Psalms 60

KJV · Chapter 60/150

1O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.

2Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.

3Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

4Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.

5That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me.

6God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;

8Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.

9Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

10Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?

11Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

12Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

After a defeat that shook the nation like an earthquake, David asks God to restore his people, celebrates divine sovereignty over neighboring territories (Shechem, Moab, Edom) and affirms that true victory comes only from God.

Explanation

The title links this psalm to a specific military conflict involving wars against Syria and Edom (2 Samuel 8, 1 Chronicles 18), a period of victories but also painful losses that shook national confidence. The earthquake imagery ('thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it') expresses the magnitude of the collective shock in the face of an unexpected defeat. The second half of the psalm, in which God declares ownership over neighboring territories such as Moab and Edom (using degrading imagery, such as 'washpot' and 'over Edom will I cast out my shoe'), reflects the language of territorial claim common in ancient political treaties. Today's application: even after collective setbacks that shake a group's confidence, it is possible to rebuild hope by relying on God's faithfulness, not merely on human effort alone.

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