Psalms

Introduction
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

PSALM 60^*

Lament After Defeat in Battle

1For the leader; according to “The Lily of.â€¦” A miktam of David (for teaching), 2when he fought against Aram-Naharaim and Aram-Zobah; and Joab, coming back, killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.^a

I

3O God, you rejected us, broke our defenses;

you were angry but now revive us.

4You rocked the earth, split it open;^b

repair the cracks for it totters.

5You made your people go through hardship,

made us stagger from the wine you gave us.^c

6Raise up a banner for those who revere you,

a refuge for them out of bow shot.

Selah

7^*Help with your right hand and answer us

that your loved ones may escape.

II

8^*In the sanctuary God promised:

“I will exult, will apportion Shechem;

the valley of Succoth^* I will measure out.

9Gilead is mine, mine is Manasseh;

Ephraim is the helmet for my head,

Judah, my own scepter.^*

10^*Moab is my washbowl;

upon Edom I cast my sandal.^*^d

I will triumph over Philistia.”

III

11Who will bring me to the fortified city?^*

Who will lead me into Edom?

12Was it not you who rejected us, God?

Do you no longer march with our armies?^e

13Give us aid against the foe;

worthless is human help.

14We will triumph with the help of God,

who will trample down our foes.

* [Psalm 60] The community complains that God has let the enemy win the battle (Ps 60:3–5) and asks for an assurance of victory (Ps 60:6–7). In the oracle God affirms ownership of the land; the invasion of other nations is not permanent and will be reversed ultimately (Ps 60:8–10). With renewed confidence, the community resolves to fight again (Ps 60:11). The opening lament is picked up again (Ps 60:12), but this time with new awareness of God’s power and human limitation.

* [60:7–12] These verses occur again as the second half of Ps 108.

* [60:8] I willâ€¦apportionâ€¦measure out: God lays claim to these places. The valley of Succoth: probably the lower stretch of the Jabbok valley.

* [60:9] Judah, my own scepter: an allusion to the Testament of Jacob, Gn 49:10.

* [60:10] Moab is my washbowl: Moab borders the Dead Sea, hence a metaphor for the country. Upon Edom I cast my sandal: an ancient legal gesture of taking possession of land.

* [60:11] The fortified city: perhaps Bozrah, the fortified capital of Edom, cf. Is 34:6; 63:1; Am 1:12.

a. [60:2] 2 Sm 8:2, 3, 13; 1 Chr 18:2, 3, 12.

b. [60:4] Ps 75:4; Is 24:19.

c. [60:5] Ps 75:9; Is 51:17, 21–22; Jer 25:15.

d. [60:10] Ru 4:7–8.

e. [60:12] Ps 44:10.