Psalm 76

1 God is known in Judea: his name is great in Israel.

2 And his place has been in peace, and his dwelling-place in Sion.

3 There he broke the power of the bows, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Pause.

4 Thou dost wonderfully shine forth from the everlasting mountains.

5 All the simple ones in heart were troubled; all the men of wealth have slept their sleep, and have found nothing in their hands.

6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, the riders on horses slumbered.

7 Thou art terrible; and who shall withstand thee, because of thine anger?

8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,

9 when God arose to judgment, to save all the meek in heart. Pause.

10 For the inward thought of man shall give thanks to thee: and the memorial of his inward thought shall keep a feast to thee.

11 Vow, and pay your vows to the Lord our God; all that are round about him shall bring gifts, even to him that is terrible,

12 and that takes away the spirits of princes; to him that is terrible among the kings of the earth.

Psalm 76 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm [or] Song of Asaph. The Targum is, "by the hand of Asaph:" concerning "neginoth," see the title of Psalm 4:1, this psalm is generally thought to be written on account of some great appearance of God for the Jews, or victory obtained by them over their enemies, either the Ammonites in the times of David; so the first part of the Syriac inscription is, "when Rabbah of the children of Ammon was destroyed;" see 2 Samuel 12:26 or in the time of Jehoshaphat, when they came up against him, and were in a wonderful manner defeated, which occasioned great joy and thankfulness, 2 Chronicles 20:1. The Septuagint version entitles the psalm "an ode against the Assyrian," in which it is followed by the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions: and it is the opinion of many that it was written on account of the defeat of Sennacherib, and his army, which came up against Jerusalem in the times of Hezekiah, and was destroyed by an angel in one night, and so slept their sleep, and a dead one, with which agree Psalm 76:5, so Arama and Theodoret; Jarchi gives this reason for such an interpretation, because we do not find that any enemy fell at or near Jerusalem but he, as is said Psalm 76:3, "there brake he the arrows of the bow," &c. nor was one arrow suffered to be thrown into the city, 2 Kings 19:32. Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it of the war of Gog and Magog, yet to come; and the latter part of the Syriac inscription is, "moreover it shows the vengeance of the judgment of Christ against the ungodly;" and indeed it seems to point out the latter day, when Christ shalt destroy the antichristian kings and states, and save his own people, and shall be feared and praised; as the former part of it may respect his incarnation, appearance, and dwelling in the land of Judea, and so the whole is of the same argument with the preceding psalm.