Bible Commentaries
Psalms 68

Verses 1-35

Psalms 68:0

Psalms 68:1 (To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David.) Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

Psalms 68:1 “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered” - Comments - This phrase was used by Moses when the ark was set forward in the march in the wilderness (Numbers 10:35).

Numbers 10:35, “And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.”

Psalms 68:2 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.

Psalms 68:2 Comments - The easiest thing for wind to drive away is smoke and the easiest substance for fire to melt is wax. This reflects the ease at which God overcomes His enemies. The wind and fire are understood as manifestations of God’s presence in Scriptures. We see this in the smoke upon mount Sinai during the giving of the Ten Commandments and in the vision of Isaiah when he saw the Temple of the Lord.

Exodus 19:18, “And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.”

Exodus 20:18, “And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.”

Isaiah 6:4, “And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.”

Note that God's angels serve Him and at times are manifested as wind and fire (Hebrews 1:7).

Hebrews 1:7, “And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.”

Also note:

Hebrews 12:29, “For our God is a consuming fire.”

Thus, the angels of God are used by Him to drive away His enemies before us. We see this taking place in the battles that Joshua fought and those that David fought (2 Samuel 5:24). We know that an angel of the Lord went before Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness.

2 Samuel 5:24, “And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.”

Psalms 68:3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

Psalms 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

Psalms 68:4 Comments - As the angels of the Lord go before us in battle, God commands us to sing forth praises unto His name. This took place a number of times in Scripture. For example, God told King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:14-22 to send forth his armies with singers leading the way to battle, for the battle was the Lord’s. We see a number of times n Scripture where God sends the tribe of Judah, which means “praise” to lead the children of Israel into battle.

Psalms 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

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.

Psalms 68:7-8 Comments - Psalms 68:7-8 is found in Deborah's battle song of Judges 5:4-5, although it is not the same word for word.

Judges 5:4-5, “LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.”

Psalms 68:18 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.

Psalms 68:18 Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament - Psalms 68:18 is quoted in Ephesians 4:8.

Ephesians 4:8, “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.”

Psalms 68:22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

Psalms 68:22 Comments - Psalms 68:22 is clearly a prophecy of the restoration of the nation of Israel. The “depths of the sea” could represent the nations of the earth, since the sea often represents the nations throughout Scripture.

Psalms 68:23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

Psalms 68:24-27 Comments - Psalms 68:24-27 describes a parade, a victory march. Since this march to Jerusalem follows the gathering of the children of Israel back to their nations, it could refer to the Second Coming of Christ when He returns at the end of the Tribulation Period and rules and reigns upon the earth from the holy city of Jerusalem.