What does Psalm 68:20 mean?
ESV: Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
NIV: Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.
NASB: God is to us a God of salvation; And to God the Lord belong ways of escape from death.
CSB: Our God is a God of salvation, and escape from death belongs to the Lord my Lord.
NLT: Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.
KJV: He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.
NKJV: Our God is the God of salvation; And to God the Lord belong escapes from death.
Verse Commentary:
Verse Context:
Psalm 68:19–27 celebrates God's provision of victory. It also looks to future success against those who reject the Lord. The psalm imagines a victorious march into Zion: into the sanctuary of the temple. There, the Lord is praised by all the people, accompanied by music and celebration.
Chapter Summary:
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.
Chapter Context:
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.
Book Summary:
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.
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