Psalm 68 is the 68th

psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

of the Book of Psalms, or Psalm 67 in

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

and

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

numbering. In the English of the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

it begins "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered". In the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Vulgate version it begins "Exsurgat Deus et dissipentur inimici eius". It has 35 verses (36 according to

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

numbering).

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

writer Arno C. Gaebelein calls it "The Great Redemption Accomplished" and describes it as "one of the greatest Psalms".Gaebelein, A. C. (1919)
Gaebelein's Annotated Bible
on Psalm 68, accessed 10 December 2021 Psalm 68 is used in both Jewish and Christian liturgies, and also in that of Ethiopianist new religious movements such as Rastafari. It has often been set to music, such as

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

's ''Exurgat Deus'' (H.215) in Latin around 1690, for soloists, chorus, two treble instruments and continuo. Handel used verses 11 and 18 in his 1742

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

'' ( HWV 56).

Text

Hebrew / English parallel version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 68:

King James Version

#Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. # As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. # But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. # Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him. # A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. # God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. # O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah: # The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. # Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary. # Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor. # The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it. # Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil. # Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. # When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon. # The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; a high hill as the hill of Bashan. # Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever. # The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. # Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. # Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. # He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death. # But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses. # The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: # That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same. # They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary. # The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels. # Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel. # There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali. # Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us. # Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee. # Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war. # Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. # Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah: # To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice. # Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. # O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

Name of God

According to Gaebelein, the

name of God There are various names of God, many of which enumerate the various qualities of a Supreme Being. The English word ''god'' (and its equivalent in other languages) is used by multiple religions as a noun to refer to different deities, or speci ...

is found in this psalm in seven different forms: Jehovah (or YHWH), Adonai, El, Shaddai, Jah (or Yah), Jehovah-Adonai and Jah-Elohim.

Uses

In Judaism

According to the "Complete ArtScroll Siddur" as edited by Nosson Scherman in 1984, isolated verses from the psalm are part of contemporary Jewish liturgy: *Verses 5-6 are part of the prayers recited following Motzei Shabbat

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms ...

(p. 609), *Verse 20 is part of Uva Letzion (p. 157), *Verses 35-36 are the fourth and fifth verses of V'hu Rachum in Pesukei Dezimra (p. 62). According to "The ArtScroll Tehillim" by Hillel Danziger (1989, p. 329), in some traditions, the entire psalm is recited on Shavuot.

New Testament

Verse 18 of Psalm 68 is referenced in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

Ephesians The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...

4:8: : : Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. The passage in the psalm makes reference to the Ark of the Covenant ascending to Mount Zion, and

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

is here drawing a comparison to the

Ascension of Jesus The Ascension of Jesus (anglicized from the Vulgate la, ascensio Iesu, lit=ascent of Jesus) is the Christian teaching that Christ physically departed from Earth by rising to Heaven, in the presence of eleven of his apostles. According to th ...

Roman Catholic liturgy

In the monastic tradition dating from the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

, this psalm was traditionally recited at the

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated b ...

office on Wednesday, according to the distribution of the rule of St. Benedict fixed at 530. In the current

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

, Psalm 68 is recited or sung at the Reading Office on Tuesday of the third week in the four weekly cycle. It is also read on the 22nd Sunday of

Ordinary Time Ordinary Time ( la, Tempus per annum) is the part of the liturgical year in the liturgy of the Roman Rite, which falls outside the two great seasons of Christmastide and Eastertide, or their respective preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. O ...

in year C in the triennial cycle of the Sunday masses.

Eastern Orthodox tradition

The first two verses of the psalm's Church Slavonic version form the beginning of the "Prayer of the Cross" or in the

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

tradition part of the daily evening prayers: :Да воскре́снетъ Богъ, и расточа́тся врази́ Его́, и да бѣжа́тъ отъ лица́ Его́ ненави́дящіи Его́. Я́ко исчеза́етъ дымъ, да исче́знутъ; я́ко та́етъ воскъ отъ лица́ огня́, та́ко да поги́бнутъ бѣси отъ лица́ лю́бящихъ Бо́га и зна́менующихся кре́стнымъ зна́меніемъ :Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so let them be driven away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the face of those who love God and who are signified by the sign of the cross.

Book of Common Prayer

In the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

's ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

'', this is the sole psalm appointed to be read on the morning of the 13th day of the month.Church of England
Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter
as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, p. 244

Musical settings

composed ''Exurgat Deus'' (H.215) around 1690, set for soloists, chorus, 2 treble instruments and continuo. Philipp Heinrich Erlebach composed '' Gelobet sei der Herr täglich'' around 1710, a church cantata for the First Sunday after Trinity beginning with Psalm 68:20. Handel's 1742

'' (HWV 56) cites verses 1 and 18 according to the

Secular references

The second part of verse 31, "Ethiopia shall soon stretch her hands unto God" ( Ge'ez: ''ኢትዮጵያ ታበድ አደዊሃ ሃበ አግዚአብሐር'', ''Itiyopia tabetsih edewiha habe Igziabiher'') was used in the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of Emperor

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

, and was also formerly used as the

national motto This article lists state and national mottos for the world's nations. The mottos for some states lacking general international recognition, extinct states, non-sovereign nations, regions, and territories are listed, but their names are not bold ...

of Ethiopia. (The original Hebrew refers to Cush (כוש).)Psalm 68:31
biblehub.com John Buchan's collection of short stories

The Runagates Club ''The Runagates Club'' is a 1928 collection of short stories by the Scottish author John Buchan. The collection consists of twelve tales presented as reminiscences of members of ''The Runagates Club'', a London dining society. Several of the sto ...

(1928) derives its title from verse 6, which in the

reads "but letteth the runagates continue in scarceness", where the King James Version has "but the rebellious dwell in a dry land"; ''runagate'' is an obsolete spelling of '' renegade''.

References

External links

* * * in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre * Text of Psalm 68 according to th
1928 Psalter

For the leader. A psalm of David; a song. / May God arise; may his enemies be scattered; / may those who hate him flee before him.a
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 68 – The Victorious Procession of God to Zion
enduringword.com
Psalm 68 / Refrain: Sing to God, sing praises to his name.

Psalm 68
at biblegateway.com {{Psalms 068 Works attributed to David