark (Psalm 68:15–18). After it had been lying neglected, God had gone forth with it, and Zion had become distinguished above the hills; the chariots of God had been poured forth; victory had attended its movements; and God had gone up leading captivity captive.

V. The anticipation of future triumphs – the confident expectation of future interposition – as derived from the history of the past (Psalm 68:19–23).

VI. A description of the procession on the removing of the ark (Psalm 68:24–27).

VII. The anticipation of future triumphs expressed in another form, not that of subjugation by mere power, but of a voluntary submission of kings and nations to God (Psalm 68:28–31). Kings would come with presents Psalm 68:29; nations – Egypt and Ethiopia – would stretch out their hands to God (Psalm 68:31).

VIII. A call on all the nations, in view of these things, to ascribe praise to God (Psalm 68:32–35).

In comparing Barnes’ organization to mine, there is very little difference. Barnes breaks the psalm into fewer parts, but divides them as I have, with the exception of the first section, which I end at v. 3 and he ends at v. 2.

Taken from Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament; from e-Sword, Psalm 68 introduction.

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The NIV Study Bible has a pretty good outline as well, which they nail down based upon the 1^st and 7^th stanzas:
The NIV Study Bible Outlines Psalm 68
Stanza	Incident
1^st Stanza	The beginning of the liturgical procession. vv. 1–3
2^nd Stanza	The benevolence of God’s rule and a call for us to praise Him. vv. 4–6
3^rd Stanza	This stanza recalls the desert journey from Sinai to the promised land. vv. 7–10
4^th Stanza	Here, David recalls God’s victories over the kings of Canaan. vv. 11–14
5^th Stanza	The fifth stanza marks that stage in which the Lord ascends Mount Zion. vv. 15–18
6^th Stanza	The sixth stanza speaks reassuringly of God’s future victories. This is a joyous confession of hope that God’s victorious campaigns will continue until the salvation of His people is complete. vv. 19–23
7^th Stanza	The seventh speaks expressly of the procession coming into view and entering the sanctuary. vv. 24–27
8^th Stanza	This stanza contains prayers that God may continue to muster His power to subdue the enemy as He had done before. vv. 28–31
9^th Stanza	The climax of the liturgical procession, where God is enthroned in His sanctuary. All kingdoms are called upon to praise the God of Israel as the God Who reigns in heaven and has established His earthly throne in the Temple of Jerusalem. vv. 32–35

The author of this footnote jumped around, naming the stanzas which seemed to be the most certain, and then he filled in with the others. The odd numbered stanzas appear to be the easiest to tie down to a particular topic or time frame; perhaps we should logically determine the even-numbered stanzas based upon their placement within this psalm? Or, perhaps these even-numbered stanzas could be removed from this psalm and be properly fitted together in another way. Bear in mind, David can sometimes be very complex in his compositions.

Each section was given more of an explanation in later footnotes in the NIV Study Bible, some of which is included here.

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One of the first steps in understanding a psalm is setting up a structure or an outline. Of course, I look at what others have done, but, from experience, I have found that David tends to have very carefully structured psalms which can be broken down into pieces, but which should be seen in a structural form as well. For instance, in this psalm, from looking at the first two sections of the psalm, it appears as though the first section matches the final section of this psalm, that the 2^nd section matches the 2^nd to the last section, etc. This is a structure which David has used before. Bear in mind, I come to this conclusion from just a superficial perusal of the psalm; when I begin to organize the psalm itself is what bears my theory out or not.

At this point, I have almost completed the exegesis of Psalm 68. Because this was a difficult psalm, I spend some time on the internet searching for whatever other nuggets of wisdom I might find. I cam across a paper by Steve Puluka (http://www.puluka.com/psalm68/default.asp) which suggested the following organization of the psalm.
What I have done differently is actually write out the verses below, grouped as Puluka (or Fokkelman?) suggest (the combination of verses are strophes). Given David’s highly organized nature with respect to literature, I thought I would lay this out and see if it works.
Another Way to Organize Psalm 68
Scripture	Stanza	Section
God rises up [and] He scatters [or, breaks into pieces] His enemies; and those who hate Him flee from Him. Just as smoke is blown away, You dispel [them]; [and] just as wax is melted by fire, so the corrupt are destroyed because of Elohim [or, before Elohim]. The righteous will rejoice; they will exhibit [or, feel] joy before Elohim; they will leap with joy. (vv. 1–3)	As God leads Israel in the desert, He scatters His enemies. This same God looks out for the widows and orphans. God leaves those who are headstrong and wilful to die in the desert wilderness.	God leads Israel from Egypt to the Land of Promise, defeating and scattering Israel’s enemies and, at the same time, providing for Israel.
Sing unto Elohim, make music which praises His name. Construct [a highway] for the one riding in the [desert] Arabah. His name [is] in Yah, Rejoice before Him. Elohim [is] a Father to the fatherless and an advocate of the widows in His holy habitation. Elohim causes those who are solitary to live in a household; He leads captives [possibly, slaves] into freedom [or, prosperity]; but those who are willful [and headstrong] have settled into a scorched region. (vv. 4–6)
O Elohim, when You went forth before Your people; when You marched in the desert wasteland;[Musical] Pause [or, musical interlude; lit., Selah!] The earth quaked; furthermore, the heavens poured down [rain] from Elohim. This Sinai [quaked] because of Elohim, the Elohim of Israel. (vv. 7–8)	God caused both earthquakes and rains in order to bring Israel from Sinai into the Land of Promise. He used those rains and earthquakes against Israel’s enemies and to sustain Israel.
You have scattered rain freely [or, in abundance], O Elohim; You established Your inheritance, when it [the rain] was wearied. Your community lived in it [the land]; You, O Elohim, established the humble [or, possibly, the grace oriented] in Your goodness. (vv. 9–10)

Another Way to Organize Psalm 68
Scripture	Stanza	Section
Adonai gives a promise [or, mandate]; those [women] who bring good news [or, female messengers] [are] a great army. Kings of armies flee—they flee; while [each] female inhabitant of a home divides up [her] recompense [or, spoil]. (vv. 11–13a)	God scatters opposing armies; Israel enjoys the spoils of victory.	The God of Mount Sinai is the God of Mount Zion. We will save those who are His and destroy His enemies.
Though you lay between two stalls (?), the wings of a dove are overlaid with silver and her feathers with a yellowish gold. When the Almighty scatters kings in her [in the land]; He causes snow [to fall] in Zalmon. (vv. 13b–14)
O mountain of Elohim, O mountain of Bashan, O mountain of [many] summits, O mountain of Bashan. Why do you look with envy, O mountains, O peaks, [at] the mountain Elohim desires for His dwelling place? Indeed, Y^ehowah will live there forever. (vv. 15–16)	God will make His Presence with Israel in Mount Zion
The chariot of Elohim [leads] twenty thousand—a myriad of thousands [of angels]— my Adonai [is] among them, [as He was with them at] Sinai, [as He was with them] in the holy place. You have gone up on high [or, to the Most High]; You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts in the presence of mankind. And even [in the presence of] the rebellious; Yah Elohim lives [there]. (vv. 17–18)
Blessed is Adonai, day [after] day, God bears our deliverance [or, salvation] for us. [Musical] Pause [or, musical interlude; lit., Selah!] Our God [is] a God with respect to [His] acts of salvation; and to Y^ehowah Adonai, with respect to death, [there are] limits [or, the Lord Jehovah is the end with respect to death]. (vv. 19–20)	God will both save those who are His and destroy completely those who oppose Him
Surely Elohim will shatter the head of His enemies; the crown of his head—[his] hair brisling up walking around [with evil intent] with his guilt [for wrongdoing]. Adonai has said, “I will bring [them] back from Bashan; I will bring [them] back from the depths of the seas so that you bathe your feet in blood [and] the tongue of your dogs [this blood] from [your] enemies [is] his portion.” (vv. 21–23)

Another Way to Organize Psalm 68
Scripture	Stanza	Section
They have seen Your solemn processions, O Elohim; [they have seen] the processions of my God, my King, into the holy place. The singers are in front [lit., preceded]; [and] after [them], [are] those who play stringed instruments; in the midst of young women playing timbrels. (vv. 24–25)	The procession of Israel with the Ark of God.	From the procession of the Ark to God’s Millennial rule from Jerusalem.
Bless Elohim in the assemblies, [and blessings to] Y^ehowah from the fountain of Israel. Then [or, there], insignificant Benjamin has dominion over them; the princes of Judah [are] their means of execution [or, means of control; or, are in a group], [along ] the princes of Zebulun [and] the princes of Naphtali. (vv. 26–27)
Your Elohim commands your strength [or, protection, glory] [possibly, Summon Your strength, O God]; make secure [or, strong], O Elohim, that which you have done for us. Because of Your Temple upon Jerusalem, [in a procession] kings bring presents [lit., a present] to You. (vv. 28–29)	God makes His Temple in Jerusalem; kings from all over bring tribute to Him.
Castigate the community [or, life, living thing, animal] of stalks [or, reeds], the congregation of mighty ones, with calves of people trampling down [or, prostrating themselves with] bars of silver; scatter [these] people, [for] they delight in war [possibly, He scatters (them); the people desire to draw near]. Ambassadors from Egypt come; His hands quickly bring Ethiopia unto Elohim. (vv. 30–31)
Sing, you kingdoms of the earth, to Elohim; Sing praises [to] Adonai! [Musical Pause] [lit., selah!]. [Sing praises] to the Rider of the heavens, [those] ancient heavens; Listen, He sends forth [lit., gives] His voice, [His] mighty voice. (vv. 32–33)	Sing praises to God.
Give glory [or, praise] to Elohim; His majesty and His strength [is] in the clouds over Israel. The God of Israel [is] a feared [and respected] Elohim [or, is an awesome God] [ruling] from Your sanctuary; He gives to the people blessed [by] Elohim strength and might [or, He gives strength and might to the people; blessed [be] God]. (vv. 34–35)

Puluka refers to some guy, Fokkelman, writing An alternative view of the organization of Psalm 68 is the stress accent model of poetry. Here two or four stresses yield a colon, two to three colon yield a verse, two to three verses form a strophe and two to three strophe form a stanza. [Fokkelman, J.P. Reading biblical Poetry: An Introductory Guide. Westminster Jon Knox Press, Louisville/London, 2001] The stanzas can be further organized into sections in the longer Psalms, like Psalm 68.

I had a mixed reaction to this organization. There were sections which were hard to organize under one title or under one theme. However, the sections seemed to be reasonably easy to classify.

The translation and the brief description of the stanzas and the sections are mine; the organization came from Puluka or from Fokkelman.

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There are times when someone really gets it wrong. When I pulled up this website, I did not pay much attention to who put it out. I just read a few lines into their commentary and I could tell, they simply got it wrong.
Psalm 68: Getting it Wrong
Their Comments	How They Got it Wrong
Psalm 68 is extremely difficult because the Hebrew text is badly preserved and the ceremony that it describes is uncertain.	The Hebrew text itself is difficult, containing a number of words which are found nowhere else. This does not mean that it was badly preserved. The time and place of this psalm is pretty easy to ascertain. David wrote it for the 2^nd attempt to move the Ark. We know this because, this psalm tells us that David wrote it; the first verse repeats what Moses would say when the Ark was moved during the 40 years in the desert wilderness. We know that David’s problem the first time that he tried to move the Ark is, he did not have the Bible doctrine in his soul. The second time he moved the Ark, he knew the proper way to do it. This psalm reveals an understanding of the history of Israel and God’s involvement in the history of Israel prior to David’s time (vv. 1–17) and there is a clear reference to a procession in vv. 24–27.
The translation assumes the psalm accompanied the early autumn Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth), which included a procession of the tribes (Psalm 68:25-28).	Although there is a procession in this psalm, there is nothing to indicate that there is any connection between this psalm and the Feast of Tabernacles.
Israel was being oppressed by a foreign power, perhaps Egypt (Psalm 68:31-32)--unless Egypt stands for any oppressor.	It appears as though Egypt is bringing tribute to Israel, which is pretty much the opposite of being oppressive.
The psalm may have been composed from segments of ancient poems, which would explain why the transitions are implied rather than explicitly stated. At any rate, Psalm 68:2 is based on Numbers 10:35-36, and Psalm 68:8-9 are derived from Judges 5:4-5.	Although this is possibly true, there are only 2 or 3 verses which were definitely taken from elsewhere. It is very likely that David, when studying the Old Testament to determine how to move the Ark of God, was inspired to continue reading God’s Word. That he wrote a few verses in this psalm which parallel the Scripture which he studied is likely, since he does write a history of Israel from Sinai to his choice of Mount Zion for the location of the Ark.

For whatever reason, their verse allusions here to Psalm 68 are out of whack by one verse (I believe this is a Catholic translation and website).

The quotation on the left side came from http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/psalms/psalm68.htm

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At this point, I have already broken the psalm up into sections, but I need to delve deeper than that. I will use the English Standard Version below and show you how my thought processes work to further organize this psalm in my own mind.

I will break the psalm down according to the chapter breakdown above:

My Thinking Process in Organizing Psalm 68

Psalm 68

Thinking Process Here

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.

I assume that David wrote this psalm and that it reflects incidents in his life and/or the history of Israel as he saw it.

God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!

As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!

But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!

Immediately, we find enemies and war here; so I note this with boldface where else this occurs. We also have them called wicked here.

There is a clear contrast with the righteous, who exhibit joy.

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the LORD; exult before him!

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.

God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Singing is often an indication of joy.

God’s holy habitation is mentioned here.

God’s provision and direct involvement in the lives of His people is clearly seen in the second portion of this stanza.

O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.

Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it languished;

your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

Sinai is alluded to in this stanza.

The nation Israel is named here, which is a culmination of God’s moving Israel from Egypt to the Land of Promise. At this point, I see a parallel which I have missed before: much of this psalm speaks of God moving the Jews from Egypt to the Land of Promise; and this is a nice parallel to David moving the Ark from a place of inactivity to central Israel.

God’s provision and direct involvement in the lives of His people is clearly seen in the second portion of this stanza.

The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the news are a great host:

"The kings of the armies--they flee, they flee!" The women at home divide the spoil--

though you men lie among the sheepfolds-- the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold.

When the Almighty scatters kings there, let snow fall on Zalmon.

The kings of armies that flee make me think back to God’s enemies mentioned at the beginning of this psalm.

O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!

Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?

Bashan is named here, and the names of many countries will follow.

Hatred is used often to speak of an enemy of God.

At the end of this stanza, God’s abode is again mentioned.

The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.

You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.

Sinai, although not strictly a country, is another area which is named in this psalm.

God’s sanctuary is mentioned again, along with a place where the Lord God will dwell forever.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah

Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.

God’s provision and direct involvement in the lives of His people is clearly seen in this stanza.

But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

The Lord said, "I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

that you may strike your feet in their blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe."

Bashan is named again in this verse.

Here, God’s clear victory over His enemies is noted.

God’s promise indicates His provision and direct involvement.

Your procession is seen, O God, the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary--

the singers in front, the musicians last, between them virgins playing tambourines:

"Bless God in the great congregation, the LORD, O you who are of Israel's fountain!"

There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in their throng, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

We have a procession here with music, which is quite similar to the righteous and their joy.

This joyous procession of course takes place in Israel and is celebrated by the tribes of Israel.

Summon your power, O God, the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.

Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings shall bear gifts to you.

Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war.

Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.

God speaks of Jerusalem.

Both Egypt and Cush (Ethiopia) are named here.

O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord, Selah

to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.

God riding in the heavens is spoken of here.

Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies.

Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel--he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

Although God is not riding in the heavens here, per se, His power is in the skies.

God’s sanctuary is again mentioned.

He is called the God of Israel here as well.

As I study this, I note that I can, more or less, match up the first 3 stanzas with the final 3 stanzas, making me think that David set up this psalm to parallel itself.

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Now that it appears as though the beginning of this psalm should be matched with the end of the psalm, let me place them in parallel and comment:

I will use the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (my choice of translations here is purely random, as I am not comfortable with my own translation).

Do We Find a Parallelism in Psalm 68?

Psalm 68 from the Beginning

Psalm 68 from the End

God rises up and His enemies are scattered; and those who hate Him flee from His face.

As smoke is driven away, You drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked perish in God's presence.

But the righteous are glad; they shout for joy before God; yea, they exult with gladness.

Give might to God over Israel; His majesty and His strength in the clouds.

O God, You are awesome out of Your holy places; the God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to the people.

Blessed be God!

God rises up against His enemies; God reigns over Israel, and gives strength to His people, Israel. What they have in common is both of these begin with an imperative (the LTHB does not render it that way, obviously)

Sing to God, sing praise to His name; lift up a song for Him who rides in the deserts, by His name Jehovah; yea, exult in His presence.

In His holy dwelling God is a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows.

God causes the lonely to live at home; He brings out those who are bound with chains, while the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

Sing to God, kingdoms of the earth, praises to the Lord. Selah.

To Him who rides on the heavens of heavens of old; lo, He gives forth His voice, a mighty voice.

God is to be praised and we are called upon to sing to God. This is probably the clearest parallel, which suggested to me that perhaps David set these up as parallel stanzas.

O God, when You marched before Your people, when You walked on through the wilderness. Selah.

The earth shook, and the heavens dropped before God, this Sinai before God, the God of Israel.

O God, You sent down a shower of plenty, by which You upheld Your inheritance when it was weary.

Your flock lived in it. You, O God, have prepared for the poor in Your goodness.

Your God has commanded your strength; O God, be strong, in this that You have worked out for us.

Because of Your temple over Jerusalem, kings shall bring a present to You.

Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, the herd of bulls, with the calves of the peoples, trampling down with pieces of silver. He scatters the people who delight in war.

Let nobles be brought out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall run up her hands to God.

Although I originally saw a parallel here, I don’t any more.

Jehovah gave the Word; the bearers of it were a great army.

Kings of armies fled, they ran away; yea, she who stayed home has divided the plunder.

When you lie among the sheepfolds, the wings of a dove are covered with silver, and its feathers with gleaming gold.

When the Almighty scatters kings in it, it snows on Mount Salmon.

They have seen Your goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the holy place.

The singers went before, then the musicians came; among them were the virgins playing the timbrels.

O bless God in the congregations, the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

There is little Benjamin ruling them; the leaders of Judah in their crowd, and the leaders of Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali.

There might be a legitimate parallel here, where God scatters the armies of Israel’s enemies on the one hand; and we have the orderly procession of God’s people on the other hand.

The mountain of Bashan is God's mountain; the Bashan range is a mountain of peaks.

Why do you gaze in envy, O mountain range, at the mountain God desired for His dwelling? Yea, Jehovah will dwell in it forever.

Yea, God will crush the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks on in his guilt.

The Lord said, I will bring back from Bashan; I will bring back My people from the depths of the sea;

so that your foot may be dashed in the blood of your enemies, the tongue of your dogs in it.

Bashan is mentioned in these two possibly parallel stanzas, and we contrast the high mountains of Bashan with God bringing His people back from the depths of the seas.

The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of thousands, the Lord is among them, in Sinai, in the holy place.

You have gone up on high; You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men; yea, to dwell among the rebellious, O Jehovah God.

Blessed be the Lord: day by day He carries a load for us, the God of our salvation. Selah.

Our God is the God of salvation; and to Jehovah the Lord are the issues of death.

These appear to be the most distinctly New Testament stanzas, as the first is quoted in the New Testament and the 2^nd speaks of God as our salvation, Who bears our burdens for us. Although the latter stanza is not quoted in the New Testament, there are certainly a number of parallel New Testament verses.

I was hoping to conclude without question a set of parallel stanzas, which parallelism is more easily seen when these verses are laid down next to one another; unfortunately, although that appears to be the case in some places, in others, it is a stretch to make them parallel.

What is my point with these past two charts? First of all, for me, they are like scratch paper; you might see this as my scratch work in attempting to unearth the information of Psalm 68. Secondly, it is to point out that, not everything in Scripture comes easily to anyone with the gift of exegesis (which would include some who write commentaries and some pastor-teachers ). Now and again, when I examine this or that chapter of the Bible, I complete the task and am quite pleased with the results. For instance, when I figured out why God allowed Saul to speak to Samuel after Samuel had died, even though Samuel did not really give Saul any new information, I was pleased as peaches; particularly, because I had not seen this correctly explained elsewhere. When I understood the gist of 1Cor. 13:1–3, I was quite happy with that knowledge, as I don’t believe that this passage was ever taught correctly. However, on the other hand, when I deal with a chapter like Psalm 68, I am humbled and taken aback. The more translations and the more scratch work that I do on this psalm, the more manageable it becomes, but, after first exegeting the Hebrew, I must confess, my mind was drawing quite a blank to begin with; and I still feel there are passages within this psalm which I may not be able to adequately explain.

One more important message to those who exegete the Scriptures: do not become emotionally involved with any hypothesis that you may come up with! Now and again, you are going to think you have a breakthrough; you are going to think that you see something that no one else has seen (and, in some cases, this will occur). Think it through; compare Scripture to Scripture; don’t commit to it until you’ve slept on it for several evenings and have carefully examined the related Scriptures. None of us are going to come up with breakthroughs which turn Christianity on its side; but some of us will, now and again, come across an interpretation, a viewpoint, a rationale, which has not been proposed before, or completely exploited yet. When you come across something like that, do not become emotionally attached to it; you may find that, after a day or two of study, it turns out that your hypothesis does not hold water. Don’t worry about that. It’s no big deal. Just be humble enough to recognize, I went down a blind alley; my hypothesis is just flat out wrong; and then you just move on. Adjust your caffeine intake if necessary, and then go back to studying.

Personally, when it comes to interpreting a particular passage, I would rather admit that I have hit a wall and don’t understand it, or offer up the explanations of others, which I may find to be inadequate, rather than to throw out some dogmatic assertion as to the meaning of the passage, when, in fact, I do not believe that interpretation is warranted. Since I am not a pastor, I can get away with this. I recognize that only a few people are going to actually read this, and I hope that they will respect my intellectual integrity when, at times, I don’t claim to have the answer or the correct interpretation.

I think by the gist of the past few paragraphs, I may be revealing just how intimidating this psalm was to me.

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On a personal note, David kept me in the Hebrew dictionary time after time after time for this psalm. There are several words found only in this psalm and there are several words whose meaning is clear by their cognates, but which are found only here and one or two other passages. Keil and Delitzsch tell us that there are 13 words in this psalm which are found nowhere else. Sometimes, we can go for several chapters before finding even a single word like that.

Keil and Delitzsch write: But over and above all this, the language is so bold and so peculiarly its own, that we meet with no less than thirteen words that do no occur anywhere else. It is so distinctly Elohimic in its impress, that the simple Elohim occurs twenty–three times; but in addition to this, it is as though the whole cornucopia of divine names were poured out upon it: YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH] in Psalm 68:16; ădônây (יָנֹדֱא) [pronounced uh-doh-NAY] six times; êl (ל ֵא) [pronounced ALE] twice in Psalm 68:18; Shadday (י ַ ַש) [pronounced shahd-DAH-ee] in Psalm 68:14; Yâh (ָי) [pronounced yaw] in Psalm 68:4; YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH] ădônây (יָנֹדֱא) [pronounced uh-doh-NAY] in Psalm 68:20; Yâh (ָי) [pronounced yaw] Ělôhîym (מי̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM] in Psalm 68:18; so that this Psalm among all the Elohimic Psalms is the most resplendent.

When investigating this psalm, I thought to myself, what’s wrong with me? Why don’t I get this? After completing the very frustrating exegesis from the Hebrew, I then read what Clarke wrote: I know not how to undertake a comment on this Psalm: it is the most difficult in the whole Psalter; and I cannot help adopting the opinion of Simon De Muis: “In this Psalm there are as many precipices and labyrinths as there are verses or words. It may not be improperly termed, the torture of critics, and the reproach of commentators.” To attempt any thing new on it would be dangerous; and to say what has been so often said would be unsatisfactory. I am truly afraid to fall over one of those precipices, or be endlessly entangled and lost in one of these labyrinths. There are customs here referred to which I do not fully understand; there are words whose meaning I cannot, to my own satisfaction, ascertain; and allusions which are to me inexplicable. Yet of the composition itself I have the highest opinion: it is sublime beyond all comparison; it is constructed with an art truly admirable; it possesses all the dignity of the sacred language; none but David could have composed it; and, at this lapse of time, it would require no small influence of the Spirit that was upon him, to give its true interpretation. I shall subjoin a few notes, chiefly philological; and beg leave to refer the reader to those who have written profusely and laboriously on this sublime Psalm, particularly Venema, Calmet, Dr. Chandler, and the writers in the Critici Sacr.

Clarke isn’t the only one to express such thoughts. Henry writes: This is a most excellent psalm, but in many places the genuine sense is not easy to come at; for in this, as in some other scriptures, there are things dark and hard to be understood. It does not appear when, or upon what occasion, David penned this psalm; but probably it was when, God having given him rest from all his enemies round about, he brought the ark (which was both the token of God's presence and a type of Christ's mediation) from the house of Obed-edom to the tent he had pitched for it in Zion; for the first words are the prayer which Moses used at the removing of the ark, Num. 10:35.

Spurgeon offers up more of the same: The Psalm is at once surpassingly excellent and difficult. Its darkness in some stanzas is utterly impenetrable. Well does a German critic speak of Psalm 68 as a Titan very hard to master. Our slender scholarship has utterly failed us, and we have had to follow a surer Guide. After reading this and the previous comments, I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did when I began this psalm; I feel just as confused at times, but at least I know that is how other commentators have felt over the centuries.

Steve Puluka writes: The RSV translation below provides our base text for the discussion. For purposes of the analysis of Jewish and Christian usage and interpretation the reference text is sufficient. However, as noted by the Jewish Publication society translation “The coherence of this psalm and the meaning of many of its passages are uncertain.” Outlined below are the uncertain terms and divergences of the LXX for this text. None provide a point of theological or liturgical controversy in the use or interpretation of the Psalm between Christians and Jews. What is most important in his statement is, we might not understand all that is in this psalm; but we don’t find things which contradict Jewish or Christian doctrines. This, by the way, is true of all of the passages which we do not understand. We may not be able to get a definite handle on them, but difficult passages do not rise to the level of teaching, for instance, soul sleep or purgatory (or, whatever). So I might not be able to tell you exactly what this or that verse means, but, you won’t read it and think that you have suddenly discovered new revelations on covenant theology.

Given the many difficulties associated with this psalm, the primary commentators all appear to be in agreement that this psalm was written by David to be sung when the Ark was moved to Jerusalem. Some of them do allude to other commentators—guys I have never heard of—for additional theories, most of which are pretty weird and find themselves at odds immediately with the inscription of this psalm.
Opinions as to the Occasion of Psalm 68
Commentator	Opinion/Comment
The Amplified Bible	David sang of the ark of the covenant, which after a great victory was transferred or brought back to Zion. in this fact he sees the principle of the history of the kingdom of God, appearing in ever widening circles and nobler manner. the fact is to him a type of the method and course of the Messiah’s kingdom. so the Apostle Paul (in eph. 4:8) is perfectly justified in finding the psalmists’s eye directed toward Christ, and so interpreting it. The “on high” in the Psalm is first of all Mount Zion, but this is a type of Heaven, as Paul makes clear. (Lange’s Commentary)
Barnes	It is evidently, like the eighteenth psalm, a triumphal song designed to celebrate victories which had been achieved; but whether composed to celebrate some particular victory, or in view of all that had been done in subduing the enemies of the people of God, it is impossible now to determine. Prof. Alexander supposes that it was in reference to the victory recorded in 2Sam. 12:26–31, the last important victory of David’s reign. Venema supposes that it was composed on the occasion of removing the ark to Mount Zion, to the place which David had prepared for it. This also is the opinion of Rosenmüller. DeWette inclines to the opinion that it was written in view of the victory over the Ammonites and others, as recorded in 2 Sam. 8–12. Barnes has more to say on this, which I will give next.
Böttcher	Böttcher, on the other hand, sees in it a festal hymn of triumph belonging to the time of Hezekiah, which was sung antiphonically at the great fraternizing Passover after the return home of the young king from one of his expeditions against the Assyrians, who had even at that time fortified themselves in the country east of the Jordan (Bashan).
Gill	The Targum makes the argument of this psalm to be the coming of the children of Israel out of Egypt, and the giving of the law on Mount Sinai; in which it is followed by many of the Jewish interpreters: but Aben Ezra rejects such an interpretation of it, and thinks that David composed it, concerning the war he had with the uncircumcised nations, the Philistines and others, 2Sam. 8:1, &c. And so the title of the Syriac version begins, "a psalm of David, when the kings prepared themselves to fight against him:'' [my Syriac Bible does not have that]. Kimchi says it was composed on account of Sennacherib's army coming against Jerusalem, in the times of Hezekiah, and so delivered by David, under a spirit of prophecy concerning that affair; though he owns that some of their writers interpret it of the war of Gog and Magog, in the times of the Messiah they yet expect. But they are much nearer the truth, who take it that it was written on occasion of the ark being brought to the city of David; seeing it begins with much the same words that Moses used when the ark set forward in his times, Num. 10:35; and the bringing of which was attended with great joy and gladness, 2Sam. 6:14; such as the righteous are called upon to express in this psalm, Psalm 68:3. And this being a type of Christ, and of his ascending the holy hill of God, may be allowed of; for certain it is that this psalm treats of the coming of Christ, and of blessings by him, and of victory over his enemies; and particularly of his ascension to heaven, as most evidently appears from Eph. 4:8; and from prophecies in it, concerning the calling of the Gentiles. Wherefore the latter part of the Syriac inscription of it is very pertinent; "also a prophecy concerning the dispensation of the Messiah, and concerning the calling of the Gentiles to the faith.''
Keil and Delitzsch	Although Keil and Delitzsch clearly apply this psalm to the moving of the Ark by David (at least, at first), they do list a number of other theories. Most of the other theories are ridiculous, and several are listed here. Refer to Keil and Delitzsch introduction to the exegesis of this psalm if you are interested in the more bizarre theories concerning Psalm 68.
Kukis	One clue that this psalm was written for the moving of the Ark of God is, back in Num. 10:34–36, when the Ark was about to be moved, Moses said a few word which David uses in the first verse of this Psalm: And the cloud of Jehovah was on them by day as they pulled up stakes from the camp. And it happened when the ark pulled out, Moses said, Rise, O Jehovah, and Your enemies shall be scattered, and those hating You shall flee from Your presence. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel (Num. 10:34–36). The fact that David quotes Moses almost verbatim indicates that this psalm was written specifically for the moving of the Ark of God. As we proceed further along in this psalm, I will better tie the reason for David writing it.
NIV Study Bible	[Psalm 68 is] a recessional liturgy celebrating the glorious and triumphant rule of Israel’s God...Verses 1–18 contain many clear references to God’s triumphal march from Mount Sinai (in the days of Moses) to Mount Zion (in the days of David). The events at Mount Sinai marked the birth of the kingdom of God among His people; the establishing of the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God’s thorne, in Jerusalem marked the establishment of God’s redemptive kingdom in the earth, with Jerusalem as its royal city. The early church, taking its cue from Eph. 4:8–13, understood this psalm to foreshadow the resurrection, ascension and present rule of Christ and the final triumph of His church over the hostile world. The NIV Study Bible also suggests that this is the last psalm in a series of 4 psalms, all of which have similar themes. If this is the case, then this opens up a whole Pandora’s Box of questions: Did David write these at the same time? Did he write them sequentially? Were all of these psalms a part of the moving of the Ark of God? Will understanding Psalms 65–67 provide the necessary keys for understanding Psalm 68? That we find ourselves being faced with a boat-load of questions is not a problem, but it does make me question whether I should have begun with Psalm 65, even if the previous 3 psalms may not be directly connected to the moving of the Ark.
Reuss	The Psalm is said, as Reuss ultimately decides, to have been written between the times of Alexander the Great and the Maccabees, and to give expression to the wish that the Israelites, many of whom were far removed from Palestine and scattered abroad in the wide earth, might soon be again united in their fatherland. But this apprehension rests entirely upon violence done to the exegesis, more particularly in the supposition that in v. 23 the exiles are the persons intended by those whom God will bring back. Reuss makes out those who are brought back out of Bashan to be the exiles in Syria, and those who are brought back out of the depths of the sea he makes out to be the exiles in Egypt. He knows nothing of the remarkable concurrence of the mention of the Northern tribes (including Benjamin) in Psalm 68:28 with the Asaphic Psalms: Judah and Benjamin, to his mind, is Judæa; and Zebulun and Naphtali, Galilee in the sense of the time after the return from exile. The “wild beast of the reed” he correctly takes to be an emblem of Egypt; but he makes use of violence in order to bring in a reference to Syria by the side of it. Nevertheless Olshausen praises the services Reuss has rendered with respect to this Psalm; but after incorporating two whole pages of the “Denkmal” in his commentary he cannot satisfy himself with the period between Alexander and the Maccabees, and by means of three considerations arrives, in this instance also, at the common refuge of the Maccabean period, which possesses such an irresistible attraction for him.
Thenius	Thenius (following the example of Rödiger) holds a different view. He knows the situation so very definitely, that he thinks it high time that the discussion concerning this Psalm was brought to a close. It is a song composed to inspirit the army in the presence of the battle which Josiah undertook against Necho, and the prominent, hateful character in Psalm 68:22 is Pharaoh with his lofty artificial adornment of hair upon his shaven head. It is, however, well known what a memorably tragical issue for Israel that battle had; the Psalm would therefore be a memorial of the most lamentable disappointment.

I must admit that I had not the slightest clue that there would be so many differing opinions here. Barnes will clear this up for us in the next short doctrine.

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Barnes makes a very compelling argument for this psalm being written on the occasion of the moving of the Ark of God:
Albert Barnes: Why Psalm 68 was Written on the Occasion of Moving the Ark
	Reason/Rationale
1.	It is clear that it was not composed before the time of David, because before his time Jerusalem or Zion was not the seat of the royal authority, nor the place of divine worship, which it is evidently supposed to be in the psalm (Psalm 68:29—Because of Your temple over Jerusalem, kings shall bring a present to You).
2.	It was composed when the Hebrew nation was one, or before the separation of the ten tribes and the formation of the kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam, for Benjamin, Judah, Zebulun and Naphtali are especially mentioned as taking part in the solemnities referred to in the psalm (Psalm 68:27—There is little Benjamin ruling them; the leaders of Judah in their crowd, and the leaders of Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali).
3.	It was consequently before the Babylonian captivity.
4.	It was composed on some occasion of bringing up the ark, and putting it in the place which had been prepared for it. Why do you gaze in envy, O mountain range, at the mountain God desired for His dwelling? Yea, Jehovah will dwell in it forever (Psalm 68:16). They have seen Your goings, O God, the goings of my God, my King, in the holy place. The singers went before, then the musicians came; among them were the virgins playing the timbrels (Psalm 68:24–25). These verses can be best explained on the supposition that the psalm was written on that occasion. Indeed they cannot well be explained on any other supposition.
5.	it was in view of past triumphs; of victories secured in former times; of what God had then done for his people, and especially of what he had done when the ark of the covenant had been placed at the head of the armies of Israel (Psalm 68:14—When the Almighty scatters kings in it, it snows on Mount Salmon). Compare Psalm 68:7–8 (O God, when You marched before Your people, when You walked on through the wilderness. Selah. The earth shook, and the heavens dropped before God, this Sinai before God, the God of Israel); Psalm 68:12 (Kings of armies fled, they ran away; yea, she who stayed home has divided the plunder); Psalm 68:17–18 (The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of thousands, the Lord is among them, in Sinai, in the holy place. You have gone up on high; You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men; yea, to dwell among the rebellious, O Jehovah God).
6.	it was in anticipation of future triumphs – the triumphs of the true religion; under the feeling and belief that Jerusalem would be the center from which wholesome influences would go out over the world; and that through the influences which would go out from Jerusalem the world would be subdued to God, Psalm 68:20–23; 29–31 (Our God is the God of salvation; and to Jehovah the Lord are the issues of death. Yea, God will crush the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks on in his guilt. The Lord said, I will bring back from Bashan; I will bring back My people from the depths of the sea; so that your foot may be dashed in the blood of your enemies, the tongue of your dogs in it...Because of Your temple over Jerusalem, kings shall bring a present to You. Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, the herd of bulls, with the calves of the peoples, trampling down with pieces of silver. He scatters the people who delight in war. Let nobles be brought out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall run up her hands to God). Compare Isa. 2:3 (And many people shall go and say, Come and let us go up to the mount of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach from His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion the Law will go forth, and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem).

It’s hard to argue with Barnes’ logic here. He concludes: The psalm was composed, therefore, I apprehend, when the ark was brought up from the house of Obed–edom, and placed in the city of David, in the tent or tabernacle which he had erected for it there: (2Sam. 6:12 1 Chr. 15). It is not improbable that other psalms, also, were composed for this occasion, as it was one of great solemnity.

The only surprising thing about Barnes’ argument is, he does not mention that David quoted Moses in this psalm, word that Moses used anytime the Ark was moved (compare Psalm 68:1 and Num. 10:34–36).

From Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament; from e-Sword, Psalm 68 introduction.

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So, what do we know about this psalm? It appears to be an interpretation of God’s involvement with Israel throughout history; and there are suggestions here and there that this psalm was mostly likely written by David specifically for the transportation of the Ark of God into Jerusalem. Let me remind you of this history. David and his army take Jerusalem, and David makes Jerusalem his capital city. David recognizes God’s hand in all of this and he decides to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem—which Ark had been in Kiriath-jearim in storage, and separated from the Tabernacle of God (which we hear very little about). Although this is never outright said, David either intends to bring the Tabernacle into Jerusalem or he thinks about building a Temple to God. We do know that David thought about building a Temple around this time period (2Sam. 7), and we may hypothesize that he did not bring the Tabernacle to Jerusalem knowing that he or his son Solomon would build this Temple.

David’s first attempt to bring the Ark into Jerusalem ends with the death of one of the Ark’s caretakers. The problem is, David did not know how to properly move the Ark, lacking that doctrine in his soul, and the Ark was simply placed into a cart (as the heathen Philistines had done) and brought toward Jerusalem. Before the Ark had traveled very far, it appeared that the Ark was going to fall out of the cart, and Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark, and God killed him immediately for touching the Ark. David then stopped the first procession, and the Ark was taken to the closest home, the home of Obed-edom, where it remained for 3 months. Obed-edom was so blessed that, men actually went to David within that 3 month period of time and told David how much God had done for Obed-edom. David, either on his own, or because God had blessed Obed-edom so much, began searching the Scriptures and reading about the Ark and, subsequently, about Israel’s history. I think that there are a number of things which we will read in this psalm which are a clear result of David searching the Scriptures. We essentially have a history of God’s dealings with Israel from the beginning, and the blessings which God had heaped upon Israel and the protection which God had afforded Israel from the outset. David then decided to move the Ark from the home of Obed-edom, having more confidence from Bible doctrine (he knew the correct mechanics for moving the Ark), and he determined that a great women’s chorus would sing this psalm in the procession.

I think that if we bear in mind that David wrote this psalm for the moving of the Ark, and if we recognize that this psalm presents a poetic history of Israel, from Egypt to the Land of Promise, that this may help us to understand what some of the verses mean. At this point, given the discussion so far, you should be acutely aware that interpreting this psalm will we moderately difficult at times.

Since the Ark of God is in the Old Testament, many believers do not really understand what it is or what it represents.

The Importance of the Ark of God

1. At this point, you may want to examine the Doctrine of the Ark of God . However, in a nutshell, it is this:

a. God had certain men under the direction of Moses build the Tabernacle of God and the furniture for this Tabernacle.

b. One of these pieces of furniture, was a chest made out of acacia wood, overlaid with gold. This speaks of the humanity and the deity of Jesus Christ.

c. In the Ark of God were three items: the tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod which budded, and a pot of manna. These speak of the fundamental doctrines of our relationship with God. The tablets tell us that we have sinned and that we are unrighteous in the eyes of God. The pot of manna speaks of God’s provision for us, which includes salvation and redemption. Aaron’s rod that budded speaks of our resurrection from the dead.

d. The Ark had at the top, the Mercy Seat, with two angels on each side. This Mercy Seat is the place where we have contact with God, so to speak.

e. On top of the Ark were two angels (cherubim) who appear to be staring down at the Ark (at the Mercy Seat), which suggests angelic observation of our lives.

f. The most fascinating thing about the Ark (at least to me) is, no one saw the Ark but the High Priest, and He only had contact with the Ark once a year on the Day of Atonement, when he would enter into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle blood on the top of the Ark (on the Mercy Seat). The sprinkling of blood on the Mercy Seat, of course, refers to the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. Again, no one saw this except for the High Priest! Although Jesus Christ is revealed in the Old Testament, just as the nature of the Ark of God is revealed in the Old Testament, very few people ever came into contact with Jesus Christ in the Old Testament (these are the various physical manifestations of God in the Old Testament, e.g., the Burning Bush). Because the Ark of God was never seen by Israel during the Age of Israel, it was clear that their Savior had not yet come to them; it was clear that their Savior had not yet been revealed to them.

2. The Ark of God, although unseen, is the heart and soul of the Tabernacle of God. Despite the various foreshadowings of Jesus Christ, one might argue that the Tabernacle of God was empty without the Ark of God within its midst.

3. The Ark, more than any other piece of furniture in or about the Tabernacle, spoke of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us.

4. David could look at the history of Israel and the Ark of God, and how, during the time that the Ark was not a part of the Tabernacle of God, the history of Israel was at a low point.

a. Let me caveat that by adding, much of Israel’s history was a history of low points; however, parallel to these low points is the ignoring or non-function of the Tabernacle, the sacrificial system which God set up, or the absence of the Ark of God from the Tabernacle.

b. One might reasonably argue that, there are very few points in Israel’s history when God’s sacrifices or days are observed; and there are very few times in Israel’s history when the Tabernacle is set up and functioning as God intended it to be. However, parallel to this is Israel’s sorry spiritual state and, therefore, Israel’s sorry place in history.

5. David recognized that observing the rituals and holy days prescribed by God were an innate part of Israel, and that disregarding God’s commands in any area was a mistake.

6. We do not know just exactly how much God the Holy Spirit revealed to David or how well he was able to see into the future; David clearly believed in Jesus Christ and David clearly understood the importance of God’s rituals, all of which spoke of Jesus Christ. Therefore, bringing the Ark of God into Jerusalem, the new capital city of Israel, was the only reasonable thing which David could do. However, so there is no misunderstanding here: this was a great desire of David’s; it was not simply a fulfillment of religious duty.

7. In this lifetime, we will never completely understand just how much David understood; however, it was clear to him that the Ark of God must be reintroduced to the Tabernacle of God, both of which should be located in the capital city of Jerusalem.

8. So that you understand David’s plans, his intention was to build a Temple for God—a permanent dwelling place—which would take the place of the Tabernacle. This is why David did not bring the Tabernacle into Jerusalem simultaneous to bringing the Ark into Jerusalem.

Now that we understand David’s motivation, this helps to explain why this event was so important in the history of Israel.

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Psalm 68 Inscription

Slavishly literal:

Moderately literal:

To the preeminent one; to David; a psalm; a song.

Psalm

68 inscription

To the preeminent one, of David; a psalm; a song.

For the choir director by David; a psalm to be put to music.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Dead Sea Scrolls Although there are fragments of this psalm in the Dead Sea Scrolls, none of those fragments amount to enough to offer an alternative to the Masoretic text.

Latin Vulgate Unto the end, a psalm of a canticle for David himself.

Masoretic Text To the preeminent one; to David; a psalm; a song.

Septuagint For the end, a Psalm of a Song by David.

Significant differences: The LXX and the Vulgate change the order of the words and they both have the end instead of the more commonly found preeminent one.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV (A psalm and a song by David for the music leader.)

EasyEnglish (Churchyard) (This is) for the music leader.

(It is) a psalm of David, a song.

NET Bible® For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.

Revised English Bible For the leader; for David; a psalm; a song.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English To the chief music-maker. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.

Complete Apostles’ Bible For the end, A Psalm of a Song by David.

HCSB For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

King James 2000 Version [To the Chief Musician. A Psalm or Song of David.]

A Voice in the Wilderness [To the chief Musician. A Psalm or Song of David.]

Young's Literal Translation To the Overseer. --A Psalm, a song of David.

What is the gist of this verse? This psalm appears to be written by David and given to the choir leader/head musician. It appears to be a psalm put to music with the intention that it be sung.

Psalm 68 inscription a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) [pronounced l^e]	to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
nâtsach (ח ַצָנ) [pronounced naw-TZAHKH]	to oversee, to supervise; to be preeminent, to be enduring; the Preeminent One	Piel participle with the definite article	Strong’s #5329 BDB #663
The Piel participle of nâtsach is given a wide variety of renderings: overseer (Young), the music leader (CEV), choir director (NASB, NLT), choirmaster (Owens), leader (NRSV, NEB, NAB) and chief musician (Rotherham).
Both the Greek and Latin have to the end instead.

Translation: To the preeminent one;... As we have seen with the numerous translations above, no one is clear as to who this person is. This psalm could be dedicated to God, which is essentially how I have translated it; however, it could be designed to be conducted by the chief musician, which is how Rotherham understands it. Most translators assume that this is given over to the choir director or the conductor or the one in charge of those who sang.

Unfortunately, the exact meaning of the lâmed preposition is also hard to determine. We find several psalms which are ascribed to David written to David; but the idea is, the psalm belongs to David. The lâmed preposition is used more often when something is given to someone else or something is for someone else, the chief meanings of the lâmed preposition. Despite the use of the lâmed preposition with David throughout the book of Psalms, I have taken this to me that this psalm is written for whoever this Preeminent person is.

Barnes comments on this portion of the inscription: This phrase in the title, “To the chief Musician,” occurs at the beginning of 53 psalms, and at the close of the hymn in Habak. 3:19. It is uniformly rendered “to the chief Musician,” and means that the psalm was intended for him, or was to be given to him, probably to regulate the manner of performing it. In no one instance does the title imply that he was the author. The word rendered “Chief Musician” is derived from [ a Hebrew word] properly meaning “to shine,” but not used in the Qal. In the Piel form it means to be conspicuous; to be over anything; to be chief; to be superintendent (2Chron. 2:2, 18 34:12) and then it means to lead in music. The meaning of the form used here, and in the other places where it occurs as a title to a psalm, is “Chief Musician,” or precentor; and the idea is, that the psalm is to be performed under his direction; or that the music is to be directed and adapted by him.

Even though we have the same preposition used here as we find used with David, when he is the author, the many times that this phrase is found in combination with the author’s name suggests more that there is a musical organization and that this song was delivered over to the Choirmaster (or conductor) of that organization to be sung and performed at various functions.

The NIV Study Bible has its opinion on this matter: [For the director of music is] probably a liturgical notation, indicating either that the psalm was to be added to he collection of works to be used by the director of music in Israel’s worship services, or that when the psalm was used in the temple worship, it was to be spoke [or, sung?] by the leader of the Levitical choir—or by the choir itself (see 1Chron. 23:4–5, 30 [Of the overseers over the works of the house of the Lord there were twenty-four thousand, and there were six thousand scribes and judges; and four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand to praise the Lord with instruments which he made to praise the Lord...to stand in the morning to praise and give thanks to the Lord, and so in the evening] 25 [assignments are given to the sons of Korah, among others]). In this liturgical activity the Levites functioned as representatives of the worshiping congregation. Following their lead the people probably responded with “Amen” and “Praise the Lord” (Hallelujah); see 1Chron. 16:36 Neh. 5:13; compare 1Cor. 14:16 Rev. 5:14 7:12 19:4.

Psalm 68 inscription b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) [pronounced l^e]	to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED]	beloved and is transliterated David	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #1732 BDB #187

Translation: ...of David;... For reasons which were never completely clear to me, this is also how we denote that David is the author.

We even know exactly when David wrote this psalm. He had attempted to move the Ark to Jerusalem, which resulted in the death of a priest who put his hand on the Ark. The procession was stopped and the Ark was taken to one of the nearest homes in the area, the home of Obed-edom. For 3 months, the Ark remained at this house, while David researched the Scriptures to determine what went wrong. Although we do not know all of the events which took place during this time, we know for a certainty that David examined the Scriptures available, found how the Ark was supposed to be moved, and then He wrote this psalm in anticipating of moving the Ark. The first line, as we will see, was taken directly from the words of Moses, which Moses would say whenever the Ark was picked up and moved. Although others have, at various times, attempted to assign this psalm to another author, to another point in time, and to other circumstances, there is really no reason to do so. The logic we are applying here is, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is probably a duck. Any other approach requires us to ignore or to explain away various portions of the psalm (the inscription and the first verse), and then to offer up some convoluted explanation based upon a lot less evidence in order to assign this psalm to a different author and/or set of circumstances.

We do have a potential problem here. David is said to be the author, yet we find that kings would bring gifts to Jehovah because of His Temple in Jerusalem. There was no Temple in Jerusalem until Solomon, David’s son, built it. However, as we find in 1Chron. 17, David had been thinking about building a permanent residence for the Ark of the Covenant. He believed it to be reasonable to build a Temple for God, as he, David, lived in a wonderful, permanent house. It did not seem right for him to live in a palace and for God to be in a tent (bear in mind, the Ark of God was not a object of idolatry nor did it portray the visage of God; the Ark did, however, represent God and God’s relationship to mankind). So, because the Ark of God was the most holy thing on this earth, it seemed incongruous to David for him to live in a palace and for the Ark to be in a tent. Therefore, it is reasonable for David to have either planned to build a Temple in Jerusalem when writing this psalm; or, he knew that one of his descendants would build the Temple (1Chron. 17:3–12).

Clarke remarks about the authorship: In the title of this Psalm there is nothing particular to be remarked. It is probable that this Psalm, or a part of it at least, might have been composed by Moses, to be recited when the Israelites journeyed. See Num. 10:35; and that David, on the same model, constructed this Psalm. It might have been sung also in the ceremony of transporting the ark from Kirjath–jearim, to Jerusalem; or from the house of Obed–edom to the tabernacle erected at Sion.

Num. 10:35 is the first line of this psalm, and it sets the time and place of this psalm. There is no indication from the book of Numbers that Moses wrote a psalm to be sung when the Ark is moved; but certain words were to be spoken when the Ark was moved. Although I admit that such a viewpoint is not out of the question, it seems like a rather convoluted explanation and one which obfuscates the more natural and reasonable explanation that, David examined the Scriptures to determine how the Ark should be transported (where he clearly did in 1Chron. 15:2, 12–13), and, understanding what a great celebration this was, he also wrote a psalm for it (probably several), including the lines which Moses said should be spoken when the Ark is moved. If I were to put a time and a scenario to this psalm, I would guess that, after David did his research, he was so inspired as to read more of the Law and to write this psalm in anticipation of successfully moving the Ark (recall that the first time that David tried to move the Ark, one of the priests lost his life).

Although portions of this inscription can be questioned, this portion cannot.

Psalm 68 inscription c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
miz^emôwr (רמז ̣מ) [pronounced mizê-MOHR]	melody, song, poem, psalm	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #4210 BDB #274

Translation: ...a psalm;... There are three words translated psalm; this is one of them which is found a little less than a third of the time. I’m not yet ready to differentiate between these three words, nor am I confident that there is an important lesson hidden in differentiating them.

Psalm 68 inscription d
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
shîyr (רי.ש) [pronounced sheer]	song, singing; music	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #7892 BDB #1010

Translation: ...a song. This psalm was written to be performed. It was written to be sung.

Barnes: The word “song” in the titles to Psalms 30 45 48 65–68 75 76 83 87 88 92 108 120–134. Nothing seems to be indicated by it in regard to the nature and character of the psalms where it is found. As above, I don’t think that it is unreasonable to suppose that these psalms had been composed and arranged to be performed. What that would say about the other psalms, however, is not clear. The NIV Study Bible points out that these are psalms of praise (with the exception of Psalms 83 and 88). The final group of psalms (120–134) are songs of ascents.

We do not know with certainty the difference between a psalm and a song (and this psalm is both). Barnes suggests that a psalm is a poem or a composition and that a song is something composed with the idea of it being sung in public or sung as a part of public worship. Perhaps the idea is, a psalm has been composed possibly even with the knowledge that it is divinely inspired; and a song has music written with it. These are obviously guesses and we do not know without a doubt how to differentiate them.

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Let God arise against His Enemies

Slavishly literal:

Moderately literal:

Rises up God;

He breaks [into pieces] His enemies;

and flee those hating Him from His faces.

Psalm

68:1

God rises up

[and] He scatters [or, breaks into pieces] His enemies;

and those who hate Him flee from Him.

God rises up and He scatters His enemies;

those who Hate God flee from Him.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text Rises up God;

He breaks [into pieces] His enemies;

and flee those hating Him from His faces. [This is v. 2 in the Hebrew].

Septuagint Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; and let them that hate him flee from before him.

Significant differences: The Latin, Syriac and Greek have a cohortative here rather than a simple imperfect tense. In the Hebrew, God scatters His enemies; in the Latin, Greek and Syriac, God’s enemies are scattered.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

EasyEnglish (Churchyard) God will rise up and his enemies will move away in all directions.

The people that hate him will quickly ride away from him.

The Message Up with God! Down with his enemies! Adversaries, run for the hills!

NET Bible® God springs into action!

His enemies scatter;

his adversaries run from him.

New Living Testament Arise, O God, and scatter your enemies.

Let those who hate God run for their lives.

Revised English Bible May God arise and his enemies be scattered,

and those hostile to him flee at his approach.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

The Scriptures 1998 Elohim arises, His enemies are scattered. And those who hate Him flee before Him!

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible God is [already] beginning to arise, and His enemies to scatter; let them also who hate Him flee before Him!

LTHB God rises up and His enemies are scattered; and those who hate Him flee from His face.

WEB Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered! Let them who hate him also flee before him.

Young's Updated LT God rises—scattered are His enemies! And those hating Him flee from His face.

What is the gist of this verse? God rises up and His enemies scatter.

Psalm 68:1a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
qûwm (םק) [pronounced koom]	to stand, to rise up, to get up; to establish, to establish a vow, to cause a vow to stand, to confirm or to fulfill a vow	3^rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #6965 BDB #877
The NET Bible® gives us the rendering God springs into action and then comments: Or "rises up." The verb form is an imperfect, not a jussive. The psalmist is describing God's appearance in battle in a dramatic fashion. Their point being, this is not a 3^rd person imperative, as some translators have supposed (Let God arise...).
The 3^rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect is yâqûwm (םקָי) [pronounced yaw-KOOM]; which is what we find here. The jussive is yâqôm (םֹקָי) [pronounced yaw-KOHM], which is not the form found in the Masoretic text.
The Latin, Greek and Syriac all read let God arise.
Ělôhîym (מי̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM]	gods, foreign gods, god; God; rulers, judges; superhuman ones, angels; transliterated Elohim	masculine plural noun	Strong's #430 BDB #43

Translation: God rises up... God is a spirit, so God does not rise up; however, this is an anthropomorphism to indicate that God is going to clearly act. The general concept here is also anthropomorphic. God is not at some dinner party, nor is He sitting down to a good book, when suddenly He hears a prayer from us, and He puts down His book and springs into action. God is ever-vigilant and God is always involved in our lives. He is both omnipresent and omnipotent. This does not mean that we are going to face pressures from all of our neighbors or all of our co-workers, and that God will suddenly wipe them out. However, God has made provision for us—which provision He made in eternity past—for everything that we might face.

Application: We do not always see God’s hand in our lives. We get fired from this job, we have this or that person giving us grief, we have to move for financial reasons, we or someone close to us falls ill; and, when these problems or crises strike us, we don’t always recognize God’s hand in it. In fact, much of the time, when facing a crisis, we call upon God to rise up and remove the problem which is giving us grief. However, it is often these problems which are God’s hand in our lives. Personally, I found myself moved halfway across the United States due to employment problems, and the end result was clearly, in retrospect, God’s doing. Moving to Texas was a wonderful thing for me and exactly the thing which I needed to do.

God is always involved in the life of believers; He is always involved in His creation. When David speaks of God rising up, this does not mean that God is slumbering, and David is calling upon Him to solve a problem. This does not mean that God was ignoring David’s life, and now, at David’s behest, is getting back to work. God rising up looks at God from our perspective and it is applying actions to God which God does not actually do. God does not actually rise up in any way; however, to us, it may seem like that.

What is occurring simultaneously to the singing of this psalm is, the Ark is being lifted upon the shoulders of 4 Levites at the home of Obed-edom, and it will be carried to Jerusalem. So David, when he writes this psalm, envisions the Ark rising up; and, at the same time, in keeping with the theme of this psalm, sees God arising (anthropomorphically speaking) against His enemies.

Some see this as the 3^rd person masculine singular, Qal imperative, and render it, Let God arise. Barnes comments: This is a common mode of calling upon God in the Scriptures, as if He had been sitting still, or had been inactive. It is, of course, language taken from human conceptions, for in the intervals of active effort, in labor or in battle, we sit or lie down, and when we engage in toil we arise from our sitting or recumbent posture. So the mind accustoms itself to think of God. The idea is simply that David now calls upon God to interpose in his behalf and to deliver him.

God rises up... This is a perfect introduction to his psalm, as the theme of the psalm is God’s interaction with His people and with His earth. We find similar language used many times in Scripture (2Chron. 6:41 Psalm 7:6 44:26 132:8 Isa. 51:9).

Psalm 68:1b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
1 Early printed edition, the LXX, the Peshitta and the Vulgate all have a conjunction here.
pûwts (ץ) [pronounced poots]	to break, to dash into pieces; to disperse [sometimes, to disperse themselves; to be dispersed], to scatter; to overflow	3^rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #6327 BDB #806
âyab (בַי ָא) [pronounced aw-YA^BV]	enemy, the one being at enmity with you; enmity, hostility	masculine plural, Qal active participle with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #340 BDB #33

Translation:...[and] He scatters [or, He breaks into pieces] His enemies;... David is not necessarily at war with anyone at the time that he writes this psalm. He may have recently defeated the Jebusites; and, in the back of his mind, he might be thinking that it is time for the Philistines to overrun his country once more, but David is speaking in generalities here. When God decides to insert Himself into human history, His enemies, often the enemies of Israel, are scattered. No person with half a brain thinks that they can stand up to God and somehow oppose Him. No army thinks that, with all of its forces, that they have any chance of opposing God.

Application: As I live longer, I find more and more people who are angry with God; who hate God; who do everything in their power to remove Him from their periphery. All kinds of excuses are made. Most recently, there have been attacks by the ACLU against the holiday Christmas. Christmas hymns which were a part of my growing up—hymns which we sang every year at Christmas and sung during Christmas pageants—are absent from most public schools today. The ACLU, which is allegedly trying to enforce the Bill of Rights, finds small school districts and attacks these districts when they play Christmas songs or make reference to Christmas holidays (even though Christmas is a federal holiday and has been so for decades). One of the reasons why they attack the small districts is, legal defense costs a lot of money, and these small school districts generally have very tight budgets, so some of them will back down just to avoid the cost of a lawsuit. Furthermore, this is done piecemeal, so that, if any news source speaks of such an attack in a disparaging manner, liberals can marginalize their comments by saying, “Look, that is just some little school district off in Podunk County; why make a big deal out of t?” Meanwhile, other school districts in the same area react by cancelling Christmas pageants, Christmas music, and some have even banned the use of the decorative colors red and green during that time frame. These various districts may have a tradition of Christmas celebration and music going back 30–50 years, but they cancel these events, fearing that their own funds will be taken from them in a lawsuit.

Just as God rising up is found many times in Scripture, so we also find that He scatters His enemies throughout His Word (Psalm 59:11 68:14, 30 89:10 Isa. 41:16 Ezek. 5:2 12:14–15).

Psalm 68:1c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
The wâw conjunction is used as ➊ a simple copulative, used to connect words and sentences, in which case it is usually rendered and. ➋ It can be used to explain one noun or clarify one noun with another, in which case it is rendered even or yea (see Job 5:19 Dan. 4:10). ➌ The wâw conjunction can introduce two nouns, where the first is the genus and the second is the species; in which case, we would render it and particularly, and specially, and namely, and specifically (and it can be used the other way as well) (see 2Kings 23:2 Psalm 18:1 Isa. 1:1 2:1 Zech. 14:21). ➍ It can be prefixed to a verb also by way of explanation; it could be reasonably rendered as a relative pronoun (who, which) (see Gen. 49:25 Job 29:12 Isa. 13:14). ➎ It can be used to begin an apodosis (the then portion of an if...then... statement) (see Gen. 2:4, 5 40:9 48:7). ➏ It is used between words and sentences in order to compare them or to mark their resemblance (1Sam. 12:15 Job 5:7). ➐ When doubled, it can mean both...and... (Num. 9:14 Joshua 7:24 Psalm 76:7). ➑ It can be prefixed to adversative sentences or clauses and rendered but, and yet, although, otherwise (Gen. 2:17 15:2 17:20 Judges 16:15 Ruth 1:21 Job 15:5 6:14). ➒ And, what we were after, is the wâw conjunction can be used in disjunctive sentences; that is, it can be rendered or (which will help us to understand what Jephthah does) (Ex. 21:17 Lev. 5:3 Deut. 24:7). ➓ Finally, the wâw conjunction can be used before causal sentences and rendered because, for, that, in that (Gen. 18:32 30:27 Psalm 5:12 60:13); before conclusions or inferences, and therefore rendered so that, therefore, wherefore (2Kings 4:41 Isa. 3:14 Ezek. 18:32 Zech. 2:10); and before final and consecutive sentences, which mark an end or an object: in order that (Gen. 42:34 Job 20:10 Isa. 13:2). To paraphrase Gesenius, frequently, it is put after verbs and sentences standing absolutely, especially those which imply time or condition and is reasonably rendered then.
nûwç (סנ) [pronounced noose]	to flee, to flee from, to escape, to depart, to hasten quickly [away]	3^rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect	Strong's #5127 BDB #630
sânê (אֵנָ) [pronounced saw-NAY]	hating ones, the ones hating, the haters; enemies	masculine plural, Piel participle; with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #8130 BDB #971
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min]	from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, since, above, than, so that not, above, beyond, more than	preposition of separation	Strong's #4480 BDB #577
pânîym (םי̣נָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM]	face, faces, countenance; presence	masculine plural noun (plural acts like English singular); with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #6440 BDB #815
Together, min pânîym mean from before the face of; out from before the face, from the presence of. However, together, they can also be a reference to the cause, whether near or remote, and can therefore be rendered because of, because that.

Translation: ...and those who hate Him flee from Him. This line parallels the one above; God scatters or disperses His enemies, so those who hate Him flee from Him.

David apparently took a portion of this psalm from the Pentateuch. We read in Num. 10:34–36: And the cloud of Jehovah was on them by day as they pulled up stakes from the camp. And it happened when the Ark pulled out, Moses said, “Rise, O Jehovah, and Your enemies shall be scattered, and those hating You will flee from Your presence.” And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel.” This passage alone sets the time and place of this psalm: the moving of the Ark to Jerusalem. The Ark was moved by David on two occasions: first, unsuccessfully, and then, successfully. I place this psalm with the 2^nd movement of the Ark because it is clear that David did some Biblical research for the 2^nd movement (1Chron. 15:2, 12–15). Having done Biblical research, David would have come across these words of Moses. The first time that David attempted to move the Ark, it is clear that he had not done any research in that regard and one of the priests died as a result. Therefore, he would not have quoted Moses the first time the Ark was moved.

Here is how I see it (and this is partially conjecture): David, after his failure to move the Ark the first time, went to the Word of God to see what should have been done. He found what was supposed to be done in Num. 10, but he continued to read all the available material, which gave David a clear, historical perspective of God’s involvement with Israel in time. He was inspired by knowledge of doctrine, by knowing how to correctly transport the Ark, and by the history of Israel, to write this particular psalm. This interpretation and understanding of Psalm 68 does absolutely no damage to any portion of the psalm, and is the most logical approach. Almost every major commentator agrees with this interpretation, although one of them was uncertain whether this psalm was sung at the first or second movement of the Ark.

Now we should determine more of what is being said, and I can offer up four interpretations/explanations: (1) The Pre-incarnate Lord goes with Israel, destroying Israel’s enemies, sending them on the run. This could be seen as God being with Moses and the Exodus generation and this could be seen as God being with David as God saw that David’s enemies were scattered. Furthermore, one might reasonably interpret this to stand for any point in history where God stood with Israel against her enemies. (2) David could be applying this to his day and time, as he was very successful in the military realm. Given the time frame, he would have just defeated the Jebusites, taking Jerusalem for his own. (3) We may reasonably understand this to apply to our Lord at His incarnation, when He came to us in the form of Jesus, subject to all that we are subject to (apart from the indwelling of the old sin nature), and how He is victorious over Satan and the cosmic system in His death, and victorious over sin in the world. (4) Certainly this can be applied to our Lord in the future, at the 2^nd advent when He destroys the multitude of armies who converge upon Israel; and later, after the Millennium, to put down the Gog and Magog revolution. Rev. 6:15–17: And the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the rich ones, and the commanders, and the powerful ones, and every slave, and every freeman hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. And "they said to the mountains" and to the rocks, "Fall on us," [Hosea 10:8b] and hide us from the face of the One sitting on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. because the great day of His wrath has come; and who is able to stand? I am not asking you to pick your favorite interpretation of these 4. The psalms are often written with multiple interpretations. Each one of these interpretations has merit and may be reasonably implied.

Let me propose something here. David has something in mind when he writes these lines (actually, when he copies these lines). He might be thinking the first two interpretations as he writes this. God the Holy Spirit is the divine author of Scripture and He might have all 4 meanings in mind. Let’s take the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ and work backward. Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God. Sometimes his actions reveal just His humanity and sometimes his actions reveal just His Deity and sometimes His actions reveal his hypostatic union. Similarly, things which our Lord says could come from His humanity, His divinity or from His hypostatic union. For instance, when Jesus said, “I thirst,” He was speaking from His humanity. When He said, “Before Abraham, I existed eternally [lit., I am],” He was speaking from His deity. When He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Me,” He is speaking from His hypostatic union. So, when we examine Scripture, we must bear in mind that there is a human author and a divine author. Their purposes are never going to be in opposition to one another, but we may reasonably assert that the human author is thinking one thing and that God the Holy Spirit is thinking something different. The thrust of this or that verse can have several different meanings, depending upon whose perspective is in view.

The Ark of God, as previously discussed, is a symbol of our Lord—not an idol by any means—but the most holy piece of furniture associated with the Tabernacle of God which presented our Lord in shadow form. When the Levites hoisted the Ark of God upon their shoulders and moved out, Israel’s enemies scattered, in a manner of speaking. However, the Ark of God was not to be used as a good luck charm to be taken with the army going into battle, as we saw in 1Sam. 4–5. In fact, the use of the Ark in this passage was idolatrous. Rather than understanding that the Ark represented God, Israel’s army used the Ark as if it were God, as anyone would have used an idol in that day. Not understanding this distinction resulted in the defeat of Israel’s army and the capture of the Ark.

Gill expresses essentially the same thoughts: Let God arise,.... This is to be understood of the divine Person, Whose chariots the angels are; Who is said to be the "Adonai", or "Lord" in the midst of them; and of whom it is prophesied that he should ascend to heaven (Psalm 68:17—The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of thousands, the Lord is among them, in Sinai, in the holy place); even the Messiah, who is God over all. And this "arising," attributed to Him, may be interpreted either of His incarnation, His exhibition and manifestation in the flesh; which is sometimes called in Scripture a raising of Him up, as in Acts 3:26 (Having raised up His child Jesus, God sent Him first to you, blessing you in turning away each one from your iniquities); or of His resurrection from the dead, as it is interpreted by many of the ancients; which, as it was a certain thing, and previous to His ascension hereafter spoken of, so it was a proof of His deity; for though it was only the man that rose, who died and was buried, yet as in union with the Divine Person of the Son of God, and Who rose by virtue of that union; and thereby He was declared to be the Son of God with power. Or else rather this is to be understood of His arising and exerting His power as a man of war, as a mighty and victorious hero, on the behalf of His people, and against His enemies; as He did when He arose and met Satan, the prince of the world, and engaged with all the powers of darkness; see Psalm 45:3; and this sense is confirmed by what follows:

...let his enemies be scattered; let them also that hate him flee before him: the sense of these two clauses is the same; His enemies, and those that hate Him, are the same persons; and to be scattered and flee express the same things; for enemies, being discomfited, flee and scatter. Some interpret this of the watch set to guard our Lord's sepulchre; who, upon His rising from the dead, were filled with great fear and dread, and scattered, and fled to the priests, to acquaint them with what was done: others, of the Jewish nation in general, who were enemies to Christ; and hated Him, and would not have Him to reign over them; against whom He rose up and exerted His great strength; came in His kingdom and power against them; poured out His wrath upon them to the uttermost; which issued in the utter destruction of them, as a body politic; and in the entire dispersion of them in all countries, which remains until quite recently. Or rather the whole is to be applied to Satan, and to his principalities and powers; the professed enemies of Christ, personal and mystical; who, when He arose and exerted his mighty power in his conflict with them, in the garden and on the cross, were spoiled and dissipated, and obliged to fly before Him: and who at the same time overcame the world, made an end of sin, abolished death, as well as destroyed him which had the power of it.

I have warned you just how difficult this psalm is from the outset. Therefore, we must keep these interpretations in mind as we progress in the exegesis of this psalm. Understanding the meaning and application of David’s first words of this psalm forms the foundation for our understanding throughout the psalm. I am expecting that, if we fall back on these interpretations when we face the more difficult verses, that we might be able to make at least some sense from them, in the light of these opening words, first spoken by Moses and then echoed by David.

As is dispelled smoke, You dispel;

as melts wax from faces of fire,

perishes lawless ones from faces of Elohim.

Psalm

68:2

Just as smoke is blown away,

You dispel [them];

[and] just as wax is melted by fire,

so the corrupt are destroyed because of Elohim [or, before Elohim].

Just as smoke is blown away, in the same manner, You dispel them;

and just as fire melts wax, in the same manner the corrupt are destroyed by God.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text As is dispelled smoke, You dispel;

as melts wax from faces of fire,

perishes lawless ones from faces of Elohim.

Septuagint As smoke vanishes, let them vanish: as wax melts before the fire, so let the sinners perish from before God.

Significant differences: In the Hebrew, God does the dispelling; in the Greek, Latin, and Syriac, it reads let them be dispelled. The final phrase is very similar in the Greek, Latin and Syriac, it reads let the wicked perish; in the Hebrew, they simply perish.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV Scatter them like smoke! When you come near, make them melt like wax in a fire.

EasyEnglish (Churchyard) (God), blow them away as you would blow smoke away.

As butter becomes *oil in a fire,

when the *godless see the face of God it will destroy them.

Good News Bible (TEV) As smoke is blown away, so he drives them off; as wax melts in front of the fire, so do the wicked perish in God's presence.

The Message Gone like a puff of smoke, like a blob of wax in the fire-- one look at God and the wicked vanish.

New American Bible The wind will disperse them like smoke;

as wax is melted by fire,

so the wicked will perish before God.

New Jerusalem Bible You disperse them like smoke;

as wax melts in the presence of a fire,

so the wicked melt at the presence of God.

New Living Testament Drive them off like smoke blown by the wind.

Melt them like wax in fire

Let the wicked perish in the presence ofGod.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English Let them be like smoke before the driving wind; as wax turning soft before the fire, so let them come to an end before the power of God.

Complete Apostles’ Bible As smoke vanishes, let them vanish: as wax melts before the fire, so let the sinners perish from before God.

HCSB As smoke is blown away, so You blow them away. As wax melts before the fire, so the wicked are destroyed before God.

NET Bible® As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away.

As wax melts before fire,

so the wicked are destroyed before God.

The Scriptures 1998 As smoke is driven away, You drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, The wrong perish before Elohim.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Conservative Version As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

Updated Emphasized Bible As smoke is driven about

Let them be driven about, [so it should be, as per the Aramaic, Septuagint, Syriac and Vulgate]

As wax is melted before a fire

Let the lawless perish before God.

English Standard Version As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked shall perish before God!

Young’s Updated LT As the driving away of smoke You drive away, As the melting of wax before fire, The wicked perish at the presence of God.

What is the gist of this verse? In the previous verse, God rises up and his enemies are scattered; this verse presents an analogy to His enemies being scattered: they are scattered as one would blow smoke away. Furthermore, this verse first presents an analogy (...as wax melts when near a fire...) and then the reality: ...in this way, the wicked perish before God.

Psalm 68:2a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
kaph or k^e ( ׃) [pronounced k^e]	like, as, just as; according to; about, approximately	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #453
nâdaph (ף-דָנ) [pronounced naw-DAHF]	to be dispelled, to be driven away [about]; to be blown away; to be put to flight; to be conquered	Niphal infinitive construct	Strong’s #5086 BDB #623
׳âshân (ןָשָע) [pronounced ģaw-SHAWN]	smoke; vapor, dust; anger	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #6227 BDB #798
nâdaph (ף-דָנ) [pronounced naw-DAHF]	to dispel, to drive, to drive away [about]; to blow away; to put to flight; to conquer	2^nd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #5086 BDB #623

Translation: Just as smoke is blown away, You dispel [them];... There are two analogies in this verse; this is the first one. The object of this analogy refers back to those from v. 1—those who hate God, those who are enemies of God. It is nothing for God to dispel them, as one would wave his hand to dispel a little smoke. Psalm 1:4: Not so are the wicked [in contrast to the righteous, who are stable and produce fruit]: but rather they are like chaff, which is blown away by the wind. Psalm 37:20 reads: But the wicked will perish, And the enemies of Yahweh will be as the fat of lambs: They will consume; in smoke they will consume away.

Barnes aptly comments: As smoke is driven away - Smoke or vapor is easily disturbed and moved by the slightest breath of air; it represents an object of no stability, or having no power of resistance, and would thus represent the real weakness of the most mighty armies of men as opposed to God. So You drive them away - With the same ease with which smoke is driven by the slightest breeze, so do the enemies of God disappear before his power.

Spurgeon writes: Easily the wind chases the smoke, completely it removes it, no trace is left; so, Lord, do to the foes of Your people. They fume in pride, they darken the sky with their malice, they mount higher and higher in arrogance, they defile wherever they prevail: Lord, let Your breath, Your Spirit, Your Providence, make them to vanish forever from the march of Your people. He then adds: Philosophic scepticism is as flimsy and as foul as smoke; may the Lord deliver His Church from the reek of it.

Psalm 68:2b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
kaph or k^e ( ׃) [pronounced k^e]	like, as, just as; according to; about, approximately	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #453
mâçâh (הָסָמ) [pronounced maw-SAWH]	to be melted, to be flowing down [away]; to be dissolved, to become faint [with fear, terror, sorrow, grief]	Niphal infinitive construct	Strong’s #4529 BDB #587
dôwnâg (גָנ) [pronounced doh-NAWG]	wax [as melting]	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #1749 BDB #200
Also spelled dôwnag (ג-נ) [pronounced doh-NAHG].
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min]	from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, since, above, than, so that not, above, beyond, more than	preposition of separation	Strong's #4480 BDB #577
pânîym (םי̣נָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM]	face, faces, countenance; presence	masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular)	Strong’s #6440 BDB #815
Together, min pânîym mean from before the face of; out from before the face, from the presence of. However, together, they can also be a reference to the cause, whether near or remote, and can therefore be rendered because of, because that; by.
esh (ש ֵא) [pronounced aysh]	fire, lightening, supernatural fire; presence of Y^ehowah, the attendance of a theophany	feminine singular noun	Strong's #784 BDB #77

Translation:...[and] just as wax is melted by fire,... Another analogy is set up here—as wax is melted by fire. This parallels exactly the first half of this verse, but describes metaphorically v. 2c below.

Barnes comments: As wax is melted down by fire - wax loses all its hardness, its firmness, its power of resistance, so must the most mighty armies melt away before God.

Psalm 68:2c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
âbad (דַבָא) [pronounced aw^b-VAHD]	to be lost, to lose oneself, to wander; to perish, to be destroyed; to be ready to perish, to be wretched [miserable or unfortunate]	3^rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect	Strong's #6 BDB #1
r^eshâ׳îym (מי.עָשר) [pronounced r^e-shaw-ĢEEM]	malevolent ones, lawless ones, criminals, the corrupt; wicked, wicked ones	masculine plural adjective (here, it acts like a noun)	Strong’s #7563 BDB #957
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min]	from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, since, above, than, so that not, above, beyond, more than	preposition of separation	Strong's #4480 BDB #577
pânîym (םי̣נָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM]	face, faces, countenance; presence	masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular)	Strong’s #6440 BDB #815
Together, min pânîym mean from before the face of; out from before the face, from the presence of. However, together, they can also be a reference to the cause, whether near or remote, and can therefore be rendered because of, because that; by.
Ělôhîym (מי̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM]	gods, foreign gods, god; God; rulers, judges; superhuman ones, angels; transliterated Elohim	masculine plural noun	Strong's #430 BDB #43

Translation: ...[so] the corrupt are destroyed because of Elohim [or, before Elohim]. This time, we have a different verb. In the previous half of this verse, we had the Niphal and then the Qal of the same verb. However, here we have two different verbs—we have wax melting in the analogy, which is how the corrupt (or malevolent) are destroyed or how they perish before God. The idea is, God’s enemies have no power against Him; they are unable to resist; they can no more resist God’s power than wax can resist fire.

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Sing Praises to God

And righteous ones rejoice;

they are joyful to faces of Elohim;

and they leap in joy.

Psalm

68:3

The righteous will rejoice;

they will exhibit [or, feel] joy before Elohim;

they will leap with joy.

The righteous will be glad and rejoice before God;

they will leap for joy.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text And righteous ones rejoice;

they are joyful to faces of Elohim;

and they leap in joy.

Septuagint But let the righteous rejoice; let them exult before God: let them be delighted with joy.

Significant differences: As has been the case throughout, we find the cohortative used again and again in the Greek, Latin and Syriac.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV But let your people be happy and celebrate because of you.

EasyEnglish (Churchyard) But the righteous will be happy.

They will rejoice when they see the face of God.

They will shout because they are so happy!

Good News Bible (TEV) But the righteous are glad and rejoice in his presence; they are happy and shout for joy.

The Message When the righteous see God in action they'll laugh, they'll sing, they'll laugh and sing for joy.

New American Bible Then the just will be glad;

they will rejoice before God;

they will celebrate with great joy.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English But let the upright be glad; let them have delight before God; let them be full of joy.

God’s Word™ But let righteous people rejoice. Let them celebrate in God's presence. Let them overflow with joy.

NET Bible® But the godly are happy;

they rejoice before God

and are overcome with joy.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible But let the [uncompromisingly] righteous be glad; let them be in high spirits and glory before God, yes, let them [jubilantly] rejoice!

MKJV But the righteous are glad; they rejoice before God. Yes, let them exceedingly rejoice.

WEB But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.

Young's Updated LT And the righteous are merry, they rejoice before God, And they leap with gladness.

What is the gist of this verse? The righteous will exhibit great joy before God (this is in contrast to the wicked being blown away like the wind).

Psalm 68:3a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and, even, then; namely; when; since, that; though	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
tsaddîyqîym (םי.קי̣ַצ) [pronounced tsahd-dee-KEEM]	just ones, righteous ones, justified ones	masculine plural adjective, often used as a substantive	Strong’s #6662 BDB #843
sâmach (חַמָ) [pronounced saw-MAHKH]	to rejoice, to be glad, to be joyful, to be merry	3^rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #8055 BDB #970
Just as we found in the previous 2 verses, the Greek, Latin and Syriac use the cohortative here; the Hebrew is a simple imperfect. So throughout this verse.

Translation: The righteous will rejoice;... It sounds as though the psalmist is saying the same thing 3 times in this psalm. I don’t know if that is really the intention of the psalmist. 3 different verbs are used and they are associated with a variety of other words; but the verbs all mean roughly the same thing. In this portion of the verse, we speak of the righteous, which is another name for those who have believed in Jesus Christ.

Righteous does not refer to people who act really moral; nor does it apply to those who are self righteous in all of their actions. This is not about some prissy nice person who is so nice, you just can’t stand them. This term righteous refers to those who have believed in Jesus Christ. From an eternal perspective, all believers in Jesus Christ will rejoice; when looking at believers in time, only a few of the mature believers will rejoice.

Psalm 68:3b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
5 early printed editions, the Aramaic, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate all have a conjunction here.
׳âlats (ץ-לָע) [pronounced ģah-LAWTS]	to rejoice, to be joyful, to show [exhibit or feel] a triumphant [and lively] joy	3^rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #5970 BDB #763
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to	directional/relational preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
pânîym (םי̣נָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM]	face, faces, countenance; presence	masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular)	Strong’s #6440 BDB #815
Together, they mean upon the face of, before, before the face of, in the presence of, in the sight of, in front of. When used with God, it can take on the more figurative meaning in the judgment of. This can also mean forwards; the front part [or, the edge of a sword]. L^epânîym (םי.נָפל) can take on a temporal sense as well: before, of old, formerly, in the past, in past times.
Ělôhîym (מי ̣הֹלֱא) [pronounced el-o-HEEM]	gods, foreign gods, god; God; rulers, judges; superhuman ones, angels; transliterated Elohim	masculine plural noun	Strong's #430 BDB #43

Translation: ...they will exhibit [or, feel] joy before Elohim;... This is not entirely clear as to whether we are speaking of being in the actual presence of God in heaven or on earth; however, in whichever case, great joy is involved. the verb here refers to showing joy or exhibiting joy.

You will recall that this psalm had several interpretations. In war, men will rejoice when God gives them victory over those who are evil. Whether this is Israel’s army in the past or the United States’ army in Iraq or in Europe during World War II; when victory is announced, there is great rejoicing.