Grieving over Defeat in Battle, and Prayer for Help.

For the music director; according to [a]Shushan Eduth. A [b]Mikhtam of David, to teach; [c]when he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and killed twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.

60 God, (A)You have rejected us. You have [d](B)broken us;
You have been (C)angry; (D)restore us!
You have made the [e](E)land quake, You have split it open;
(F)Heal its cracks, for it sways.
You have [f](G)made Your people experience hardship;
You have given us [g]wine to (H)drink that makes us stagger.
You have given a (I)banner to those who fear You,
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah
(J)That Your (K)beloved may be rescued,
(L)Save us with Your right hand, and answer [h]us!

God has spoken in His [i](M)holiness:
“I will triumph, I will divide up (N)Shechem, and measure out the Valley of (O)Succoth.
(P)Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;
(Q)Ephraim also is the [j]helmet of My head;
Judah is My (R)scepter.
(S)Moab is My washbowl;
I will throw My sandal over (T)Edom;
Shout loud, (U)Philistia, because of Me!”

Who will bring me into the besieged city?
Who [k]will lead me to Edom?
10 Have You Yourself not (V)rejected us, God?
And (W)will You not go out with our armies, God?
11 Oh give us help against the enemy,
For (X)rescue [l]by man is worthless.
12 [m]Through God we will (Y)do valiantly,
And it is He who will (Z)trample down our enemies.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 60 Title Lit The lily of testimony
  2. Psalm 60 Title Possibly, Epigrammatic Poem or Atonement Psalm
  3. Psalm 60 Title 2 Sam 8:3, 13; 1 Chr 18:3, 12
  4. Psalm 60:1 Or broken out upon us
  5. Psalm 60:2 Or earth
  6. Psalm 60:3 Lit caused Your people to see
  7. Psalm 60:3 Lit wine of staggering
  8. Psalm 60:5 Some authorities me
  9. Psalm 60:6 Or sanctuary
  10. Psalm 60:7 Lit protection
  11. Psalm 60:9 Or has led
  12. Psalm 60:11 Lit of
  13. Psalm 60:12 Or In; or With

Psalm 60

For the worship leader. A prayer[a] of David after his victory over the Arameans, Joab’s return, and the striking down of 12,000 Edomites in the valley of Salt. A song for instruction to the tune “A Lily Reminds Us.[b]

This is a communal lament recalling David’s battles with Zobah and Naharaim from Aram (Syria) and Joab’s victory over the Edomites (2 Samuel 8).

God, You have turned away from us;
    You have shattered us into a million tiny pieces;
    You have boiled with anger.
    Now put us back together, and refresh us with Your mercy.
You have made the earth shake; You have cracked it open effortlessly.
    Heal the fissures in the earth, for it is unsteady.
You have caused Your people to suffer;
    You have provided us with wine that makes us stagger.

You have unfurled a banner for those who revere You,
    a signal to gather in safety out of the enemy’s reach.

[pause][c]

So that Your treasured ones may be saved,
    rescue us with Your right hand, and answer our pleas!

God’s voice has been heard in His holy sanctuary:
    “I will celebrate; I will allocate Shechem
    and the Succoth Valley to My people.
Gilead belongs to Me, and so does Manasseh;
    Ephraim is the helmet that protects My head;
    Judah is the scepter through which I rule;
Moab is the washpot in which I rinse My feet.
    I will throw My shoe over Edom in conquest;
    prepare for My victory, Philistia. Cry out because of Me!”

But who will take me into the fortified city?
    Who will lead me into Edom?
10 Have You not turned Your back on us, O God?
    Will You stay away and not accompany our armies, O God?
11 Help us against our enemy; we need Your help!
    It’s useless to trust in the hand of man for liberation.
12 Only through God can we be successful.
    It is God alone who will defeat our enemies and bring us victory!

Footnotes

  1. 60:title Hebrew, miktam, meaning is uncertain.
  2. 60:title Hebrew, shushan eduth, meaning is uncertain.
  3. 60:4 Literally, selah, likely a musical direction from a Hebrew root meaning “to lift up”