Psalm 68:1
 Psalm 68:1 
New International Version (©2011)
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song. May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.

New Living Translation (©2007)
For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David. Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.

English Standard Version (©2001)
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song. God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song. Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
<or Song of David.>> Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song. God arises. His enemies scatter, and those who hate Him flee from His presence.

International Standard Version (©2012)
God arises, and his enemies are scattered. Those who hate him flee from his presence.

NET Bible (©2006)
For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song. God springs into action! His enemies scatter; his adversaries run from him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
Let God arise and let all his enemies be scattered and his haters will flee from before him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
[For the choir director; a psalm by David; a song.] God will arise. His enemies will be scattered. Those who hate him will flee from him.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

American King James Version
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

American Standard Version
Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; Let them also that hate him flee before him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Unto the end, a psalm of a canticle for David himself. Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: and let them that hate him flee from before his face.

Darby Bible Translation
{To the chief Musician. Of David. A Psalm: a Song.} Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, and let them that hate him flee before him.

English Revised Version
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David, a Song. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; let them also that hate him flee before him.

Webster's Bible Translation
To the chief Musician, A Psalm or Song of David. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

World English Bible
Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered! Let them who hate him also flee before him.

Young's Literal Translation
To the Overseer. -- A Psalm, a song of David. Rise doth God -- scattered are His enemies! And those hating Him flee from His face.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

68:1-6 None ever hardened his heart against God, and prospered. God is the joy of his people, then let them rejoice when they come before him. He who derives his being from none, but gives being to all, is engaged by promise and covenant to bless his people. He is to be praised as a God of mercy and tender compassion. He ever careth for the afflicted and oppressed: repenting sinners, who are helpless and exposed more than any fatherless children, are admitted into his family, and share all their blessings.


Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Let God arise,.... Which, as Kimchi observes, is either by way of prayer, or by way of prophecy; and in either way the sense is the same: for, if it is considered as a prayer, it is a prayer of faith that so it would be; or, if as a prophecy, it is certain that so it should be. And this is to be understood of the same divine Person, whose chariots the angels are; who is said to be the "Adonai", or "Lord" in the midst of them; and of whom it is prophesied that he should ascend to heaven, Psalm 68:17; even the Messiah, who is God over all. And this "arising", attributed to him, may be interpreted either of his incarnation, his exhibition and manifestation in the flesh; which is sometimes called in Scripture a raising of him up, as in Acts 3:26; or of his resurrection from the dead, as it is interpreted by many of the ancients; which, as it was a certain thing, and previous to his ascension hereafter spoken of, so it was a proof of his deity; for though it was only the man that rose, who died and was buried, yet as in union with the divine Person of the Son of God, and who rose by virtue of that union; and thereby he was declared to be the Son of God with power. Or else rather this is to be understood of his arising and exerting his power as a man of war, as a mighty and victorious hero, on the behalf of his people, and against his enemies; as he did when he arose and met Satan, the prince of the world, and engaged with all the powers of darkness; see Psalm 45:3; and this sense is confirmed by what follows:

continued...


Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The Psalm begins with the expression of a wish that the victory of God over all His foes and the triumphant exultation of the righteous were near at hand. Ewald and Hitzig take יקום אלהים hypothetically: If God arise, He enemies will be scattered. This rendering is possible in itself so far as the syntax is concerned, but here everything conspires against it; for the futures in Psalm 68:2-4 form an unbroken chain; then a glance at the course of the Psalm from Psa 68:20 onwards shows that the circumstances of Israel, under which the poet writes, urged forth the wish: let God arise and humble His foes; and finally the primary passage, Numbers 10:35, makes it clear that the futures are the language of prayer transformed into the form of the wish. In Psalm 68:3 the wish is addressed directly to God Himself, and therefore becomes petition. הנדּן is inflected (as vice versג ירדף, Psalm 7:6, from ירדּף) from הנּדף (like הנּתן, Jeremiah 32:4); it is a violation of all rule in favour of the conformity of sound (cf. הקצות for הקצות, Leviticus 14:43, and supra on Psalm 51:6) with תּנדּף, the object of which is easily supplied (dispellas, sc. hostes tuos), and is purposely omitted in order to direct attention more stedfastly to the omnipotence which to every creature is so irresistible. Like smoke, wax (דּונג, root דג, τηκ, Sanscrit tak, to shoot past, to run, Zend taḱ, whence vitaḱina, dissolving, Neo-Persic gudâchten; causative: to cause to run in different directions equals to melt or smelt) is an emblem of human feebleness. As Bakiuds observes, Si creatura creaturam non fert, quomodo creatura creatoris indignantis faciem ferre possit? The wish expressed in Psalm 68:4 forms the obverse of the preceding. The expressions for joy are heaped up in order to describe the transcendency of the joy that will follow the release from the yoke of the enemy. לפני is expressively used in alternation with מפני in Psalm 68:2, Psalm 68:3 : by the wrathful action, so to speak, that proceeds from His countenance just as the heat radiating from the fire melts the wax the foes are dispersed, whereas the righteous rejoice before His gracious countenance.

continued...


Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let God arise - See the notes at Psalm 3:7. There is an obvious reterence here to the words used by Moses on the removal of the ark in Numbers 10:35. The same language was also employed by Solomon when the ark was removed to the temple, and deposited in the most holy place 2 Chronicles 6:41 :" Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength." It would seem probable, therefore, that this psalm was composed on some such occasion.

continued...


Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Let God arise - This was sung when the Levites took up the ark upon their shoulders; see Numbers 10:35-36 (note), and the notes there.


Geneva Study Bible

<or Song of David.>> Let God {a} arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

(a) The prophet shows that even though God permits the wicked tyrants to oppress his Church for a time, yet eventually he will take revenge on them.


King James Translators' Notes

before...: Heb. from his face


Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

PSALM 68

Ps 68:1-35. This is a Psalm-song (see on [604]Ps 30:1, title), perhaps suggested by David's victories, which secured his throne and gave rest to the nation. In general terms, the judgment of God on the wicked, and the equity and goodness of His government to the pious, are celebrated. The sentiment is illustrated by examples of God's dealings, cited from the Jewish history and related in highly poetical terms. Hence the writer intimates an expectation of equal and even greater triumphs and summons all nations to unite in praises of the God of Israel. The Psalm is evidently typical of the relation which God, in the person of His Son, sustains to the Church (compare Ps 68:18).

Continued...


Psalm 68:1 Parallel Commentaries
Bible Hub: Online Parallel Bible


Let God's Enemies Be Scattered!
1Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. 2As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. 3But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yes, let them exceedingly rejoice. …

Numbers 10:35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, "Rise up, LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you."
Psalm 12:5 "Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will protect them from those who malign them."
Psalm 89:10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
Psalm 92:9 For surely your enemies, LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
Psalm 132:8 Arise, LORD, and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
Jeremiah 46:15 Why will your warriors be laid low? They cannot stand, for the LORD will push them down.