Psalm 68:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

NIV: When you ascended on high, you took many captives; you received gifts from people, even from the rebellious— that you, Lord God, might dwell there.

NASB: You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among people, Even among the rebellious as well, that the Lord God may dwell there.

CSB: You ascended to the heights, taking away captives; you received gifts from people, even from the rebellious, so that the Lord God might dwell there.

NLT: When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there.

KJV: Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.

NKJV: You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell there.

Psalm 68:7–18 reflects on God's gracious, powerful victories on behalf of Israel. This includes their time in the wilderness as well as their early conquest of the Promised Land. At Sinai, the Lord had established a covenant with Israel. David later took the ark of the covenant to Mount Zion. This symbolized God's choice to "move" His presence to Jerusalem, in defiance of earthly enemies such as Og at Bashan (Numbers 21:33–35).

Prior psalms (Psalm 66—67) explored the idea of the Lord God of Israel being worshipped by the entire world, including the Gentile nations. Psalm 68 includes that idea, as well as a celebration of God's prior victories on Israel's behalf. The song uses dramatic imagery to praise God's power and grandeur. Mount Zion—the location of Jerusalem—is where the Lord chooses for His seat of power. The entire world should honor this; one day, the whole earth will do just that.

This psalm commemorates God's ascension to Mount Zion, another reference to the city of Jerusalem. This celebrates past and future victories won by the power of the Lord. It may be a general reference to Israel's success, or to the conquests of king David. Alternatively, the song might celebrate when David moved the ark of the covenant into the city (2 Samuel 6). Or, when he captured the site from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5). The psalm is "of David," which may mean it is written in his style, or about his experiences, rather than being one he personally wrote.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.