Psalm 60
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 60
Prayer in Difficult Times
For the choir director: according to “The Lily of Testimony.”[a] A Davidic Miktam for teaching. When he fought with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and struck Edom in the Valley of Salt, killing 12,000.(A)
1 God, You have rejected us;
You have broken out[b] against us;
You have been angry. Restore us
2 You have shaken the land and split it open.
Heal its fissures, for it shudders.(C)
3 You have made Your people suffer hardship;
You have given us wine to drink
that made us stagger.(D)
4 You have given a signal flag to those who fear You,
so that they can flee before the archers.[d](E)
5 Save with Your right hand, and answer me,
so that those You love may be rescued.(F)
6 God has spoken in His sanctuary:[e]
“I will triumph! I will divide up Shechem.(G)
I will apportion the Valley of Succoth.(H)
7 Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine,
and Ephraim is My helmet;(I)
Judah is My scepter.(J)
8 Moab is My washbasin.(K)
I throw My sandal on Edom;(L)
I shout in triumph over Philistia.”(M)
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?(N)
10 God, haven’t You rejected us?
God, You do not march out with our armies.(O)
11 Give us aid against the foe,
for human help is worthless.(P)
12 With God we will perform valiantly;(Q)
He will trample our foes.(R)
Footnotes
- Psalm 60:1 Possibly a tune; Pss 45; 69; 80
- Psalm 60:1 Lit have burst through
- Psalm 60:1 Or Turn back to us
- Psalm 60:4 Or can rally before the archers, or can rally because of the truth
- Psalm 60:6 Or has promised by His holy nature
Psalm 60
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Psalm 60[a]
Lament After Defeat in Battle
1 For the leader; according to “The Lily of.…” A miktam of David (for teaching), 2 when he fought against Aram-Naharaim and Aram-Zobah; and Joab, coming back, killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.(A)
I
3 O God, you rejected us, broke our defenses;
you were angry but now revive us.
4 You rocked the earth, split it open;(B)
repair the cracks for it totters.
5 You made your people go through hardship,
made us stagger from the wine you gave us.(C)
6 Raise up a banner for those who revere you,
a refuge for them out of bow shot.
Selah
7 [b]Help with your right hand and answer us
that your loved ones may escape.
II
8 [c]In the sanctuary God promised:
“I will exult, will apportion Shechem;
the valley of Succoth I will measure out.
9 Gilead is mine, mine is Manasseh;
Ephraim is the helmet for my head,
Judah, my own scepter.[d]
10 [e]Moab is my washbowl;
upon Edom I cast my sandal.(D)
I will triumph over Philistia.”
III
11 Who will bring me to the fortified city?[f]
Who will lead me into Edom?
12 Was it not you who rejected us, God?
Do you no longer march with our armies?(E)
13 Give us aid against the foe;
worthless is human help.
14 We will triumph with the help of God,
who will trample down our foes.
Footnotes
- Psalm 60 The community complains that God has let the enemy win the battle (Ps 60:3–5) and asks for an assurance of victory (Ps 60:6–7). In the oracle God affirms ownership of the land; the invasion of other nations is not permanent and will be reversed ultimately (Ps 60:8–10). With renewed confidence, the community resolves to fight again (Ps 60:11). The opening lament is picked up again (Ps 60:12), but this time with new awareness of God’s power and human limitation.
- 60:7–12 These verses occur again as the second half of Ps 108.
- 60:8 I will…apportion…measure out: God lays claim to these places. The valley of Succoth: probably the lower stretch of the Jabbok valley.
- 60:9 Judah, my own scepter: an allusion to the Testament of Jacob, Gn 49:10.
- 60:10 Moab is my washbowl: Moab borders the Dead Sea, hence a metaphor for the country. Upon Edom I cast my sandal: an ancient legal gesture of taking possession of land.
- 60:11 The fortified city: perhaps Bozrah, the fortified capital of Edom, cf. Is 34:6; 63:1; Am 1:12.
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