Psalms 108

KJV · Chapter 108/150

1O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

2Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

3I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

4For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.

5Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;

6That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me.

7God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

8Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;

9Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.

10Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

11Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?

12Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

13Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A song of confidence combining excerpts from two earlier psalms of David (57 and 60), declaring praise among the nations and asking for military victory with the certainty that true help is found in God alone.

Explanation

This psalm is an interesting literary composition: almost its entire text is formed by joining parts of Psalm 57 (v. 1-5) and Psalm 60 (v. 6-13), a device that shows how the ancient biblical composers reorganized and reused existing material of praise for new occasions. The mention of territories such as Shechem, Gilead, Manasseh, Ephraim, Judah, Moab, and Edom (v. 7-9) reflects the extent of the ideal territory promised to Israel. The application today is that recombining already-familiar prayers and praises, adapting them to new circumstances, is a legitimate and ancient practice of faith.

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