Psalms 68

Psalms 68:1

Let God arise, Let his enemies be scattered, &c.

Thy presence, O God, is with thine ark: as that ark of thine is now upon the remove, after a long rest; so do thou, O Lord, arise, after thy seeming silence and repose, and let thine enemies be discomforted and confounded.

Psalms 68:4

Extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, &c.

Extol him that moves, and rules, and governs the heavens by his mighty power; and dwells in that inaccessible glory: praise him, in that his infinite and absolute being, which he hath within himself, without all relation and dependence; and in that bounty, whereby he communicates a being to all his creatures.

Psalms 68:6

God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

He giveth plentiful issue to those that were childless, and delivers the captive out of their thralldom; as, contrarily, those, that are rebelliously wicked, however they might seem fast rooted in a rich patrimony, he sends away into want and exile.

Psalms 68:7

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness;

O God, what noble demonstrations hast thou given of old, to us thy people and our forefathers, of thy power and providence; when thou wentest before thy people, in a pillar of cloud and fire, through the wilderness.

Psalms 68:8

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.

Both in the heavens and the earth, didst thou shew marvellous tokens of thy mighty protection and gracious care for thy people: all the course of nature seemed to be miraculously altered to set forth thy power: Mount Sinai itself shook at thy presence, in the delivery of thy law.

Psalms 68:11

The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

The Lord gave abundant matter of celebration and thanks-

Psalms 68:12

Kings of the armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

The kings of the nations, who led forth their armies against Israel, were glad to flee apace for their lives; and the spoil was so great, that the women, who staid at home, had their shares in the division of it.

Psalms 68:13

Though you have lain among the pots, yet shall ye be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

Though ye have lain, like the drudges of the camp, in the hearths and sooty ranges of your tents, and thereby are soiled and deformed, yet, by God’s merciful deliverance, the case shall be so altered, as that ye shall be fair and beautiful, like a pleasantly-coloured dove, whose feathers are as overlaid with gold, and silver.

Psalms 68:14

When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

And howsoever God’s Church seemed to be overcast with darkness of discomfort, while tyrants oppressed her, yet now the Almighty hath subdued and put to flight the enemies thereof, it was white and glorious, like to the hill of Salmon, of itself dark and shady, when it is covered with snow.

Psalms 68:15

The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.

Sion, which is God’s hill where he pleaseth to dwell, may well compare with the fruitful hill of Bashan; in height if it may equal it, in dignity and privilege it is much above it.

Psalms 68:16

Why leap ye so ye high hills? this is the hill which God delighteth to dwell in.

Why do ye so proudly vaunt yourselves, O ye mighty mountains of the earth? ye are all of no value to this hill, where the God of Heaven hath chosen to put his name.

Psalms 68:17

The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in his holy place.

The great Lord of Hosts is attended with thousand thousands of heavenly angels, which are the chariots of defence for his Church: powerful, irresistible: and, as he was waited on by these innumerable angels, on Mount Sinai, at his majestical delivery of the law, so is he now attended with them, though invisibly, in his holy hill of Sion, where he manifesteth his gracious presence to his people.

Psalms 68:18

Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, even the rebellions also, that the Loud God might dwell among them.

O Saviour, thou art gloriously ascended up into thy highest heavens, having first happily triumphed over all thine enemies, and dragged them captive after thee; and, immediately after that glorious ascension, thou hast sent down thy spirit upon men, in the miraculous gifts thereof; which thou hast bountifully shed abroad, even upon those that were formerly rebellious against thee, that even by them, thou, O Lord, mightest magnify thyself in thy gracious inhabitation in them.

Psalms 68:20

Unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.

Unto this Almighty Lord, who is the God of Spirits, do belong all the passages, both to and from death: he can deliver his from it, he can bring his enemies into it, as seemeth best unto him.

Psalms 68:22

The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea;

The Lord hath said, ye well know what deliverances I have wrought for my people; how I caused them to pass through and conquer the country of Og, the great king of Bashan; and how I led them through the Red Sea, in a miraculous fashion: my hand is not shortened; I will still work the very like deliverances for my people:

Psalms 68:23

That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

That, as it was in the destruction of the Egyptians, and in the conquest of Bashan and those other proud heathens, so again, thou mayest rejoice in the utter debellation and destruction of them that oppose themselves spitefully against the Church and kingdom of Christ, so as thou mayest trample in their blood, and thy dogs may lick it up.

Psalms 68:24

They have seen thy goings, O God: even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

O God, all thy people have seen, and rejoice to see, with what exultation and spiritual triumph, thou, my God and King, in that thy holy ark, when it marched from the house of Obed Edom, wentest up towards thy sacred tabernacle.

Psalms 68:26

Even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

Bless ye the Lord in the congregation of his people, all ye, that flow from that plentiful fountain of Israel.

Psalms 68:27

There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

There are the tribes of Israel, ready and zealous to attend upon God: Benjamin, the least of all the tribes, is not the least forward; but, together with their ruler, presents himself to this service: Judah, the royal tribe, with their noble leaders, strives to be seen in the front of this glorious train: and Zebulun and Naphtali, though most remote in situation, yet in this holy solemnity, are not behind their fellows; but they and their princes put forth themselves, to celebrate this holy and happy procession of God’s ark.

Psalms 68:29

Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.

When thou shalt have established thy temple at Jerusalem, the kings of the earth round about thee shall come thither, and offer presents and sacrifices there unto thy name.

Psalms 68:30

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.

O Lord, do thou confound those professed enemies of thy Church; both their great patrons and abettors, as also their servile and ignorant followers; and humble thou them so far, as till they shall submit themselves to thy spiritual government, and yield their homage and tribute unto thy Son Christ: and, as for such as take pleasure in blood, and exercise wilful hostility against thy people, do thou utterly destroy them and their designs.

Psalms 68:31

Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to thee.

The Gentiles shall come in, and yield subjection to thee; even those (which are most unlikely) from the loins of Cham, the princes of Egypt and Ethiopia; these shall sue to be received into the bosom of the Church.