Salmos 68

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Psalm 68 is a processional hymn celebrating God's march from Sinai to Zion. It opens with the words spoken whenever the ark set out, "God arises, His enemies are scattered," and follows him as he rides on the clouds, defends widows and orphans, settles the lonely in families, marches through the wilderness with rain and earthquake, scatters kings like snow on Zalmon, chooses Zion over the many-peaked mountains of Bashan, and ascends on high leading captives and receiving gifts. The procession itself appears in verses 24 to 27, singers first, then musicians, then girls with tambourines, with the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, Zebulun, and Naphtali. The psalm ends by calling the kingdoms of the earth to sing to the God who rides the ancient heavens and gives strength to his people.

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Psalm 68 is a parade, and it is best read as one, with the noise turned up. It begins with the words Moses shouted every time the ark of the covenant was lifted to move through the wilderness, God arises and his enemies scatter, and then it follows God on the march. He rides on the clouds, a title Israel's neighbors gave to their storm god and this psalm takes for the LORD. Before he does anything else he is named as the father of orphans and the defender of widows, the God who puts lonely people into families and walks prisoners out into the open. Then the psalm remembers the road: the earth shaking at Sinai, rain pouring on the desert, the flock settling into the land, kings fleeing so fast that the women at home divide the loot, snow on a black mountain. Bashan, with its many peaks, looks on jealously as God chooses a small hill called Zion for his home, and arrives there with ten thousand chariots, leading captives and receiving tribute, a verse Paul would later turn around to describe Christ ascending and giving gifts. In the middle of the triumph is a line for ordinary days: blessed be the Lord, who carries our burden every day. Then the procession itself comes into view, singers in front, musicians behind, girls with tambourines between, Benjamin and Judah and Zebulun and Naphtali in their places, all heading into the sanctuary. The psalm ends by inviting Egypt and Cush and every kingdom on earth to join the singing, because the God of Israel, awesome in his sanctuary, gives strength to his people.

Key passages

Numbers 10:35-36 Ephesians 4:7-10

Historical and literary context

The psalm is attributed to David and probably accompanied a festival procession bringing the ark into Jerusalem or commemorating that event, described in 2 Samuel 6. Its opening line is the formula of Numbers 10:35, and its language of Sinai, rain, and the march through the wasteland recalls the exodus and the Song of Deborah in Judges 5. "Rider on the clouds" was a title of the Canaanite storm god Baal, claimed here for the LORD. Bashan, east of the Sea of Galilee, was famous for its mountains and bulls; Zalmon was a hill near Shechem. The psalm is among the hardest in the Psalter to translate, with several words found nowhere else, and scholars disagree about its unity. Paul quotes verse 18, with a changed verb, in Ephesians 4.

How the chapter unfolds

Verses 1 to 3 are the opening formula and the contrast between the wicked and the righteous. Verses 4 to 6 praise the rider on the clouds as father of the fatherless and defender of widows. Verses 7 to 10 recall the march through the wilderness and the rain on Sinai and on the land. Verses 11 to 14 celebrate the scattering of kings and the plunder shared at home. Verses 15 to 18 contrast Bashan with Zion and describe God's ascent with captives and gifts. Verses 19 to 23 bless the God who bears burdens daily and promise the crushing of enemies. Verses 24 to 27 describe the procession. Verses 28 to 31 pray for God's strength and foresee tribute from Egypt and Cush. Verses 32 to 35 call the kingdoms of the earth to praise.

Why this chapter matters

Verse 5, "A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation," and verse 6, "God settles the lonely in families," are among the most quoted verses about God's care for the vulnerable, and verse 19, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden," is a favorite line of daily devotion. Verse 18, "You have ascended on high; You have led captives away," became through Ephesians 4 a text for Christ's ascension and is read on Ascension Day. The opening line was the battle cry of the Huguenots and Cromwell's armies. The psalm's picture of God marching before his people through the wilderness has shaped Christian hymns of pilgrimage.

Interpretive tension to watch

Paul quotes verse 18 as "gave gifts to men" where the Hebrew says "received gifts from men," following an interpretive tradition also found in the Aramaic Targum, and the difference has occupied commentators since the Reformation. The psalm's violence, feet dipped in the blood of enemies and dogs' tongues sharing it, sits beside its tenderness toward orphans and widows, and readers must decide how a God who is both belongs in one hymn. Several verses are so obscure that translations diverge widely, especially 13 and 14 with the silver dove and the snow on Zalmon. Whether the psalm is one composition or a collection of older fragments remains open.

Questions for this chapter

  • The God who scatters kings is in the same breath a father of orphans and a defender of widows. What does it mean that his power is aimed there first?
  • "God settles the lonely in families." Where have you seen that happen, and what part does a congregation play in it?
  • The psalm describes a procession of singers, musicians, and dancing girls. What would it look like for your community to celebrate God's victories that publicly?

Study with context

Use this as a chapter guide, then press deeper into the text itself. The goal is to slow down observation, notice structure, and ask better questions before jumping to conclusions.

Add to Notes
1 Para el director del coro. Un salmo de David. Un cántico. Levántate, Dios, y dispersa a tus enemigos. ¡Que todos los que odian a Dios, huyan de su presencia! 2 Sóplalos y disípalos como si fueran solo humo; derrítelos como la cera en el fuego. Que los malvados mueran ante la presencia de Dios. 3 Pero los justos están felices, y celebran en la presencia de Dios, llenos de alegría. 4 ¡Canten alabanzas a Dios! ¡Canten alabanzas a su maravilloso nombre! ¡Alaben al que cabalga entre las nubes. ¡Su nombre es El Señor ¡Alégrense en su presencia! 5 Él es el padre de los huérfanos y protector de las viudas. Este es Dios, el que vive en su lugar santo. 6 Dios provee una familia para los abandonados. Libera a los prisioneros y los hace celebrar con gozo. Pero los rebeldes terminan viviendo en un terreno baldío y solitario. 7 Dios, cuando sacaste a tu pueblo, cuando marchaste por el desierto, Selah, 8 la tierra tembló y los cielos se sacudieron ante tu presencia en el Sinaí. Ante Dios, el Dios de Israel. 9 Tú enviaste abundante lluvia para regar la tierra prometida, refrescándola cuando estuvo seca. 10 Tu pueblo se estableció allí y por tu bondad, oh Dios, cuidaste de los pobres. Selah. 11 El Señor con su palabra ordena un gran ejército de mujeres que predican las buenas noticias. 12 Los reyes de los ejércitos enemigos huyen, y las mujeres que se quedaron se repartieron el botín. 13 ¿Por qué se quedan ustedes en casa? Hay decoraciones en forma de palomas con alas de plata y plumas de oro que deben tomarse. 14 El Todopoderoso dispersó a los reyes extranjeros como una tormenta de nieve sobre el Monte Salmón. 15 “El Monte de Dios”, El Monte Basán, con sus muchas cumbres, Monte Basán, 16 ¿por qué miras con celo al Monte de Dios, donde el Señor vivirá para siempre? 17 Los carruajes de Dios son incontables. Hay miles de miles de ellos. Él viene entre ellos hasta El Monte Sinai, hasta su Templo. 18 Al subir tu trono en las alturas, te llevaste una procesión de cautivos. Recibiste regalos de los pueblos, incluso de los que se rebelaron contra la casa del Señor Dios. 19 Sea el Señor bendito, porque cada día soporta nuestras cargas. Dios es nuestra salvación. Selah. 20 Para nosotros, Dios es un Dios que salva. El Señor Dios nos provee un escape de la muerte. 21 Pero Dios aplastará las cabezas de sus enemigos, esas cabezas con abundante cabello de quienes seguirán pecando. 22 El Señor dice: “Yo los traeré de Basán. Los arrastraré desde las profundidades el mar, 23 y ustedes, pueblo mío, caminarán en su sangre. Incluso los perros tendrán una porción de los enemigos de mi pueblo”. 24 La gente puede ver tu procesión, oh Dios, la procesión de mi Dios y mi Rey que se dirige al Templo. 25 Los cantantes van al frente, los músicos van detrás, y en el medio las jóvenes con panderetas. 26 Alaben a Dios, todos los que han venido a adorar. Alaben al Señor todos los hijos del pueblo de Israel. 27 Allí se ve la pequeña tribu de Benjamín, seguida de los muchos líderes de Judá; luego los líderes de Zabulón y Neftalí. 28 Muestra tu poder, oh Dios. Revela tu fuerza, Señor, como lo has hecho con nosotros en el pasado. 29 Los reyes te rinden tributo por tu Templo en Jerusalén. 30 ¡Condena a las bestias de los montes, a los bueyes y terneros! Sean humillados y traigan barras de plata como tributo a ti! ¡Dispersa, Señor, a las naciones sanguinarias! 31 ¡Que venga Egipto con regalos de bronce; que se apresure Etiopía en traer sus tributos a Dios! 32 Canten a Dios, reinos de la tierra, canten alabanzas al Señor. Selah. 33 ¡Canten al que cabalga por los cielos, su fuerte voz suena como el trueno! 34 Que todos conozcan el poder de Dios: su majestad se extiende por todo Israel, y su fuerza se revela en los cielos. 35 ¡Cuán asombroso es Dios en su Templo! ¡El Dios de Israel le da fuerza y poder a su pueblo! ¡Alaben a Dios!

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