Psa 68:4-24 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 4. Extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH ] "Extol him who sitteth on the throne of glory, in the ninth heaven; YAH is his name; and rejoice before him."- Targum . baaraboth , which we render in the high heavens , is here of doubtful signification. As it comes from the root arab , to mingle, (hence ereb the evening or twilight , because it appears to be formed of an equal mixture of light and darkness ; the Septuagint translate it δυσμων, the west , or setting of the sun; so does the Vulgate and others;) probably it may mean the gloomy desert , through which God, in the chariot of his glory, led the Israelites. If this interpretation do not please, then let it be referred to the darkness in which God is said to dwell, through which the rays of his power and love , in the various dispensations of his power and mercy, shine forth for the comfort and instruction of mankind. By his name Jah ] Yah , probably a contraction of the word Yehovah ; at least so the ancient Versions understood it. It is used but in a few places in the sacred writings. It might be translated The Self existent .

‏ Psalms 68:4-24

Verse 4. Extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH] "Extol him who sitteth on the throne of glory, in the ninth heaven; YAH is his name; and rejoice before him."-Targum.

baaraboth, which we render in the high heavens, is here of doubtful signification. As it comes from the root arab, to mingle, (hence ereb the evening or twilight, because it appears to be formed of an equal mixture of light and darkness; the Septuagint translate it δυσμων, the west, or setting of the sun; so does the Vulgate and others;) probably it may mean the gloomy desert, through which God, in the chariot of his glory, led the Israelites. If this interpretation do not please, then let it be referred to the darkness in which God is said to dwell, through which the rays of his power and love, in the various dispensations of his power and mercy, shine forth for the comfort and instruction of mankind.

By his name Jah] Yah, probably a contraction of the word Yehovah; at least so the ancient Versions understood it. It is used but in a few places in the sacred writings. It might be translated The Self existent.

Verse 6. The solitary in families] yechidim, the single persons. Is not the meaning, God is the Author of marriage; and children, the legal fruit of it, are an inheritance from him?

Verse 7. O God, when thou wentest forth] This and the following verse most manifestly refer to the passage of the Israelites through the wilderness.

Verse 9. Didst send a plentiful rain] geshem nedaboth, a shower of liberality. I believe this to refer to the manna by which God refreshed and preserved alive the weary and hungry Israelites.

Verse 10. Thy congregation hath dwelt therein]

chaiyathecha, thy living creature; ταζωα, Septuagint; animalia, Vulgate; so all the Versions. Does not this refer to the quails that were brought to the camp of the Israelites, and dwelt, as it were, round about it? And was not this, with the manna and the refreshing rock, that goodness which God had provided for the poor-the needy Israelites?

Verse 11. Great was the company of those that published it.] hammebasseroth tsaba rab; "Of the female preachers there was a great host." Such is the literal translation of this passage; the reader may make of it what he pleases. Some think it refers to the women who, with music, songs, and dances, celebrated the victories of the Israelites over their enemies. But the publication of good news, or of any joyful event, belonged to the women. It was they who announced it to the people at large; and to this universal custom, which prevails to the present day, the psalmist alludes. See this established in Clarke's note on "Isa 40:9".

Verse 12. Kings of armies did flee] Jabin and the kings of the Canaanites, who united their forces to overwhelm the Israelites.

And she] Deborah the prophetess, a woman accustomed to tarry at home, and take care of the family; she divided the spoils, and vanquished their kings.

Verse 13. Though ye have lien among the pots] The prophet is supposed here to address the tribes of Reuben and Gad, who remained in their inheritances, occupied with agricultural, maritime, and domestic affairs, when the other tribes were obliged to go against Jabin, and the other Canaanitish kings. Ye have been thus occupied, while your brethren sustained a desperate campaign; but while you are inglorious, they obtained the most splendid victory, and dwell under those rich tents which they have taken from the enemy; coverings of the most beautiful colours, adorned with gold and silver. The words birakrak charuts, native gold, so exceedingly and splendidly yellow as to approach to greenness-from yarak, to be green; and the doubling of the last syllable denotes an excess in the denomination-excessively green-blistering green. The Targum gives us a curious paraphrase of this and the following verse: "If ye, O ye kings, slept among your halls, the congregation of Israel, which is like a dove covered with the clouds of glory, divided the prey of the Egyptians, purified silver, and coffers full of the finest gold. And when it stretched out its hands in prayer over the sea, the Almighty cast down kingdoms; and for its sake cooled hell like snow, and snatched it from the shadow of death." Perhaps the Romanists got some idea of purgatory here. For the sake of the righteous, the flames of hell are extinguished!

Verse 15. The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan] This and the following verse should be read thus: "Is Mount Bashan the craggy mount, Mount Bashan, the mount of God? Why envy ye, ye craggy mounts? This is the mount of God in which he has desired to dwell." The Targum countenances this translation: Mount Moriah, the place where our fathers of old worshipped God, is chosen to build on it the house of the sanctuary, and Mount Sinai for the giving of the law. Mount Bashan, Mount Tabor, and Carmel are rejected; they are made as Mount Bashan."

Verse 16. Why leap ye, ye high hills?] "God said, Why leap ye, ye high hills? It is not pleasing to me to give my law upon high and towering hills. Behold, Mount Sinai is low; and the WORD of the Lord has desired to place on it the Divine majesty. Moreover, the Lord dwells for ever in the heaven of heavens."-Targum.

The psalmist is speaking particularly of the mountains of Judea, and those of Gilead; the former were occupied by the Canaanites, and the others by Og, king of Bashan, and Sihon, king of the Amorites, whom Moses defeated.

Verse 17. The chariots of God are twenty thousand] ribbothayim alpey shinan, "two myriads of thousands doubled." Does not this mean simply forty thousand? A myriad is 10,000; two myriads, 20,000; these doubled, 40,000. Or thus: 10,000 + 10,000 + 20,000 = 40,000. The Targum says, "The chariots of God are two myriads; two thousand angels draw them; the majesty of God rests upon them in holiness on Mount Sinai." But what does this mean? We must die to know.

Verse 18. Thou hast ascended on high] When the ark had reached the top of Sion, and was deposited in the place assigned for it, the singers joined in the following chorus. This seems to be an allusion to a military triumph. The conqueror was placed on a very elevated chariot.

Led captivity captive] The conquered kings and generals were usually tied behind the chariot of the conqueror-bound to it, bound together, and walked after it, to grace the triumph of the victor.

Thou hast received gifts for men] "And gave gifts unto men;" Eph 4:8. At such times the conqueror threw money among the crowd. Thou hast received gifts among men, baadam, IN MAN, in human nature; and God manifest in the flesh dwells among mortals! Thanks be to God for his unspeakable GIFT! By establishing his abode among the rebellious, the prophet may refer to the conquest of the land of Canaan, and the country beyond Jordan.

Yea, for the rebellious also] Even to the rebellious. Those who were his enemies, who traduced his character and operations, and those who fought against him now submit to him, and share his munificence; for it is the property of a hero to be generous.

That the Lord God might dwell among them.] yah Elohim, the self-existing God; see on Ps 68:4. The conqueror now coming to fix his abode among the conquered people to organize them under his laws, to govern and dispense justice among them. The whole of this is very properly applied by St. Paul, Eph 4:5, to the resurrection and glory of Christ; where the reader is requested to consult the note.

Verse 19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us] With benefits is not in the text. Perhaps it would be better to translate the clause thus: "Blessed be Adonai, our Prop day by day, who supports us." Or, "Blessed be the Lord, who supports us day by day." Or as the Vulgate, Septuagint, and Arabic: "Blessed be the Lord daily, our God who makes our journey prosperous; even the God of our salvation." The Syriac, "Blessed be the Lord daily, who hath chosen our inheritance." The word amas, which we translate to load, signifies to lift, bear up, support, or to bear a burden for another. Hence it would not be going far from the ideal meaning to translate: "Blessed be the Lord day by day, who bears our burdens for us." But loadeth us with benefits is neither a translation nor meaning.

Verse 20. The issues frown death.] The going out or exodus from death-from the land of Egypt and house of bondage. Or the expression may mean, Life and death are in the hand of God. "He can create, and he destroy."

Verse 21. The hairy scalp] kodkod sear. Does this mean any thing like the Indian scalping? Or does it refer to a crest on a helmet or headcap? I suppose the latter.

Verse 22. From the depths of the sea] All this seems to speak of the defeat of the Egyptians, and the miraculous passage of the Red Sea.

Verse 23. That thy foot may be dipped in the blood] God will make such a slaughter among his enemies, the Amorites, that thou shalt walk over their dead bodies; and beasts of prey shall feed upon them.

Verse 24. They have seen thy goings] These kings of the Amorites have seen thy terrible majesty in their discomfiture, and the slaughter of their subjects.