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Psalm 68:15-19
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 68:15-19
New Catholic Bible
15 When the Almighty[a] routed the kings there,
it was like snow fallen upon Zalmon.
16 [b]The mountains of Bashan are God’s mountains;
the mountains of Bashan are mighty peaks.
17 Why, O rugged mountains, do you gaze enviously
at the mountain[c] that God has chosen as his abode,
where the Lord himself will dwell forever?
18 The chariots of God[d] are myriad,
thousands upon thousands;
the Lord has come down from Sinai
and entered into the holy place.
19 You ascended on high,
leading captives in your train;
you accepted slaves as tribute,
so that even rebels might dwell with the Lord God.[e]
Footnotes
- Psalm 68:15 Almighty: the Hebrew is Shaddai, “the Mountain One.” The name by which God revealed himself to the patriarchs was El-Shaddai: “God Almighty” (see Gen 17:1), which stressed God’s power or his home in the mountains (see Ps 121:1). Zalmon: a mountain near Shechem (see Jdg 9:46-48) or a dark volcanic mountain in Bashan or Hauran east of the Sea of Galilee. It was known as the “dark one” in opposition to the “white one,” Lebanon.
- Psalm 68:16 This fifth part celebrates the taking of Jerusalem to which God ascends and from which he will rule the world.
- Psalm 68:17 The mountain: Mount Zion, a little mount, which God has made the highest mountain because he has placed his temple there and dwells in it.
- Psalm 68:18 Chariots of God: the heavenly hosts (see Hab 3:8, 15), later termed “legions” by Jesus (see Mt 26:53). It may also refer to the heavenly chariots seen by Elisha (see 2 Ki 6:17) rather than the chariots of Solomon (see 1 Ki 10:26).
- Psalm 68:19 When God went up to his place of enthronement on Mount Zion (see Ps 47:6f), he had captives in his train and received gifts like a victor in battle. The apostle Paul applies this verse in its Greek translation to the ministry of the ascended Christ (Eph 4:8: “When he ascended to the heights, / he took prisoners into captivity / and gave gifts to men”). It assures all who believe in Christ that by trusting him they can overcome evil.
