Psalm 60
King James Version
60 O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.
2 Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.
3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.
4 Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
5 That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.
6 God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
8 Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.
9 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
10 Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?
11 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
12 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
Psalm 60
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 60[a]
Prayer To End Wars
1 For the director.[b] According to “The Lily of. . . .” A miktam of David (for teaching), 2 when he fought against Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah; and when Joab, coming back, slew twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
3 O God, you have turned away from us
and left us defenseless.
Although your anger was aroused,
now come to our aid.
4 You shook the earth[c] and split it apart;
repair its cracks, for it continues to shake.
5 You have inflicted hardships on your people;
you have given us wine that made us stagger.[d]
6 But for those who fear you,
you have raised up a banner
to unfurl against the bow.[e] Selah
7 [f]With your right hand come to our aid and answer us
so that those you love may be delivered.
8 [g]God has promised from his sanctuary,
“In triumph I will apportion Shechem
and measure out the Valley of Succoth.
9 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,[h]
Judah is my scepter.
10 Moab is my washbasin;[i]
upon Edom I will plant my sandal;
over Philistia I will shout in triumph.”
11 [j]Who will lead me into the fortified city?[k]
Who will guide me into Edom?
12 Is it not you, O God, who have rejected us
and no longer go forth with our armies?
13 Grant us your help against our enemies,
for any human assistance is worthless.
14 With God’s help we will be victorious,
for he will overwhelm our foes.
Footnotes
- Psalm 60:1 God responds to the supplication of the nation of Israel, which is suffering because it has neglected the covenant. The cry of a holy war sounds forth. God mobilizes Israel from one end to the other (vv. 8-9) to wreak judgment on enemy territory—one feels as if carried back to the time of the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan. After the Exile, this psalm could have been chanted during a penitential liturgy. Verses 7-14 are also found in Ps 108 as verses 7-14.
The military casualties and temporal disasters of ancient Israel typify the spiritual disasters that the Church, the new Israel, sometimes suffers. In union with Christ, her risen Head, the Church directs this supplication to the Father in critical moments of her history. - Psalm 60:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation. According to “The Lily of . . .”: its meaning is unknown. Miktam: see note on Ps 16:1. The superscription refers to events that are found in 2 Sam 8:1; 1 Chr 18. However, the accounts make no mention of Edom or of the fact that David’s forces met stiff resistance (vv. 3-5) and even a temporary defeat (v. 11f). The Valley of Salt is unknown (see 2 Sam 8:13).
- Psalm 60:4 Shook the earth: the defeat is likened to an earthquake, which is an apocalyptic characteristic (see Isa 24:20).
- Psalm 60:5 Wine that made us stagger: God has given them drink from the cup of the divine wrath (see Ps 75:9; Isa 51:17, 22; Jer 25:15) rather than the cup of the divine blessings (see Pss 16:5, including note; 23:5; 116:13).
- Psalm 60:6 Bow: symbol of the enemy, which relied on its bows.
- Psalm 60:7 These verses occur again as verses 7-14 of Ps 108.
- Psalm 60:8 The Lord gives his people an oracle of hope, reminding them of his promises that the earth is his and no enemy can stand against him. Shechem was west of the Jordan, and Succoth east of it; therefore, they indicated dominion over all of Palestine. Next are named four Israelite tribes; hence, there are three regions in all that must be reduced to subjection.
- Psalm 60:9 Helmet: a symbol of the strength exhibited by the tribe of Ephraim (see Deut 33:17; Jdg 7:24—8:3). Scepter: a symbol of the King-Messiah who had been promised from Judah (see Gen 49:10).
- Psalm 60:10 Moab is my washbasin: i.e., its people will do menial work for the Israelites (see Gen 18:4). Plant my sandal: an Eastern way of signifying possession.
- Psalm 60:11 The psalmist asks the Lord to lead him to victory even though the pain of defeat and God’s apparent rejection are still with him. For he knows that the Lord remains with his people and will ensure a joyous and victorious outcome (see Pss 44:6; 118:15f).
- Psalm 60:11 Fortified city: doubtless Bozrah in Idumea (see Isa 34:6; 63:1; Am 1:12). It was from this inaccessible refuge that the Edomites sent incursions into Judea.
Psalm 60
English Standard Version
He Will Tread Down Our Foes
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Shushan Eduth. A (B)Miktam[a] of David; (C)for instruction; when he (D)strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
60 O God, (E)you have rejected us, (F)broken our defenses;
you have been angry; (G)oh, restore us.
2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open;
(H)repair its breaches, for it totters.
3 (I)You have made your people see hard things;
(J)you have given us (K)wine to drink that made us stagger.
4 You have set up (L)a banner for those who fear you,
that they may flee to it (M)from the bow.[b] Selah
5 (N)That your (O)beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
6 God has spoken (P)in his holiness:[c]
“With exultation (Q)I will divide up (R)Shechem
and portion out the Vale of (S)Succoth.
7 (T)Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
(U)Ephraim is (V)my helmet;
Judah is my (W)scepter.
8 (X)Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I (Y)cast my shoe;
over (Z)Philistia I shout in triumph.”[d]
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
(AA)Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not (AB)rejected us, O God?
You (AC)do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11 Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for (AD)vain is the salvation of man!
12 With God we shall (AE)do valiantly;
it is he who will (AF)tread down our foes.
Footnotes
- Psalm 60:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
- Psalm 60:4 Or that it may be displayed because of truth
- Psalm 60:6 Or sanctuary
- Psalm 60:8 Revocalization (compare Psalm 108:10); Masoretic Text over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
