An awesome and wonderful prayer, David composed Psalm 68 regarding a future event, when Sennacherib would surround Jerusalem at the Passover, during the reign of Hezekiah. He also prophesies of the good things we will enjoy during the Messianic age. Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin explains that Psalm 68 teaches us to distinguish between what is real and what should be considered superficial nonsense. Jews are obliged to look beneath the surface and find the root causes of life’s dilemmas. This can be done by imitating G-d. G-d is holy (ethical) and therefore people must be ethical. Jewish behavior is determined by the ethical laws in the Torah.
- Text Psalm 68
- Hebrew text of Psalm 68 – תהילים סח
- Listen to Psalm 68
- Explanation of Psalm 68 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 68
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 68
For the conductor, a psalm, a song of David. May G-d arise; His enemies scatter and those who hate Him flee from Him. While the smoke is dispelled, You will drive [them] away; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will perish before G‑d. And the righteous shall rejoice, yea, they shall praise themselves before G‑d, and they shall rejoice for joy. “Sing to G‑d, sing praises to His name, praise Him who rides in Aravoth by His name Yah, and rejoice before Him. O Father of fatherless and Judge of widows, O G‑d in His holy dwelling place.”
….Rebuke the people of the forest, the congregation of mighty bulls among men as calves, and subject themselves to pieces of silver; he scatters people, they always want battles. Gifts will be brought out of Egypt; Cush will make his hands run to G-d. Kingdoms of the earth, sing to G-d, sing praises to G-d forever. To the One who rides on the most exalted heaven of the ancient heavens – behold, he gives his voice, a voice of power. Write strength to God; His majesty is over Israel and His power is in the air. You are feared, O G-d, from your sanctuary; the G-d of Israel – He gives strength and power to the people; blessed be G‑d.
Hebrew text of Psalm 68 – תהילים סח
A for the victorious David, a psalm, a song. In God’s universe, his enemies will be scattered and those who hate him will flee from his face. 3. As smoke evaporates, so will ashes evaporate from the face of fire, so will the wicked perish from the presence of God. 4 And the righteous will be glad, they will rejoice before God and they will rejoice. Sing to God, sing, let him ride in the deserts in his name, and make merry before him. And father of orphans and judge of widows of God in his holy dwelling. 7 God puts the Jews in His house, He brings out the prisoners in the kosher, and the Syrians dwell in arid places. 8 God, when you went out before your people, when you walked in Shimon Sela. 9 The earth made a noise from the heavens, falling from the face of God, this Chinese from the face of God, the God of Israel. y rain of alms, God will pour out your inheritance and you will be blessed. Oh, your life, dwell in it, prepare in your goodness for the poor of God. 12 My Lord will give the tidings a great host. 13 The kings of armies shall be divided, and the house shall divide the spoil. A hand that lies between the lips of a dove’s wings is covered with silver and its limbs are inlaid with green. 10 in the horses of kings, in which it will snow in Zalmon. 16 Mount God Mount Bashan Mount Gabnonim Mount Bashan 17 Why did the mountains move, the mountains, the mountain, the beloved of God, for his sabbath in the presence of Jehovah, he will dwell forever. 18. The God of Rabotaim rode a thousand times, O Lord, in the midst of Sinai in the sanctuary. 19 You went up to the mountain, returned to my captivity, and took gifts from Adam and the Syrians, may God dwell there. Blessed be the Lord, day by day, the God of our salvation will load us with a basket. 12 Hael is our God of salvation and Yahweh is the Lord of death. 22 So God will crush the head of his enemies as he walks in his iniquities. 23 The Lord said from a place of refuge. A pitcher for the sake of crushing your foot in the blood of the tongue of your dogs from his enemies. So see your ways, O God, ways to me, my king in holiness. So the singers advanced after the musicians amidst the dancing maidens. 27 In choirs blessed God, my Lord, from the source of Israel. While there young Benjamin was sleeping, the rulers of Judah, the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali. 9 The commandment of your God, your strength, the strength of God, this is what you have done for us. From your palaces to Jerusalem, kings will lead you. He did not bite a beast, bought a company of knights in the chariots of nations, languished in silver runners, and the nations wanted battles. The heart of the Hashemite people from Egypt will stretch out his hands to God. For the kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, sing, the Lords of Sela. Led to the rider in the name of my forefathers they will give a loud voice in his voice. Let God give strength to Israel, his pride and his strength in games. If God is afraid of the temples of Israel, he gives strength and strength to God’s blessing.
Listen to Psalm 68
Listen to Psalm 68 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 68 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
By looking at our past we (the Jews) find out what is real and what is superficial. That knowledge can be found in the words of the Psalms. King David leads the way in this. We ask that the reality of Hashem arise from our own hearts. Thus, the superficial nonsense can be blown away by the wisdom found in our faith. The misleading impressions melt away in the warmth of our love for G-d. G-d’s message seems to be a burden. However, we never have to feel burdened by our role; on the contrary, we can rejoice with genuine joy, a happiness that goes beyond any mundane feeling of ,pleasure., We also know that Hashem is always with us. He is the continued Fatherhood of a loving parent. The Jews are related to HaShem. We can free ourselves from the common foolishness that eats our souls by listening to G-d. Those who don’t listen are always looking for more but find nothing. And what gives us strength and majesty? The experience we all shared on Mount Sinai, when we all accepted the truth of HaShem. With this knowledge we can see through the facade of nothingness that surrounds us. Everything else is really nothing. The Psalm ends with what should be man’s real goals. And so we turn away from this simplistic world to see what is real.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 68
Per verse the commentary of Rashi, the Jewish Bible commentator who lived from 1040-1105. Rashi is considered the teacher of teachers. All traditional Jews regard Rashi as an authority on the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Hence it is important to record his commentary on the Psalms. Rashi uses new Hebrew supplemented with Old French words. His language is sometimes somewhat oracularly short. For further explanation it is wise to consult an orthodox Jewish rabbi.
Verse 2
May G-d arise; His enemies scatter and those who hate Him flee from Him.
May G-d arise; His enemies spread : Amalek and his ilk.
Verse 3
While the smoke is dispelled, You will drive [them] away; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will perish before G‑d.
As smoke is driven away : as it is driven away. As the smoke is driven away, You will drive [them] away.
from before G-d : Before the ark in the days of Moses. (And it came to pass, as the ark journeyed, that Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and thine enemies shall scatter.” Shem Ephraim) And when it rested, he would say, “Return, O Lord, etc.”
Verse 4
And the righteous shall rejoice, yea, they shall praise themselves in the sight of God, and they shall rejoice for joy.
and they will delight in joy : And this is the joy, and so they will say: ,Sing to G-d, etc.,
Verse 5
,Sing to G-d, sing praises to His name, praise Him who rides in Aravoth by His name Yah, and rejoice in Him.
praise : Heb. סולו, an expression of praise. In the same way (Job 28: 16): ,It cannot be praised (תסלה) with the ornaments of Ophir,; (Lamentations 4:2), ,worthy of their weight (המסלאים) in gold.,
with his name Yah : With the name י-ה, which is an expression of fear, as we translate it דחילא, fear (below 118:14): ,My might and my praise is the fear of the Lord (י-ה)., Likewise (Exodus 17:16): ,For a hand is upon the throne of the Lord (י-ה),” in the Targum: [And he said: “This is declared by an oath from below the fear of the Shechinah on the throne of His glory, etc.] Likewise ( Isaiah 26:4): “for in Yah the Lord,” is paraphrased by the Targum: for then you will be saved by the word of the fear of the Lord, the Mightiest in the world. “The psalmist says, “Praise Him, fear Him, and rejoice.” “This is similar to what is said elsewhere (above 2:11): “and rejoice with trembling.”
Verse 6
O Father of orphans and Judge of widows, O G‑d in His holy habitation.”
O Father of orphans : And this is the praise that You will praise Him: the whole matter to the end of the psalm.
Father of Orphans : Who became a father of Israel, who is orphans, as it is said (Lamentations 5:3), ,We were orphans without a father.,
and Judge of widows : Who executed the judgment of Jerusalem, of which it says (Lamentations 1:1), ,was as a widow.,
Verse 7
G-d settles the lonely in a house; He takes the prisoners away at the most opportune time, but the rebels live in a barren land.
settles the desolate in one house : Israel, who were scattered. He gathered everyone from the place where he was lost and established them into a complete household and a complete nation.
He takes away the captives at the most opportune time : He took Israel out of Egypt in the month best suited to travelers, neither hot nor cold.
but the rebels : The Egyptians.
dwell in a barren land : Their land remained barren and thirsty. I found [this].
Verse 8
O G-d, when You went out before Your people, when You marched through the desert forever.
when You marched :
forever : There You showed me that this is Your way forever: for every need, salvation.
Verse 9
The earth trembled, even the heavens dripped; this is Sinai, because of G‑d, the G‑d of Israel.
this is Sinai : It also trembled because of the Lord God of Israel.
Verse 10
You poured down abundant rain, O G-d; Your inheritance, which was weary, You established.
You poured down abundant rain : This also You did for us: when we needed rain, You lifted them up and showered upon us continually rain of generosity and blessing.
Your inheritance, which was weary, You established. : When the inheritance of Your land was weary and thirsted for rain, You established it [Your inheritance].
Your inheritance, who was weary : Who is called Your inheritance, and who is weary; that is, sometimes it is so.
Verse 11
Your congregation dwelt therein; You prepare for the poor with Your goodness, O G-d.
Your church dwelt therein : Heb. (חיתך). Your church dwelt therein, as (II Sam. 23:11): ,and the Philistines gathered their camp (sic) into a band (לחיה)., Another explanation: The congregation of Israel is known as the beast and the beast of the Holy One, blessed be He.
You prepare with Your goodness : When they left Egypt, You led them in the wilderness for forty years, because the Canaanites rose up and cut down the trees. In the meantime, while they were in the wilderness, they rose up and improved everything.
Verse 12
The Lord will utter a word; they will announce it to a great multitude.
The Lord will utter a word; they will announce it to a great multitude. : Heb. אמר, [like] מאמר, statement. He will yet roar with [his] voice to make the multitudes of the great nations hear it. What’s the word now? The kings of the armies of the nations will err, they will also err. They shall go astray and be cast out of the land of Israel, and the congregation of Israel, who is the inhabitant of the house, shall divide their spoil, as it is said (Isaiah 23:18): ,And her trade and her hire shall be holy are, etc.,
Verse 14
When you lie between the borders – the feathers of a dove covered with silver and its pinions with shining gold.
If you’re between the limits : This is all the word. He said to them, “If you had lain between your bounds and enjoyed pleasures, this My dove, My congregation, whose feathers are covered with silver.” Now, what is the silver and what is the gold?
(15) When the Almighty spreads out, etc.: When the Holy One, blessed be He, declared his Torah, with which the kings were ,snowed and whitened, in a land of the Shadow of Death and darkness, then his feathers were ( dove feathers) covered with the longing and longing for the Torah and [its] commandments.
the feathers of a dove : Plumes in French.
and its pinions : Its wings with which it flies.
with glittering gold : Heb. בירקרק חרוץ. Dunash, the son of Labrat, interpreted חרוּץ as gold. Therefore the psalmist placed it next to silver, and ירקרק חרוץ is the gold that was brought out of the land of Havilah and out of the land of Cush; very good gold, not yellow or red. Therefore it is called ירקרק, as (Leviticus 13:42): ,reddish white (לבן אדמדם),, which is neither white nor red. That is why it is doubled: אדמדם, ירקרק.
Verse 15
When the Almighty spreads out in it for kings, it will be as white as snow in darkness.
kings : These are the Torah scholars, as it is said (Proverbs 8:15): “Kings rule with me.”
When … spreads out: : Heb. בפרש, an expression of (Deuteronomy 22:17): ,and they shall spread the garment,; they clarify the matter like a new garment.
Verse 16
The mountain of G-d is the mountain of Bashan; the mountain of peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
The mountain of G-d is the mountain of Bashan : And where did He spread it? On Mount Sinai, which is the mountain of G-d and is located near Bashan on the eastern side of the Jordan.
the mountain of peaks : The special mountain among mountains.
peaks : Heb. גבננים, an expression of mountains, because of their height, as (Ezekiel 16:24): ,and you built yourself a platform (גב)., Every high thing is called גַב.
Verse 17
Why do you, you lofty mountains, lie in wait before the mountain that G-d desired for His habitation? Even the Lord will dwell [there] forever.
Why do you lurk, you lofty mountains : All of this refers back to “The Lord will utter a word.” He further says to them: “Why do you lie in wait (תרצדון), you exalted mountains? That’s the Temple Mount. Even He will dwell there forever. Holiness is an everlasting holiness. After it was chosen for His dwelling place, the Shechinah did not rest elsewhere. I saw in the work of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan that “Arabic” is an ambush. But Menachem (p.166) explained תרצדוּן as תרקדוּן, you stick out. That expression also fits the context.
Verse 18
G-d’s chariot is twice ten thousand times thousands of angels. The Lord was one of them on Sinai in His holiness.
G-d’s chariot, etc.: This also refers back to ,The Lord will give a word, to mention the love of His people. Even when G-d’s chariot of ,twice ten thousand times thousands, of brilliant ,sharpened, angels appeared, and the Lord was among them on Sinai with His holiness, there also, you, the leader of His people, Moses the son of Amram , rose up and took prisoners.
Verse 19
You ascended high, you took captives; you took gifts to be among men, and also rebelling before Yah God to dwell.
and also rebelling before Yah God to dwell : You also caused the Holy One, blessed be He, to rest in the Tabernacle of the Torah, and you took gifts from the heavenly bodies to give them to the sons of men, also under a people who rebelled and rebelled against Him and provoked Him.
Verse 20
Blessed is the Lord; every day G‑d afflicts us for our salvation forever.
Blessed is the Lord, etc. : This goes with the above song: “Sing to G-d.”
lavish on us : He will give us a great salvation, [greater] than any burden, as much as we can bear.
every day … torments us : He always behaves in this way for us, that for every need there is a salvation.
Verse 21
G‑d is for us the G‑d of salvation, but G‑d the Lord has the ways of death.
G‑d is for us the G‑d of salvation : G‑d is our Savior, but He has many ways, i.e. types of death. תוצאות means, ways unto death. However, He does not lay them on us, but with them He wounds the heads of His enemies.
Verse 22
Indeed God will wound the head of His enemies, the hairy pate of him who goes along with his guilt.
the hairy pate : The pate of Esau, who is a ‘hairy man’, and who always goes along with his guilt.
Verse 23
The Lord said, ,I will recover from Bashan, I will recover from the depths of the sea.
The Lord said, ,I will recover from Bashan, : For thus He promised to restore us from the mighty of Bashan and from the isles of the sea.
Verse 24
That your foot may wade through blood: the tongue of your dogs shall have its portion of the enemies.,
That your foot may wade through blood : When He crushes the enemy’s head, our feet will wade through their blood. תִּמְחַץ is an expression of splitting in the blood, as (Judges 5:26): “it tore (ומחצה) and entered into his temple,” just as בָּקְעָה she split. This is Mishnah Hebrew: ,and the pilgrims waded (בוקעים) up to their knees in blood., Another explanation: תִּמְחַץ The name of a vessel with which they draw wine from the well is called מַחַץ, in Tractate Avodah Zarah (72b) .
of the enemies : Of the blood of the enemies.
shall have his portion : Heb. מנהו, the sustenance will be, as we say (Suc. 39b): “How do we know that מן is an expression of food? , For it is written (Daniel 1:10): ,who has appointed (מנה) your food? , etc.
Verse 25
They saw Your ways, O G-d, the ways of my G-d, my King in holiness.
They saw Your ways, O G-d : That is, it is fitting that You save these people, for when they saw Your ways in Your holiness in the sea, singers first sang to You the Song of the Sea, and after them came the minstrels, these are the angels.
Verse 26
Singers went first to the minstrels, among girls playing the tambourine.
in the midst of maidens playing the tambourine : With Miriam and her maidens, who took the tambourine in her hand, and they said with their praise…
Verse 27
In congregations G‑d bless the Lord, from the bosom of Israel.
In congregations God bless the Lord, from the bosom of Israel. : Even the fetuses in their mothers’ wombs recited the song.
Verse 28
There Benjamin the youngest rules over them; the princes of Judah pounded them with stones, as the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali did.
There Benjamin : the youngest became ruler over them.
rules over them : Heb. רֹדֵם, as, with a ,kamatz., From there he deserved to become king because he first went down into the sea, and so Samuel said to Saul (I Sam. 15:17), “Even if you are small in your own eyes, you are not the head of the tribes of Israel?,, which Jonathan paraphrases: the tribe of Benjamin crossed the sea at the head of all the other tribes.
and the princes of Judah pounded them with stones : and they envied them, and cast stones at them, and so did the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali. So, he said to him, “Your G-d has given you strength.” Another explanation: רִגְמָתָם is the equivalent of רִקְמָתָם, their embroidery, their embroidered clothing, an expression of purple (ארגמן). This is how Menachem associated it (page 161).
29 show this power, O G‑d, etc : Now the psalmist returns to his prayer, which he prayed: “Let G‑d arise and scatter His enemies.” Show Your power, O G‑d, and strengthen Yourself, for You have done all this for us.
Verse 30
From Your temple, which is over Jerusalem, kings will honor You.
Of Your temple, which is over Jerusalem : And when kings shall see the glory of Your temple, which is over Jerusalem, they will offer You a gift and a tribute.
Verse 31
Rebuke the people of the forest, the congregation of mighty bulls among men as calves, and subject themselves to pieces of silver; he scatters people, they always want battles.
Rebuke the people of the forest : This is Ishmael [Esau], who is compared to the ,swine of the forest, who dwells among the reeds (below 80:14).
the gathering of mighty bulls among men as calves : A people who have become fat and fat as mighty bulls among the other nations, who are but as calves in comparison with them.
and submits to pieces of silver : They do not submit to anyone unless he convinces them with money.
he scatters people : They scattered the tribes, as it is said, “He also loves the peoples,” and they always want battles. They want to fight us.
Verse 32
Gifts will be brought out of Egypt; Cush will make his hands run to G-d.
Gifts will be brought : (Then when You destroy Esau and the King Messiah arises, they will bring you gifts from Egypt and from Cush. Parathaphatha) Then when You scatter the enemy and the King Messiah arises in the future, they will bring you gifts from Egypt and from Cush. Menachem interpreted חשמנים as the name of a province, the inhabitants of Hasmmaña (p.96), but the commentators interpret it as an expression of a gift.
Verse 33
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to G-d, sing praises to G-d forever.
sing to G-d : Who showed his greatness and redeemed his people.
Verse 34
To the One who rides on the most exalted heaven of the ancient heavens – behold, He gives His voice, a voice of power.
behold, He gives : Heb. יתן, behold, he gives.
Verse 36
You are feared, O God, from your sanctuary; the G-d of Israel – He gives strength and power to the people; blessed be G‑d.
You are feared, O G‑d, from your sanctuary : Because You have destroyed it, You are feared. If He showed no favoritism to His [own] Sanctuary, then He [will] certainly show no favor to the wicked of the heathen. The Midrash Aggadah explains: Read not: מִמִּקְדָּשֶׁי, “of Your Sanctuaries,” but Morgen, “of Your Holy One.” When the Holy One, blessed be He, executes justice on the righteous, He is feared, exalted, and praised. In the same way it is said (Leviticus 10:3), ,By my neighbors I will be sanctified., [Also] (Exodus 29:43), ,and it shall be sanctified with My glory, [i.e. with My honored ones]. With the death of Aaron’s two sons (Zev. 115b). However, our Rabbis have expounded the entire psalm down to (verse 20): ,Blessed is the Lord; every day, as a reference to the giving of the Torah; (verse 10) “generous rain” refers to the giving of the Torah, and (verse 11) “Your congregation dwelt therein,” meaning that they were absorbed in the Torah (Psalm 68 with variations). But as for me, I feel uncertain in interpreting the expression ישבוּ in the sense that they were engrossed in the Torah. Also, my heart is uneasy in explaining (verse 17) ,the mountain which G-d desired for His dwelling place” as referring to Mount Sinai, because He did not desire His dwelling place and [did not] dwell there forever, while here it is written: “Even the Lord will dwell there forever.” Likewise (verse 13), “Kings (מלכי) of hosts,” he explained as “angels (מלאכי) of hosts,” which is not the language of Scripture.
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
In non-Jewish societies, short-term solutions to ethical problems in life are usually looked at. People look at what comes to the surface and only then take action. People look for quick solutions without looking at the root problems. Ethical issues that are too difficult are preferred to be left alone. Everyone worries about their own little world and leaves the rest to others. Jews, on the other hand, are obliged to look beneath the surface and find the root causes of life’s dilemmas. With this sensitivity, Jews can approach difficulties and try to solve them. The Torah Jew is not a short-sighted inhabitant of this mortal world; he is someone who wants to bring light and create a Kiddush HaShem.
Judaism is about facts and no difference is made between halacha and ethics. Regarding the first, Judaism is about real practical matters so that it can be determined whether an action is ethical. As for the second, halacha determines the Jewish code of conduct. When faced with the massive ethical dilemmas of the 21st century, there is only one place to turn for the answers: Jewish halacha. Jewish law is applied to every case and the answers reached must represent an ethical paradigm. So Jewish medical ethics is about the implementation of Jewish law on medical problems. When it comes to food, kashrut is applied. And in case of financial damage, the Jewish liability law.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.