• Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • 0Shopping Cart
Enduring Word
  • Enduring Word
  • About
    • FAQs
    • Free Smartphone App
    • About Enduring Word
    • David Guzik
    • Your Story
    • Pray for Enduring Word
    • Bibliography
    • The Team of Enduring Word
    • Donations
    • Speaking Request
    • Global Dental Mission
    • 2023 Holy Land Cruise
  • Commentary
    • Commentary – English
    • Comentario – Español
    • Comentário – Português
    • 注释 – 中文 (Chinese)
    • (Arabic) تفاسير – اللغة العربية
    • Farsi فارسی
    • русский (Russian)
    • ўзбек (Uzbek)
    • Commentaire – Français
    • Commentario – Italiano
    • Kommentar – Deutsch
    • Commentary – Tamil
    • Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen
  • Media
    • YouTube Channel
    • Question & Answer Videos
    • Q&A Podcast
    • Q&A Topics
    • Video
    • Audio Messages
    • YouVersion Devotional Reading Plans
  • Social Media
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
  • Store
    • New & Featured
    • Bible Commentaries
    • For the Christian Life
    • By J. Edwin Orr
  • The Post
  • Blog
    • Q&A with David Guzik
    • Weekly Devotional
    • For Pastors, Preachers, Bible Teachers
    • Bible Study Tools
    • Thinking About…
    • Creed
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Psalms
  • 1-75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91-105
  • 106-120
  • 121-135
  • 136-150

Psalm 76 – The Greatness of God and Man’s Proper Response

Video for Psalm 76:

Psalm 76 – The Greatness of God and Man’s Proper Response

This psalm is titled To the Chief Musician. On stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. Asaph was the great singer and musician of David and Solomon’s era (1 Chronicles 15:17-19, 16:5-7; 2 Chronicles 29:13). 1 Chronicles 25:1 and 2 Chronicles 29:30 add that Asaph was a prophet in his musical compositions.

This psalm celebrates a great victory of God on behalf of His people, and those who connect it with the defeat of Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:36) attribute Psalm 76 to a later Asaph, or to someone who was the literal or spiritual descendant of the Asaph of David and Solomon’s time.

A. God’s might shown in Zion.

1. (1-3) The greatness of God in Zion.

In Judah God is known;
His name is great in Israel.
In Salem also is His tabernacle,
And His dwelling place in Zion.
There He broke the arrows of the bow,
The shield and sword of battle. Selah

a. In Judah God is known: Asaph happily proclaimed that God was known in Judah and that His name is great in Israel. God would get the praise due to Him among His people.

i. We notice that God is known, that He has revealed Himself. God is knowable, and our knowledge of God is not only subjective. We do not worship an unknown god as the ancient Athenians did (Acts 17:23).

ii. We notice that in Judah God is known. The nations had their ideas of deity, but the true revelation of God came through the Jewish people – the covenant descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “In those days, if you wanted to know who God was and what he was like, you had to turn to the Jews and their Bible.” (Boice)

b. In Salem also is His tabernacle: God has a further connection with Israel; it is in their land that He chose to make His dwelling place and to establish His tabernacle.

i. Asaph’s mention of the tabernacle might be a reference to history, or perhaps it is poetic. Yet it is more likely that the tabernacle was brought to Salem, to the city of Zion, when David brought the ark of the covenant there (2 Samuel 6).

ii. It seems that Salem was the ancient name for Jerusalem (Genesis 14:18, Hebrew 7:1-2).

iii. “The Pilgrims also loved this psalm, and it was from verse 2 that they derived the name of one of the very first settlements in the New World: Salem, Massachusetts.” (Boice)

iv. The phrase His dwelling place in Zion uses an interesting word. “Not His ‘abode’ but His ‘covert’ or ‘lair’ is the bold expression here, with its tacit comparison of the Lord to a lion (cf. Jeremiah 25:38, and see Psalm 27:5).” (Kidner)

v. “This means that the picture of God in stanza one is of a lion crouching on Mount Zion, ready to pounce. In other words, he is to be reckoned with, to be feared.” (Boice)

c. There He broke the arrows of the bow: Jerusalem became the center of Israel when David conquered the city and brought peace to the city of peace (2 Samuel 5:6-10). In many ways before and after, God breaks the weapons of those set against Him and His people.

i. Asaph spoke of a fearsome weapon, the arrows of the bow: “The fiery arrows. Arrows, round the heads of which inflammable matter was rolled, and then ignited, were used by the ancients, and shot into towns to set them on fire; and were discharged among the towers and wooden works of besiegers.” (Clarke)

ii. God’s ability to fight on behalf of His people “made the queen-mother of Scotland say, that she more feared the prayers of John Knox than an army of thirty thousand fighting soldiers. The king of Sweden, as soon as he set foot in Germany, fell down to prayer, and what great things did he in a little time!” (Trapp)

iii. “Like many of the fighting psalms, this too has been a favorite of Christians during religious warfare. The embattled Huguenots sang it as they marched into battle at Cloigny. The Covenanters sang it at Drumclog in 1679 when they defeated the government troops of ‘Bloody Claverhouse’…. Psalm 76 was sung in thanksgiving services marking the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.” (Boice)

iv. “While the weapons of our warfare are spiritual, God is the same in might; and while He is in the midst our defense is sure. No weapon formed against the trusting people can prosper.” (Morgan)

2. (4-6) Praise to the triumphant God.

You are more glorious and excellent
Than the mountains of prey.
The stouthearted were plundered;
They have sunk into their sleep;
And none of the mighty men have found the use of their hands.
At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep.

a. You are more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey: Asaph thought of the beauty and the bounty of the mountains of prey, the places remote and wild enough to be home to wild animals. He knew that the Lord God was more glorious and excellent than these beautiful places.

i. We imagine Asaph hiking in the high mountains where the goats and ibex and other wild animals live. He is stunned by their beauty, but goes on to think: Our God is more glorious and excellent than even these mountains.

ii. “Thou art more illustrious and excellent than all the mountains of prey, i.e., where wild beasts wander, and prey on those that are more helpless than themselves.” (Clarke)

iii. The Septuagint gives an alternative reading of mountains of prey. “The everlasting mountains is a reading borrowed from the Septuagint, probably rightly, in place of the somewhat obscure ‘mountains of prey’ (King James Version, Revised Version).” (Kidner)

b. None of the mighty men have found the use of their hands: The God who is greater than the mountains also helped His people in battle. He helped them by confounding their enemies who were sunk into their sleep.

i. “The occasion that springs to mind here is the elimination of Sennacherib’s army overnight by the angel of the Lord (Isaiah 37:36). The Septuagint brings in an allusion to it in its version of the title.” (Kidner)

ii. The stouthearted were plundered: “They came to spoil, and lo! they are spoiled themselves. Their stout hearts are cold in death, the angel of the pestilence has dried up their life-blood, their very heart is taken from them.” (Spurgeon)

iii. Both the chariot and horse were cast into a dead sleep: “The Israelites always had a special fear of horses and scythed chariots; and, therefore, the sudden stillness of the entire force of the enemy in this department is made the theme of special rejoicing.” (Spurgeon)

B. Giving honor to the great God.

1. (7-9) The fear of the LORD.

You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?
You caused judgment to be heard from heaven;
The earth feared and was still,
When God arose to judgment,
To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah

a. You, Yourself, are to be feared: Asaph thought of the importance of giving honor and reverence – a healthy fear – to the great God. He emphasized the personal aspect of it – that God Himself is to be feared, more than the things He may do.

i. You, Yourself are to be feared: “The Hebrew is simple, but very emphatic: attah nora attah, ‘Thou art terrible; thou art.’ The repetition of the pronoun deepens the sense.” (Clarke)

b. Who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry: Our respect and reverence for God goes beyond admiration of His greatness. It is also connected to our knowledge of His righteousness, His power, and His authority as Judge. We understand that God is the best friend and the worst enemy.

c. When God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth: God uses His righteous might not primarily to defend Himself, but to deliver all the oppressed. He cares about the poor and needy, and every wrong will be set right or recompensed when God rises to judgment.

i. “Note the purpose of judgment, which is to save those who commit their cause to God. This is the chief aspect of justice in the Psalms, where the plight of those who either cannot or will not hit back at the ruthless is a constant concern.” (Kidner)

2. (10-12) Honoring the God who rules over all.

Surely the wrath of man shall praise You;
With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.
Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them;
Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him who ought to be feared.
He shall cut off the spirit of princes;
He is awesome to the kings of the earth.

a. Surely the wrath of man shall praise You: Asaph considered the judgments of God and how God uses His judgment to deliver the oppressed (verse 9). In this the psalmist sees the matchless wisdom and providence of God, who can work all things together so marvelously that He will make the wrath of man bring Him praise.

i. “Even the most hostile acts against his rule will bring him ‘praise’ (cf. Acts 2:23; Romans 8:28).” (VanGemeren)

ii. The Bible and history are filled with the fulfillment of this promise and principle. Haman was filled with wrath against Mordecai; God used the wrath of Haman to bring Himself praise. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were filled with wrath against God’s own Son; God used the wrath of the religious leaders to bring Himself praise. We can see this principle fulfilled in history; by faith we should believe it to be so today when men show their wrath against God and His people.

iii. The wrath of man “shall not only be overcome but rendered subservient to thy glory. Man with his breath of threatening is but blowing the trumpet of the Lord’s eternal fame.” (Spurgeon)

iv. “This singer of the olden time had seen the wrath of man working havoc in human affairs, as we also have seen it. But he watched it closely, and he had seen God, surrounding all its activity by His own presence and holding it within His Own grasp, and so compelling it at last to work towards His praise.” (Morgan)

b. With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself: God will even adorn Himself with the “leftovers” of man’s wrath against Him and His people. This in no way justifies the wrath of man, but it does show the surpassing greatness of God.

i. Other translations give a different sense of this difficult Hebrew phrase.

· And the survivors of your wrath are restrained (NIV).

· The residue of wrath thou wilt gird upon thee (RSV).

ii. If the Hebrew text is to be understood in this sense, then the idea is that God promises to restrain the wrath of man. First comes the promise to bring good out of even the wrath of man, and then the promise is to restrain that wrath.

iii. “Then he had seen God, when the limit was reached, restrain this wrath, in the pictorial language of the singer, girding it upon Himself, and so preventing its further action under the will of man.” (Morgan)

iv. “The wrath of man had been allowed up to a certain point, to bring into clear evidence the greater power of God; and then He had quietly put a term to its further manifestation.” (Meyer)

c. Make vows to the LORD your God, and pay them: Asaph brought a logical conclusion to the facts presented. If God is this great, then we owe our vows to Him, and vows made should be paid.

i. “To vow or not is a matter of choice, but to discharge our vows is our bounden duty. He who would defraud God, his own God, is a wretch indeed.” (Spurgeon)

d. Let all who are around Him bring presents to Him: We can and should honor God with more than our vows. In humble submission we should bring presents to Him, giving to Him our first and our best.

i. “If such should have been the gratitude and devotion of Israelites, for a temporary deliverance from the fury of an earthly tyrant, how much higher ought that of Christians to rise, for eternal redemption from the great oppressor!” (Horne)

e. He is awesome to the kings of the earth: Even the princes and the kings of the earth can and should see the awe of this great God. They should keep their vows to Him and bring presents to honor Him. No one is excluded from the reverence and praise of the great God and King.

i. “None are great in his hand. Caesars and Napoleons fall under his power as the boughs of the tree beneath the woodman’s axe.” (Spurgeon)

(c) 2020 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – ewm@enduringword.com

Tweet
Pin1
Share23
24 Shares
Bible Commentary Quick Navigation
Start Here!

Old Testament

Gen Exo Lev Num Deu Jos Jud Rut 1Sa 2Sa 1Ki 2Ki 1Ch 2Ch Ezr Neh Est Job Psa Pro Ecc Son Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan Hos Joe Amo Oba Jon Mic Nah Hab Zep Hag Zec Mal

New Testament

Mat Mar Luk Joh Act Rom 1Co 2Co Gal Eph Phi Col 1Th 2Th 1Ti 2Ti Tit Phm Heb Jam 1Pe 2Pe 1Jo 2Jo 3Jo Jud Rev
Back

Matthew

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Back

Genesis

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
Back

Exodus

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Back

Mark

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Back

Luke

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Back

Leviticus

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Back

Numbers

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Back

John

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Back

Acts

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Back

Deuteronomy

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
Back

Joshua

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 18 20 21 22 23 24
Back

Romans

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Back

1 Corinthians

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Back

Judges

1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Back

Ruth

1 2 3 4
Back

2 Corinthians

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Back

Galatians

1 2 3 4 5 6
Back

1 Samuel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Back

2 Samuel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Back

Ephesians

1 2 3 4 5 6
Back

Philippians

1 2 3 4
Back

1 Kings

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Back

2 Kings

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Back

Colossians

1 2 3 4
Back

1 Thessalonians

1 2 3 4 5
Back

1 Chronicles

1 2 3 4 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Back

2 Chronicles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Back

2 Thessalonians

1 2 3
Back

1 Timothy

1 2 3 4 5 6
Back

Ezra

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Back

Nehemiah

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Back

2 Timothy

1 2 3 4
Back

Titus

1 2 3
Back

Esther

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Back

Job

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
Back

Philemon

1
Back

Hebrews

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Back

Psalm

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
Back

Proverbs

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Back

James

1 2 3 4 5
Back

1 Peter

1 2 3 4 5
Back

Ecclesiastes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Back

Song of Solomon

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Back

2 Peter

1 2 3
Back

1 John

1 2 3 4 5
Back

Isaiah

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
Back

Jeremiah

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52
Back

2 John

1
Back

3 John

1
Back

Lamentations

1 2 3 4 5
Back

Ezekiel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
Back

Daniel

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Back

Revelation

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Back

Hosea

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Back

Joel

1 2 3
Back

Amos

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Back

Obadiah

1
Back

Jonah

1 2 3 4
Back

Micah

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Back

Nahum

1 2 3
Back

Habakkuk

1 2 3
Back

Zephaniah

1 2 3
Back

Haggai

1 2
Back

Zechariah

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Back

Malachi

1 2 3 4

Subscribe

* indicates required
Get Prayer Requests and Updates from David Guzik
Receive David Guzik's Weekly Devotional
Special Emails: Pastors, Preachers, Bible Teachers

Enduring Word YouTube Channel

The Post

local-view-digital-marketing-september-2022-ad

Latest Blog Posts

  • The Glory of Everyday BelieversThe Glory of Everyday BelieversFebruary 26, 2023 - 10:24 pm
  • What the Strong Should DoWhat the Strong Should DoFebruary 19, 2023 - 7:42 pm
  • Giving Account to GodGiving Account to GodFebruary 13, 2023 - 4:16 pm
© Copyright - Enduring Word       |      Site Hosted & Maintained by Local View Digital Marketing    |    Privacy Policy
Scroll to top

Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details.

Privacy PolicyOK

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy Policy
Accept settingsHide notification only