Psalm 60 explained: A Shaken Nation Asks for Help

A land shaken (vv. 1-3)

The heading links this psalm to David's wars and even recalls a win over Edom, yet these lines sound like a nation reeling from a blow it blames on God's anger. They picture it as an earthquake splitting the land and as wine that leaves them dazed and staggering.

A flag to rally around (vv. 4-5)

A banner was the flag soldiers gathered under, so this is a sign that God has not abandoned those who honor him. The Hebrew of verse 4 is hard to read, which is why translations differ so much, and scholars are unsure of its exact sense.

God claims the whole land (vv. 6-7)

The psalm recalls a word from God naming places on both sides of the Jordan River, like Shechem, Sukkoth, Gilead and Manasseh, as his to divide up. Ephraim, a large and strong tribe, is his helmet, and Judah, the tribe of David's royal family, is his scepter, the rod a king held as a sign of rule.

Old rivals brought low (v. 8)

Moab, Edom and Philistia were Israel's longtime neighboring enemies, here pictured as conquered, with Moab reduced to a lowly washbasin. Tossing a sandal on Edom probably means claiming it or treating it as a servant, though the exact custom is uncertain.

Who will lead us now? (vv. 9-12)

The speaker wants to take a fortified city, probably in Edom, but admits that God seems to have stopped going out with their armies. Even so, the psalm ends by saying human help is not enough and trusting that victory will come with God.

Key verse: Psalm 60:12

Something to think about

When someone or something you relied on seems to have let you down, what makes you keep hoping in it rather than walking away?