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Psalm 68:7–9

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68:7O God, when you lead your people into battle,14

when you march through the desert,15

(Selah)

68:8the earth shakes,

yes, the heavens pour down rain

before God, the God of Sinai,16

before God, the God of Israel.17

68:9O God, you cause abundant showers to fall18 on your chosen people.19

When they20 are tired, you sustain them,21

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Footnotes

  1. 14 Heb “when you go out before your people.” The Hebrew idiom “go out before” is used here in a militaristic sense of leading troops into battle (see Judg 4:14; 9:39; 2 Sam 5:24).
  2. 15 When you march through the desert. Some interpreters think that v. 7 alludes to Israel’s exodus from Egypt and its subsequent travels in the desert. Another option is that v. 7, like v. 8, echoes Judg 5:4, which describes how the God of Sinai marched across the desert regions to do battle with Sisera and his Canaanite army.
  3. 16 Heb “this one of Sinai.” The phrase is a divine title, perhaps indicating that the Lord rules from Sinai.
  4. 17 The language of vv. 7–8 is reminiscent of Judg 5:4–5, which tells how the God of Sinai came in the storm and annihilated the Canaanite forces led by Sisera. The presence of allusion does not mean, however, that this is a purely historical reference. The psalmist is describing God’s typical appearance as a warrior in terms of his prior self-revelation as ancient events are reactualized in the psalmist’s experience. (For a similar literary technique, see Hab 3.)
  5. 18 The verb נוּף (nuf, “cause rain to fall”) is a homonym of the more common נוּף (“brandish”).
  6. 19 Heb “[on] your inheritance.” This refers to Israel as God’s specially chosen people (see Pss 28:9; 33:12; 74:2; 78:62, 71; 79:1; 94:5, 14; 106:40). Some take “your inheritance” with what follows, but the vav (ו) prefixed to the following word (note וְנִלְאָה, vénil’ah) makes this syntactically unlikely.
  7. 20 Heb “it [is],” referring to God’s “inheritance.”
  8. 21 Heb “it,” referring to God’s “inheritance.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

O God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness, Selah

the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,

before God, the One of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;

you restored your inheritance as it languished;

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When you, God, went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness,

the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,

before God, the One of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

You gave abundant showers, O God;

you refreshed your weary inheritance.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the desert,

Selah

the earth trembled and the skies poured rain

before God, the God of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

You, God, showered abundant rain;

you revived your inheritance when it languished.

NLTNew Living Translation

O God, when you led your people out from Egypt,

when you marched through the dry wasteland,

Interlude

the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain

before you, the God of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

You sent abundant rain, O God,

to refresh the weary land.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

O God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the desert, Selah

the earth shook; the heavens also dripped rain

at the presence of God who was at Sinai,

at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

You caused abundant rain to fall, O God.

When your inheritance was weary you revived it.

KJV 1900King James Version

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,

When thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:

The earth shook, the heavens also dropped

At the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved

At the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,

Whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.