Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 68:11
The Lord gave the word: great [was] the company of those that published [it].
11. The Lord giveth the word:
The women that publish the tidings are a great host.
God’s word is sovereign (Psa 33:9; Isa 30:30). He has only to command, and the victory is won. Forthwith are heard the songs of the women proclaiming the good news. Victories were commonly celebrated by the Israelite women with song and dance. Cp. Psa 68:25, Exo 15:20 f.; Judges 5; Jdg 11:34; 1Sa 18:6 f. It is a less satisfactory explanation to regard the word as the song of triumph which God puts in the mouth of the singers.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
11 14. With a few graphic strokes the poet recalls the victories by which Canaan was won and retained. He refers to the times of the Judges as well as to the original conquest under Joshua.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Lord gave the word – The command, or the order. It is not certain to what the psalmist here refers; whether to some particular occasion then fresh in the recollection of the people, when a great victory had been gained, which it was the design of the psalm to celebrate; or whether it is a general statement in regard to the doings of God, having reference to all his victories and triumphs, and meaning that in all cases the command came from him. The subsequent verses make it evident that there is an allusion here to the ark of the covenant, and to the victories which had been achieved under that as a guide or protector. The entire psalm refers to the ark, and its triumphs; and the idea here seems to be, that in all the victories which had been achieved the word or the command came from God, and that its promulgation was immediately made by a great company who stood ready to communicate it or to publish it.
Great was the company of those that published it – Margin, army. More literally, The women publishing it were a great host. The word used is in the feminine gender, and refers to the Oriental custom whereby females celebrated victories in songs and dances. See Exo 15:20-21; Jdg 11:34; Jdg 21:21; 1Sa 18:6-7. The idea here is, that when there was a proclamation of war – when God commanded his people to go out to battle, and to take with them the ark, the females of the land – the singers – were ready to make known the proclamation; to celebrate the will of the Lord by songs and dances; to cheer and encourage their husbands, brothers, and fathers, as they went out to the conflict. The result is stated in the following verse.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 68:11
The Lord gave the Word: great was the company of those that published it.
The proclamation of the Gospel
The occasion of this psalm–the carrying up of the ark to Jerusalem: the joyful procession is described. But it has a prophetic import as well as a literal one. It points on to the Ascension of Christ and to the gifts He has bestowed upon His Church. Our text is a glorious promise concerning the proclamation of the Gospel.
I. It is and ever has been the will of God that by man the message of mercy should be proclaimed. This so ordained in mercy to man and for the glory of God.
II. This word will never be proclaimed, except the Lord send us. God has ever sent forth the men who preached His Word, and He is sending them forth now.
III. There shall be great success. See context.
IV. She that tarried at home divided the spoil. Allusion is to Num 31:25; and for illustration see 1Sa 30:22. Some must stay at home, though there are many who ought to go forth to labour. But they who rightly stay at home, they shall be blessed through the missionary enterprise. Conclusion: Have we ourselves believed the Word which the Lord hath given? Let us give Him all the glory. What motives are here for fresh exertion! (F. Close, M. A.)
The place of preaching, in the past and in the present
On the old Glasgow coat-of-arms were the words–Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of the Word and the praising of His name. That has been shortened now into Let Glasgow flourish–but the original was as I have said. The fact that that could be taken as the motto of one of the prominent cities of Scotland is a sign of the deep and far-reaching influence which preaching exerted in past days.
I. What preaching has done in the past. Both in our own and in other lands some of the mightiest triumphs that have ever been achieved were brought about by the preaching of the Word. Since the days of Elijah downward, it has played an important part in moulding the destinies of the world. Jonah, an old preacher of righteousness, turned a mighty city unto God by means of his summons to repentance. In the Christian Church we can mark the influence of preaching making itself directly felt in the early ages. We have the preaching of Jesus, so original, so full of beauty, so touched with deep love and mercy that it thrilled the heart of multitudes, and paved the way for the future acceptance of His cause. We have the beaming enthusiasm of John; the direct home-thrusts of Peter; the logical grasp and gathering impetus of Paul–all of which have left an indelible mark, not only upon the Christian Church, but upon the whole history of the world. Almost all the great movements of the Middle Ages have been identified with great preaching. One of the greatest and most daring attempts on the part of a preacher to achieve great things is identified with the name of Savonarola. That simple monk threw out the most powerful factions that ever ruled in Florence. For a time he blossomed out as a great leader, and sought to establish a City of God upon earth. He failed ultimately, and partly by his own error, but the extraordinary success that he for a time achieved over prince and people is one of the red-letter days in the history of preaching. In our own country it has achieved great triumphs, and has been reckoned one of the distinctive features of Scottish life. Since the days of Knox the pulpit has been the foremost institution in the country–most powerful for good or evil. The preacher has been listened to as the veritable servant of God, and his message taken as if it came from highest Heaven.
II. The place that preaching holds amongst us to-day. There is no question that the pulpit to-day does not occupy the same place of undisturbed authority that it did during the first two centuries after the Reformation, or even that it has done within the last fifty years. It is no longer the social, religious, and intellectual leader of the people. Other influences have sprung up and taken their place amongst us and exercised their authority. A very different set of conditions exists amongst us to-day. Never did cheaper and better books exist. Another great obstacle to the unquestioned authority of the pulpit is the change that has taken place in the public temper. At the days of the Reformation the principle of the right of individual judgment was established. But in these days we have carried that principle to a length that was never dreamt of then. Now every man reckons himself just as good a judge of right and wrong as any other man.
III. What work has still to be done by the pulpit. There are many who seem to have so completely despaired of the power of preaching in the future, that they advise us to resort to all sorts of expedients in order to fill the churches. All this shows a genuine distrust of the power of preaching to impress the public. That is not preaching which does not come straight from the Word of God. Lastly, the pulpit has a great work to perform in helping to solve, in a Christian manner, the social and political problems of the age. (D. Woodside, B. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
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“.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Gave the word, i.e. the matter of the word or discourse here following. He put this triumphant song into their mouths; he gave his people all those successes and victories which are here celebrated. Or, gave the matter or thing which was published.
Great was the company of those that published it: the works of God on the behalf of his people were so glorious and wonderful, that all sorts of persons, both men and women, that heard of them, broke forth into songs of praise to God for them. The Hebrew word is of the feminine gender, because it was the manner of the Hebrews, that when the men returned victorious from the battle, the women went out to meet them with songs of triumph, Psa 68:25; Exo 15:20; Jdg 11:34; 1Sa 18:6.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. gave the wordthat is, oftriumph.
companyor, choir offemales, celebrating victory (Ex15:20).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord gave the word,…. The word of the Gospel to his apostles. He committed the word of reconciliation to them; he intrusted them with it, as a sacred depositum; he gave gifts unto them, qualifying them for the ministration of it; he gave them a commission to preach it; and he gave them a door of utterance to speak it as it should be, and an opportunity to publish it. The Targum wrongly interprets it of the word of the law;
great [was] the company of those that published [it]; there were in our Lord’s time twelve apostles and seventy disciples, who were sent out to preach the Gospel; and many more in the times of the apostles, and since. The word for “company” signifies an “army” x: Christ’s ministers are soldiers, and war a good warfare; they have weapons which are not carnal, but spiritual, and mighty through God, and they are made to triumph in Christ in every place. And the word rendered “those that published” is in the feminine gender; not as suggesting that women would be preachers of the Gospel under the New Testament dispensation, for that is forbidden, 1Co 14:34; but in allusion to the custom of women in Israel publishing the victories obtained by their armies and generals; see 1Sa 18:7; and it may be it is used to denote the weakness of Gospel ministers in themselves, who have the treasure of the word put into their earthen vessels, that the power may appear to be of God, and not of man; so ministers are called maidens, Pr 9:3; and this same word is used of them in Isa 40:9. And it may be observed, that notwithstanding it is of the said gender, yet it is by the Targum interpreted of men, thus;
“but Moses and Aaron evangelized the word of God to the great army of Israel.”
And it may also be observed, that this word , which signifies a “publishing of good news”, is derived from a root which signifies “flesh” denoting, that the good tidings of the Gospel, or of peace and pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation, published in it, are by an incarnate Saviour, or through his assumption of our flesh, and suffering in it.
x “exercitus”, Pagninus, Montanus, Gejerus, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The futures that now follow are no longer to be understood as referring to previous history; they no longer alternate with preterites. Moreover the transition to the language of address in Psa 68:14 shows that the poet here looks forth from his present time and circumstances into the future; and the introduction of the divine name , after Elohim has been used eleven times, is an indication of a new commencement. The prosperous condition in which God places His church by giving it the hostile powers of the world as a spoil is depicted. The noun , never occurring in the genitival relationship, and never with a suffix, because the specific character of the form would be thereby obliterated, always denotes an important utterance, more particularly God’s word of promise (Psa 77:9), or His word of power (Hab 3:9), which is represented elsewhere as a mighty voice of thunder (Psa 68:34, Isa 30:30), or a trumpet-blast (Zec 9:14); in the present instance it is the word of power by which the Lord suddenly changes the condition of His oppressed church. The entirely new state of things which this omnipotent behest as it were conjures into existence is presented to the mind in v. 12 b: the women who proclaim the tidings of victory – a great host. Victory and triumph follow upon God’s , as upon His creative . The deliverance of Israel from the army of Pharaoh, the deliverance out of the hand of Jabin by the defeat of Sisera, the victory of Jephthah over the Ammonites, and the victorious single combat of David with Goliath were celebrated by singing women. God’s decisive word shall also go forth this time, and of the evangelists, like Miriam (Mirjam) and Deborah, there shall be a great host.
Psa 68:12 describes the subject of this triumphant exultation. Hupfeld regards Psa 68:13-15 as the song of victory itself, the fragment of an ancient triumphal ode ( epinikion ) reproduced here; but there is nothing standing in the way that should forbid our here regarding these verses as a direct continuation of Psa 68:12. The “hosts” are the numerous well-equipped armies which the kings of the heathen lead forth to the battle against the people of God. The unusual expression “kings of hosts” sounds very much like an ironically disparaging antithesis to the customary “Jahve of Hosts” (Bttcher). He, the Lord, interposes, and they are obliged to flee, staggering as they go, to retreat, and that, as the anadiplosis (cf. Jdg 5:7; Jdg 19:20) depicts, far away, in every direction. The fut. energicum with its ultima -accentuation gives intensity to the pictorial expression. The victors then turn homewards laden with rich spoils. , here in a collective sense, is the wife who stays at home (Jdg 5:24) while the husband goes forth to battle. It is not: the ornament ( as in Jer 6:2) of the house, which Luther, with the lxx, Vulgate, and Syriac, adopts in his version,
(Note: “ Hausehre,” says he, is the housewife or matron as being the adornment of the house; vid., F. Dietrich, Frau und Dame, a lecture bearing upon the history of language (1864), S. 13.)
but: the dweller or homely one (cf. , a dwelling-lace, Job 8:6) of the house, . The dividing of the spoil elsewhere belongs to the victors; what is meant here is the distribution of the portions of the spoil that have fallen to the individual victors, the further distribution of which is left for the housewife (Jdg 5:30., 2Sa 1:24). Ewald now recognises in Psa 68:14. the words of an ancient song of victory; but v. 13 b is unsuitable to introduce them. The language of address in Psa 68:14 is the poet’s own, and he here describes the condition of the people who are victorious by the help of their God, and who again dwell peaceably in the land after the war. passes out of the hypothetical signification into the temporal, as e.g., in Job 14:14 (vid., on Psa 59:16). The lying down among the sheep-folds ( = , cf. , , the staked-in folds or pens consisting of hurdles standing two by two over against one another) is an emblem of thriving peace, which (like Psa 68:8, Psa 68:28) points back to Deborah’s song, Jdg 5:16, cf. Gen 49:14. Just such a time is now also before Israel, a time of peaceful prosperity enhanced by rich spoils. Everything shall glitter and gleam with silver and gold. Israel is God’s turtle-dove, Psa 74:19, cf. Psa 56:1, Hos 7:11; Hos 11:11. Hence the new circumstances of ease and comfort are likened to the varied hues of a dove disporting itself in the sun. Its wings are as though overlaid with silver ( , not 3. praet, but part. fem. Niph. as predicate to , cf. 1Sa 4:15; Mic 4:11; Mic 1:9; Ew. 317 a), therefore like silver wings (cf. Ovid, Metam. ii. 537: Niveis argentea pennis Ales); and its pinions with gold-green,
(Note: Ewald remarks, “Arabian poets also call the dove Arab. ‘l – wrq’a , the greenish yellow, golden gleaming one, vid., Kosegarten, Chrestom. p. 156, 5.” But this Arabic poetical word for the dove signifies rather the ash-green, whity blackish one. Nevertheless the signification greenish for the Hebrew is established. Bartenoro, on Negaim xi. 4, calls the colour of the wings of the peacock ; and I am here reminded of what Wetzstein once told me, that, according to an Arab proverb, the surface of good coffee ought to be “like the neck of the dove,” i.e., so oily that it gleams like the eye of a peacock. A way for the transition from green to grey in aurak as the name of a colour is already, however, opened up in post-biblical Hebrew, when to frighten any one is expressed by , Genesis Rabba, 47 a. The intermediate notions that of fawn colour, i.e., yellowish grey. In the Talmud the plumage of the full-grown dove is called and , Chullin, 22 b.)
and that, as the reduplicated form implies, with the iridescent or glistening hue of the finest gold ( , not dull, but shining gold).
Side by side with this bold simile there appears in v. 15 an equally bold but contrastive figure, which, turning a step or two backward, likewise vividly illustrates the results of their God-given victory. The suffix of refers to the land of Israel, as in Isa 8:21; Isa 65:9. , according to the usage of the language so far as it is now preserved to us, is not a common noun: deep darkness (Targum = ), it is the name of a mountain in Ephraim, the trees of which Abimelech transported in order to set fire to the tower of Shechem (Jdg 9:48.). The Talmudic literature was acquainted with a river taking its rise there, and also somewhat frequently mentions a locality bearing a similar name to that of the mountain. The mention of this mountain may in a general way be rendered intelligible by the consideration that, like Shiloh (Gen 49:10), it is situated about in the centre of the Holy Land.
(Note: In Tosifta Para, ch. viii., a river of the name of is mentioned, the waters of which might not be used in preparing the water of expiation ( ), because they were dried up at the time of the war, and thereby hastened the defeat of Israel (viz., the overthrow of Barcochba). Grtz “Geschichte der Juden, iv. 157, 459f.) sees in it the Nahar Arsuf, which flows down the mountains of Ephraim past Bethar into the Mediterranean. The village of Zalmon occurs in the Mishna, Jebamoth xvi. 6, and frequently. The Jerusalem Gemara ( Maaseroth i. 1) gives pre-eminence to the carob-trees of Zalmona side by side with those of Shitta and Gadara.)
signifies to bring forth snow, or even, like Arab. atlj , to become snow-white; this Hiph. is not a word descriptive of colour, like . Since the protasis is , and not , is intended to be impersonal (cf. Psa 50:3; Amo 4:7, Mich. Psa 3:6); and the voluntative form is explained from its use in apodoses of hypothetical protases (Ges. 128, 2). It indicates the issue to which, on the supposition of the other, it must and shall come. The words are therefore to be rendered: then it snows on Zalmon; and the snowing is either an emblem of the glistening spoil that falls into their hands in such abundance, or it is a figure of the becoming white, whether from bleached bones (cf. Virgil, Aen. v. 865: albi ossibus scopuli ; xii. 36: campi ossibus albent ; Ovid, Fasti i. 558: humanis ossibus albet humus ) or even from the naked corpses (2Sa 1:19, ). Whether we consider the point of comparison to lie in the spoil being abundant as the flakes of snow, and like to the dazzling snow in brilliancy, or in the white pallid corpses, at any rate is not equivalent to , but what follows “when the Almighty scatters kings therein” is illustrated by Zalmon itself. In the one case Zalmon is represented as the battle-ground (cf. Psa 110:6), in the other (which better corresponds to the nature of a wooded mountain) as a place of concealment. The protasis favours the latter; for signifies to spread wide apart, to cause a compact whole – and the host of “the kings” is conceived of as such – to fly far asunder into many parts (Zec 2:10, cf. the Niph. in Eze 17:21). The hostile host disperses in all directions, and Zalmon glitters, as it were with snow, from the spoil that is dropped by those who flee. Homer also ( Iliad, xix. 357-361) likens the mass of assembled helmets, shields, armour, and lances to the spectacle of a dense fall of snow. In this passage of the Psalm before us still more than in Homer it is the spectacle of the fallen and far seen glistening snow that also is brought into the comparison, and not merely that which is falling and that which covers everything (vid., Iliad, xii. 277ff.). The figure is the pendant of the figure of the dove.
(Note: Wetzstein gives a different explanation ( Reise in den beiden Trachonen und um das Haura=ngebirge in the Zeitscheift fr allgem. Erdkunde, 1859, S. 198). “ Then fell snow on Zalmon, i.e., the mountain clothed itself in a bright garment of light in celebration of this joyous event. Any one who has been in Palestine knows how very refreshing is the spectacle of the distant mountain-top capped with snow. The beauty of this poetical figure is enhanced by the fact that Zalmon (Arab. dlman ), according to its etymology, signifies a mountain range dark and dusky, either from shade, forest, or black rock. The last would well suit the mountains of Haurn, among which Ptolemaeus (p. 365 and 370, Ed. Wilberg) mentions a mountain (according to one of the various readings) .”)
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
11. The Lord shall give the word, etc. David now adverts to the victories by which God had signally displayed his power in behalf of his people. He had himself been the instrument of restoring peace to the country, by putting down its foes, and he had extended the boundaries of the kingdom; but he ascribes the praise of all that had been done in stratagems and counsels of war to God. In representing God as issuing orders for the song of triumph, he intimates, figuratively, that it is he who determines the successful issue of battles. Notice is taken of the women who announce the army, for it was the custom anciently for women to sing the song of triumph, as Miriam, the sister of Moses, with her companions, sounded the praises of God upon the timbrel, and the women celebrated David’s victory upon the harp, when he slew Goliath, and routed the Philistines, (Exo 15:20; Jud 11:34; 1Sa 18:6.) In making this reference to a song of praise, the Psalmist, as I have already said, intended to impress the truth upon the people, that the victories gained were entirely owing to God; though, at the same time, he tacitly reminds them of its being their duty to proclaim his benefits with due gratitude.
From the verse which succeeds, we are taught that the mightiest preparations which the enemies of the Church may make for its destruction shall be overthrown. We may consider the words as spoken in the person of the Psalmist himself, or as forming the song of the women mentioned above. It was a circumstance illustrative of the Divine favor, that the most formidable kings, before whom the Jews could never have stood in their own strength, had been put to flight. That princes, who could easily have overrun the world with their forces, should have not only departed without obtaining their purpose, but been forced to fly to a distance, could be accounted for on no other supposition than God’s having stood forward signally as their defender. In the Hebrew the verb is repeated, they shall flee, they shall flee, signifying that the attacks of the enemy had been repelled by Divine assistance once and again. The greatness of the spoil taken is intimated by the circumstance stated, that a share of it would come even to the women who remained at home. While the soldiers would return from battle clothed with the spoils, such would be the quantity of booty taken, that the females, who took no part in war, would partake of it.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) The Lord gave . . .Literally, The Lord gives a word. Of the women who bring the news, the host is great. The Hebrew for a word is poetical, and used especially of a Divine utterance (Psa. 19:4; Psa. 77:8; Hab. 3:9). Here it might mean either the signal for the conflict, or the announcement of victory. But the custom of granting to bands of maidens the privilege of celebrating a triumph (Exo. 15:20-21; Judges 5, Jdg. 11:34; 1Sa. 18:6; 2Sa. 1:20), here evidently alluded to, makes in favour of the latter.
By the great company, or host, we are apparently to think, not of one large body of women celebrating some one particular victory, but successive and frequent tidings of victory following rapidly on one another
Thick as tale
Came post with post.
Macbeth.
The LXX. and Vulg. renderings have been the source of the erroneous view which makes this verse prophetic of a numerous and successful Christian ministry: The Lord shall give the word to them that evangelise with great might.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(11-14) These verses refer to the conquest of Canaan, the long history of which is, however, here crowded into one supreme and crowning moment: a word from God, and all was done.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. The Lord gave the word The scene abruptly changes. The suffering Church in the wilderness is no longer under reproach and privation, but now rises to nationality, power, and honour. What follows must not be taken as a description of any one battle, or any series of battles, but of the changed fortunes and growth of the nation from nomadic to national life from the time they emerged from their wanderings in the desert down to the time of David and onward. It is a rapid generalization of national prosperity and development under the theocracy, with a prophetic anticipation of the universal kingdom of Jehovah. “Word,” here, is to be taken generically for the oracle of command and promise which gave impulse to the nation from time to time, and from whence all their victories arose.
Great was the company of those that published it The Hebrew participle, translated “those that published,” is in the feminine gender, and should be rendered, the women that published. Women were accustomed to celebrate victories in song. See Psa 68:25 and Exo 15:20-21; Jdg 5:1; Jdg 5:12; 1Sa 18:6; 2Sa 1:20. The original is simple, The female tiding-bearers, a great host; or, The women publishing [the victory are] a great host. The word host, here, is to be taken, not in its common signification of army, but its more rare sense of multitude, company. The dative sense of the participle, “The publishers [of victory] to the great army,” (Furst,) or “females announced the glad tidings to the mighty host,” (Gesenius,) cannot be accepted, because females never announced a victory to the army. The genetival sense, “of the women bearing tidings there is a great host,” is to be preferred. The Septuagint spiritualizes the clause and reads, “The Lord God will give a word to them that preach, in great power,” in which it is followed as usual by the Vulgate, Evangelizantibus virtute multa. Compare Isa 40:9; Isa 52:7 .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 68:11. The Lord gave the word Having celebrated the power and goodness of God, which fed them in the wilderness, he now proceeds to speak of the great deliverances that he wrought out for them from their enemies, with respect to whom the Lord gave the word. The Israelites engaged them by his order, (see Num 25:17; Num 21:34.) and under his conduct and blessing obtained the victory over them. The next clause should be rendered, Large was the number of the women who published the glad tidings; meaning those women who, with music, songs, &c. celebrated the victories of the Israelites over their enemies, according to the customs of those times, Exo 15:20. 1Sa 18:6. So also in this march, between the vocal and instrumental performers, were the damsels playing on the timbrels. The good tidings are those contained in the two next verses.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
If we read these triumphs in a spiritual sense, with reference to the preaching of the everlasting gospel, the subject will be infinitely heightened above that of the mere history. The Lord indeed gave the word to his servants, who in his name, and by his power, drove out all their enemies; and hence we find Joshua and others, going forth in the Lord’s name, to victory. But the word which Jehovah gave in this place eminently means his word of salvation by Jesus Christ. Hence, w hen prophets, apostles, and evangelists, went forth preaching the word, the Lord confirmed that word by signs following: great were the effects of it indeed; not only earthly potentates and kings fell under it, but all the power of the enemy. And what is it now, but the same? Devils (said the apostles) are subject through thy word, blessed Jesus; and so may the faithful still praise him. Luk 10:17 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 68:11 The Lord gave the word: great [was] the company of those that published [it].
Ver. 11. The Lord gave the word ] That is, the occasion. De victu dixit, nunc de victoria, saith Vatablus; how God provided his people of victuals the psalmist had told us, now of the victory; the good news whereof shall soon be in every one’s mouth, like the word in an army, with joyful acclamations and outcries, Deus obtulit occasionem laetandi, ovandi et triumphandi.
Great was the company (Heb. army) of those that published it] Such are the preachers of the gospel, Rom 10:15 , an office taken now from the angels, and given to the ministers; whence that angel turned over Cornelius to Peter for further information, Act 10:1-6 The Hebrew word for publishers or preachers here is feminine, not to countenance our praedicantissae (such as was that Jezebel Mrs Hutchinson of New England), but to show the weakness of the means (fishermen and the like) that God is pleased to use in this great work, for the greater manifestation of his power in the success, as some conceive, Ut imbecillitatem ministrorum Ecclesiae notet (Moller).
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 68:11-14
11The Lord gives the command;
The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:
12Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!
13When you lie down among the sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
14When the Almighty scattered the kings there,
It was snowing in Zalmon.
Psa 68:11-14 This strophe, like Psa 68:1-4; Psa 68:19-23, has a military theme. Because of Psa 68:11 b and 12b it may refer to (1) Joshua’s conquest of Canaan or (2) an invasion of Canaan/Israel that was defeated.
Psa 68:11-12 This refers to the news of the divinely-given victory. The quote of the women who bore the good news is recorded in Psa 68:12. Women rejoicing over a military victory and shouting about God’s acts is also recorded in the Song of Miriam in Exo 15:20-21.
NASB, NKJVshe who remains at home
NRSV, TEV,
NRSV, REBthe women at home
NJBthe fair ones at home
JPSOAhousewives
The MT has pastures (BDB 627 II) but all English translations change the root to women.
1. pastures
2. women
Psa 68:13 This verse is understood in several ways.
1. the dove (cf. Psa 68:13 -c) is a name for YHWH, as is Shaddai (i.e., Almighty) NJB
2. it is a sarcastic allusion to the fact that some did not go to war (i.e., 13a, TEV; cf. Jdg 5:15-16)
3. it is a way of referring to victorious Israel
4. it is part of the spoils of battle (i.e., captured carved/molded treasure, possibly related to the worship of Ishtar, Astarte)
5. a reference to the clothing of the women messengers of Psa 68:11 (Kidner, Tyndale Commentary, p. 259)
6. the war banners of the fleeing enemy (IVP Bible Background Commentary, p. 538)
7. the release of doves was part of the victory celebration (F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions, pp. 23-24)
sheepfolds This word (BDB 1046, KB 1637) is rare. This translation is based on Jdg 5:16. A similar word is found in Eze 40:43, translated hooks. It could mean cooking fire or cooking pot (BDB 1046).
Psa 68:14 the Almighty See Contextual Insights, B, 4).
NASB, NRSVthere
NKJVin it
The MT has a feminine preposition (BDB 88) which seems to link back to Psa 68:10 (i.e., the place where the community of YHWH’s inheritance dwells).
Zalmon This is a mountain near Shechem (cf. Jdg 9:48). BDB suggests it refers to a mountain east of the Jordan. This is because of the name Bashan in Psa 68:15.
The NJB translates it as Dark Mountain, because of an Akkadian root related to one of David’s men from the tribe Benjamin (cf. 2Sa 23:28).
The ABD (p. 1039) adds a third suggestion, that it comes from an Arabic root meaning light or splendor.
The reference to snowing is also problematic. It could refer to
1. a divine act during the battle, like the rain of Judges 4-5
2. figurative of sowing a defeated place with salt (cf. Jdg 9:45)
3. figurative of he bleached bones of the dead soldiers (IDB, vol. 4, p. 933)
4. a way to designate the historical date of the defeat of the invaders
5. the verb snow is a Hiphil jussive in form, therefore, let it snow on Zalmon (i.e., a predictive sign of the divine victory)
6. the enemy’s weapons lying on the ground abandoned as they fled (NASB Study Bible, p. 806)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
The LORD *. One of the 134 places where Jehovah was changed by the Sopherim to Adonai. See App-32; also verses: Psa 68:17, Psa 68:19, Psa 68:22, Psa 17:26, Psa 17:32.
company = host, or army.
those = the women. See note on Psa 68:25. This is the women’s part. Compare 1Sa 18:6, 1Sa 18:7. Compare Deborah.
published it. Always used of good news.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 68:11-14
Psa 68:11-14
THE THIRTY-TWO KINGDOMS OF CANAAN WERE DEFEATED
“The Lord giveth the word:
The women that publish the tidings are a great host.
Kings of armies flee, they flee;
And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.
When ye lie among the sheepfolds,
It is as the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And her pinions with yellow gold.
When the Almighty scattered kings therein,
It was as when it snoweth in Zalmon.”
“The last two verses here are unintelligible as they stand; we do know that Zalmon was a town near Shechem. The presence of many italicized words in the various versions show how the scholars have “emended” and added words to arrive at what they consider to be the meaning. This is perhaps the most difficult part of the psalm.
The comment which to us best explains this passage is that of McCaw.
“A great host of women shouted God’s praises as they accompanied the ark to Jerusalem (Psa 68:11). Their chants consisted of disjointed sentences; some cried one thing, some another, snatches of old war songs (Psa 68:2; Psa 68:13), fragments of unpreserved psalms (Psa 68:18), and festive folk songs (Psa 68:13). All of these are woven together so as to create a sense of pageantry enriched by memory, just as modern radio and TV documentaries are able to evoke a certain frame of mind by a series of impressions swiftly and successively faded in and out.
This is as good an explanation as we have encountered regarding the apparently jumbled nature of these remarkable verses.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 68:11. This verse states a fact that occurred in more than one instance. God could have inspired all men by his word at the same time had he so desired. Instead, he has always committed his law to certain men and then expected great numbers of others to repeat it among the people of the earth.
Psa 68:12. Persons of contrasting power are mentioned in order to show God’s working is not always according to logical rule. A king might not be able to escape being chased, while the female citizens at home would reap the benefit from his defeat.
Psa 68:13. Pots and dove wings are used figuratively to compare the conditions of God’s faithful servants while in their afflictions and after they have been rescued.
Psa 68:14. The antecedent of the first it is inheritance in Psa 68:9. White is not in the original and has no meaning as used here. Salmon was a hill near Shechem. Snow falling on the hill would be scattered about. That was used to compare the commotion of kings who had opposed God’s people.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Lord: Psa 40:3, Exo 14:15, Exo 17:9-16, Jdg 4:6-24, Eph 4:11
company: Heb. army, Psa 68:25, Exo 15:20, Jdg 5:1-31, Rev 19:13
Reciprocal: Psa 147:15 – his word Isa 52:7 – publisheth Jer 10:10 – at Mat 9:37 – but Mat 9:38 – that Mat 22:3 – sent Luk 10:2 – the Lord
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 68:11. The Lord gave the word The matter of the word, or discourse here following. He put this triumphal song into the mouths of his people; he gave them those successes and victories which are here celebrated. Or he gave the matter or thing which was published. Having celebrated the goodness of God, which fed them in, and led them through, the wilderness, conducted them into Canaan, watered and refreshed the land with plentiful showers, and rendered it fruitful, he now proceeds to speak of the great victories which God had given them over their enemies, and of the great deliverances he had wrought out for them. Great was the company of those that published it The deliverances wrought out by God for his people were so glorious and wonderful, that all sorts of persons, women as well as men, that heard of them, broke forth into songs of praise to God for them. Indeed the Hebrew word , hambasseroth, here rendered, that published it, is in the feminine gender, and therefore refers chiefly to the women, who with songs and music celebrated the victories of the Israelites over their enemies, according to the custom of those times, Exo 15:20; 1Sa 18:6. So also in this procession, besides the singers and players on other instruments, we have the damsels playing with timbrels. The clause here, literally translated, is, Large was the number of women who published the glad tidings; which glad tidings are those contained in the next two verses.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
68:11 The Lord gave the word: great [was] the company of {h} those that published [it].
(h) The fashion then was that women sang songs after the victory, as did Miriam, Deborah, Judith and others.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
This section of the psalm describes the extended conquest of the Promised Land that continued into the period of the judges. Many people testified to God’s great acts of deliverance during those years. God’s supernatural power was at work indisputably for Israel. God defeated many Canaanite kings, and He gave His people much spoil. Psa 68:13 may refer to those Israelites who, as peaceful doves, refused to go into war against the Canaanites but who still enjoyed the spoils God gave the whole nation (cf. Jdg 5:16). In Psa 68:14, the snowing on Mt. Zalmon (Black Mountain) may be a figurative description of God’s blessings, or David may have been referring to Abimelech’s victory on Mt. Zalmon near Shechem (Jdg 9:48). In that case, he may have viewed the corpses of the victims and their weapons lying like scattered snowflakes on the mountain. [Note: VanGemeren, p. 447.]