Psalms 68:21

21 Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

Psalms 68:21 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.
English Standard Version (ESV)
21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
New Living Translation (NLT)
21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.
The Message Bible (MSG)
21 What's more, he made heads roll, split the skulls of the enemy As he marched out of heaven,
American Standard Version (ASV)
21 But God will smite through the head of his enemies, The hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his guiltiness.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
21 Certainly, God will crush the heads of his enemies [and destroy even] the hair on the heads of those who continue to be guilty.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
21 Surely God crushes the heads of His enemies, the hairy head of one who goes on in his guilty acts.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
21 God will certainly smash the heads of his enemies. He will break the hairy heads of those who keep on sinning.

Psalms 68:21 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 68:21

But God shall wound the head of his enemies
Him who is the chief of his enemies, even Satan the prince of devils, the god of the world, the father of the wicked Jews, all enemies of Christ; to "wound" is the same as to bruise him, as in ( Genesis 3:15 ) ; and so the Targum here,

``but God shall break the head of his enemies;''

disappoint his schemes, blast his designs, crush his power and authority, demolish his empire, and eternally destroy him with the fire prepared for him and his angels; and the same may be applied to the man of sin, and all other enemies of Christ, who is the divine Person here, and all along, spoken of; see ( Psalms 110:6 ) ;

[and] the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his
trespasses;
by whom may be meant antichrist: Jarchi interprets it of Esau, who was an hairy man, and a figure of antichrist: and his hairy scalp may denote his fierceness and cruelty, appearing like a savage beast, drinking the blood of the saints; and like a thief and a robber, who used to let their hair grow long, shagged, and entangled, to strike terror into men they met with, ( Job 5:5 ) ; and also his pride and haughtiness; he exalting himself above all that is called God, and opening his mouth in blasphemy against him: and likewise it signifies his great power and authority, he having people, kingdoms, and nations, depending upon him, as hair on the head, and subject to him: and of him it may be truly said, that he "goes on still in his trespasses"; in tyranny, idolatry, superstition, and will worship; taking no notice of what God says by his witnesses, nor any warning by what the eastern empire suffered by the Turks and Saracens; so as to repent of the works of his hands, of worshipping idols of gold, silver, brass, and wood; nor of his murders, sorceries, fornications, and thefts; but still persisting in them, until his, and the sins of his followers, reach to heaven, ( Revelation 9:20 Revelation 9:21 ) ( 18:5 ) ; but the God-man, Christ Jesus, will give him a deadly wound, of which he shall never be healed: this also holds true of all that persist in a sinful course of life without repentance; who are workers of iniquity, whose lives are one continued series of sinning; these will be punished by Christ with everlasting destruction.

Psalms 68:21 In-Context

19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.
20 Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.
21 Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
22 The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
23 that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”

Cross References 1

  • 1. Psalms 74:14; Psalms 110:5; Habakkuk 3:13
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