Sálmarnir 76:3

Heilögum Biblíunni

3 (76:4) Þar braut hann sundur leiftur bogans, skjöld og sverð og hervopn. [Sela]

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

There: Psalms 46:9, 2 Chronicles 14:12, 2 Chronicles 14:13, 2 Chronicles 20:25, 2 Chronicles 32:21, Isaiah 37:35, Isaiah 37:36, Ezekiel 39:3, Ezekiel 39:4, Ezekiel 39:9, Ezekiel 39:10

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 2:4 - The bows Psalms 37:15 - bows Psalms 65:5 - terrible Jeremiah 51:56 - every

Gill's Notes on the Bible

There brake he the arrows of the bow.... The Targum is,

"there brake he the arrows and the bows of the people that make war;''

the word רשפי, translated "arrows", signifies "sparks or coals of fire"; see Job 5:7 and is used of arrows, because they fly swiftly, as sparks do, or because of their brightness, or because fiery; so we read of "the fiery darts of Satan", Ephesians 6:16, and perhaps they may be meant here: when Christ our Lord suffered near Jerusalem, he spoiled principalities and powers, and broke their strength and might, and made peace by the blood of his cross, in which he triumphed over them; for the destroying of these instruments of war with what follow:

the shield, and the sword, and the battle, is expressive of making wars to cease, and causing peace; and may include the peace which was all the world over at the birth of Christ, and was foretold and expressed in much such language as here, Zechariah 9:9, and also that which was made by his sufferings and death, and which was published in his Gospel by his apostles, whom he sent forth unarmed, whose weapons were not carnal, but spiritual; and likewise the spiritual peace he gives to his people, quenching the fiery darts of Satan, and delivering them from the archers that shoot at them, and sorely grieve them; as well as that peace which shall be in the world and churches in the latter day; see

Psalms 46:11,

Selah. Psalms 46:11- :.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

There brake he the arrows of the bow - That is, in Salem, or near Salem. The language is such as would be used in reference to invaders, or to armies that came up to storm the city. The occasion is unknown; but the meaning is, that God drove the invading army back, and showed his power in defending the city. The phrase “the arrows of the bow,” is literally, “the lightnings of the bow,” the word rendered “arrows” meaning properly “flame;” and then, “lightning.” The idea is, that the arrows sped from the bow with the rapidity of lightning.

The shield - Used for defense in war. See Psalms 5:12; Psalms 33:20; compare the notes at Ephesians 6:16.

And the sword - That is, he disarmed his enemies, or made them as powerless as if their swords were broken.

And the battle - He broke the force of the battle; the strength of the armies drawn up for conflict.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 76:3. There brake he the arrows of the bow — רשפי rishphey, the fiery arrows. Arrows, round the heads of which inflammable matter was rolled, and then ignited, were used by the ancients, and shot into towns to set them on fire; and were discharged among the towers and wooden works of besiegers. The Romans called them phalaricae; and we find them mentioned by Virgil, AEn. lib. ix., ver. 705: -

Sed magnum stridens contorta phalarica venit,

Fulminis acta modo.

On this passage Servius describes the phalarica as a dart or spear with a spherical leaden head to which fire was attached. Thrown by a strong hand, it killed those whom it hit, and set fire to buildings, &c. It was called phalarica from the towers called phalae from which it was generally projected. In allusion to these St. Paul speaks of the fiery darts of the devil, Ephesians 6:16, to the note on which the reader is requested to refer.

The shield and the sword — If this refers to the destruction of Sennacherib's army, it may be truly said that God rendered useless all their warlike instruments, his angel having destroyed 185,000 of them in one night.