Psalm 68 explained: God's Victory March to Jerusalem

God arises for the helpless (vv. 1-6)

The opening line echoes words Moses spoke whenever the ark, the sacred chest that stood for God's presence, set out in the wilderness. The God who rides the clouds (or rides through the deserts; the Hebrew is unclear) is praised above all for caring for orphans, widows, the lonely and prisoners.

From Sinai to the land (vv. 7-14)

The poet remembers God leading Israel through the wilderness, shaking Mount Sinai, and giving rain and a land to a weary people. Crowds of women then announce victory, though verses 13 and 14 are so hard to translate that no one is sure exactly what they mean.

God's chosen mountain (vv. 15-18)

The tall, rugged mountains of Bashan in the northeast are pictured as jealous of Zion, the smaller hill in Jerusalem that God chose as his home. God arrives there like a conqueror with countless chariots and captives; Christians read verse 18 in light of Jesus, since Paul applies it to his rising to heaven (Ephesians 4:8).

Rescue and revenge (vv. 19-23)

God is praised as the one who carries his people's load every day and rescues them from death. The picture of feet in enemies' blood and dogs licking it is the brutal language of ancient war songs for total victory, and the psalm does not tone it down.

The parade into the sanctuary (vv. 24-27)

The scene becomes a festival procession into the sanctuary, probably led by the ark, with singers, musicians and young women playing tambourines. Small Benjamin, powerful Judah, and far northern Zebulun and Naphtali likely stand for the whole nation marching together.

The nations bring gifts (vv. 28-35)

The psalm asks God to act again and pictures foreign kings bringing gifts to Jerusalem, with envoys from Egypt and from distant Cush, south of Egypt, turning to God; the beast among the reeds is probably Egypt, and the bulls are proud rulers. It ends by calling all the kingdoms of the earth to sing to the God who thunders from the heavens.

Key verse: Psalm 68:5

Something to think about

What do you make of a song that praises a God who defends widows and orphans in the same breath as it celebrates crushed enemies?