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Psalms 60

1

O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.

2

Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.

3

Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

4

Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

5

That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.

1
6

God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

7

Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;

8

Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.

9

Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

10

Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?

11

Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

12

Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

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Psalms 60

Psalm 60 is a communal lament responding to military defeat by appealing for God to restore the nation and grant victory, exemplifying the theological concerns of Book 2. The psalmist employs vivid imagery and direct address to God, establishing the intimate dialogue between worshiper and the divine that characterizes the psalmic tradition. The theological assertions center on God's character as both judge and redeemer, creating a comprehensive vision of divine justice and mercy integrated with human experience. The psalm reflects on both personal circumstance and communal identity, suggesting that individual faith finds validation through shared experience with the covenant community. The liturgical context indicates this psalm's function in worship where personal piety integrates with communal celebration of God's acts and attributes. The concluding movement typically affirms confidence in God's faithfulness, exemplifying the psalmic pattern of transformation through prayer and remembrance of divine acts throughout history.

Psalms 60:1

This opening lament that God has rejected and broken the covenant community establishes the psalm in the context of national crisis and military defeat, suggesting that the people have experienced a divinely-inflicted disaster. The reference to God's anger burning indicates that the divine rejection is understood not as mere absence but as active punishment; God has turned away in wrath. The image of pouring out wrath suggests that the community has experienced judgment through military defeat and loss. This verse establishes the context: national disaster is interpreted as divine judgment for covenant violation, and the psalm moves from this acknowledgment toward petition for restoration.

Psalms 60:2

The description of the land being shaken and torn establishes the catastrophic nature of the defeat: the physical landscape itself has been disrupted by warfare and destruction. The request that God repair the breaches articulates the prayer for restoration not merely of political order but of the fundamental integrity of the covenant community and the land itself. The language suggests that the community has been literally and figuratively fractured by defeat. This verse intensifies the sense of totality of the disaster and appeals to God's power to restore what has been broken.

Psalms 60:3

The reference to the people experiencing hard things and drinking from a cup of wine that makes them stagger establishes that the divine judgment has been severe and comprehensive. The imagery of being given bitter wine to drink connects to the tradition of the cup of God's wrath in prophetic literature. The reference to staggering suggests both the literal impact of military defeat and the emotional and spiritual disorientation that follows catastrophe. This verse deepens the depiction of the people's suffering and establishes that the disaster has affected not merely political structures but the entire people's sense of security and order.

Psalms 60:4

The shift to a petition for the people who fear God to rally to a banner indicates a turning point in the psalm: from lament to call to action and renewed commitment. The reference to those who fear God suggests a differentiation: within the defeated people, there is a remnant who remain faithful and who can be called to renewed dedication. The banner imagery suggests the gathering of the righteous around a symbol of God's purposes and identity. This verse begins the movement from pure lament toward petition for renewal and restoration.

Psalms 60:5

The petition that God's beloved might be delivered by God's right hand articulates the prayer that God would intervene militarily and politically to restore the people to security and prosperity. The reference to God's salvation indicates that deliverance is understood as a divine act extending salvation to the covenant people. The invocation of God's hand indicates petition for direct divine action in history and warfare. This verse continues the petition for restoration while maintaining the recognition that only divine power can effect the necessary transformation.

Psalms 60:6

The oracle spoken by God declaring divine possession of the land establishes that God has definitively claimed Shechem and apportioned the Valley of Succoth, indicating divine ownership and governance of the land. The specific place-names suggest that this is not abstract theological affirmation but rooted in Israel's historical and geographical consciousness. The declaration of God's sovereignty over specific territories indicates that the defeat has not altered the fundamental reality: the land belongs to God and will ultimately be restored. This verse introduces a word from God that transforms the entire tenor of the psalm.

Psalms 60:7

The extension of divine possession to Gilead and Manasseh indicates the expansion of the territories over which God asserts dominion. The reference to Ephraim and Judah indicates the northern and southern portions of Israel, suggesting that God's claim extends across the entire nation. The reference to Judah as the lawgiver indicates that God establishes proper order and governance through the covenant people. This verse articulates the cosmic breadth of God's sovereignty: the entire land and people are God's possession and responsibility.

Psalms 60:8

The continuation of God's assertion that Moab will serve as the basin for washing feet and that Edom will experience humiliation indicates that surrounding nations will be subjected to Israel's dominance under God's sovereignty. The language of humiliation and domination reflects the martial worldview of the ancient Near East, where military dominance is understood as divine judgment on the defeated. The imagery of using enemies as servants articulates the expected outcome of righteous warfare: the enemies are subjugated and reduced to servile status. This verse articulates the vision of restored Israelite dominance backed by divine authority.

Psalms 60:9

The final lines of God's oracle indicate that despite the current apparent rejection, God will ultimately lead the people to victory and dominion. The shift from divine lament to divine assertion of ultimate victory transforms the psalm's entire direction: the current defeat is temporary and will be reversed by God's action. The assurance that God will go over Edom with strong shoes indicates military conquest and complete subjugation of enemies. This verse establishes that the current catastrophe is not the final word; God will effect restoration and vindication.

Psalms 60:10

The return to human address, asking who will lead the people to the fortified city and who will guide them to Edom, reorients the psalm from the divine oracle back to human petition and uncertainty. The questions presuppose that human resources alone are insufficient; leadership must come from God. The reference to the fortified city suggests the seat of political and military power; the prayer is for restoration of secure governance. This verse indicates that despite the divine oracle, the people still face the task of implementation; human cooperation with divine purposes is necessary.

Psalms 60:11

The reiteration of the petition that God would give aid against the enemy and that deliverance would come from God establishes that despite the divine oracle promising victory, the people must still petition God to actualize this promise. The reference to deliverance from humans (rather than from God) indicates a particular concern: the enemies are other nations, and only God can effect the military reversal necessary. The repetition of the petition reinforces the dependence on divine action while acknowledging human inability. This verse closes the psalm with renewed confidence in God despite the uncertainty of the future outcome.

Psalms 60:12

The final assertion that with God the people will triumph and that God will tread down enemies establishes the conclusive confidence that undergirds the entire psalm. The declaration that God will tread down enemies invokes the imagery from the oracle: God personally will accomplish the subjugation of the nation's enemies. The final word of the psalm is not lament but confidence in divine action and ultimate victory. This verse transforms the psalm from lament through petition into affirmation of trust in God's ultimate purposes and power to restore the people from defeat to triumph.