Psalm 76:3-6 ESV

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 76:4

Verse 4 It is farther added, (verse 4th,) that God is more glorious and terrible than the mountains of prey By the mountains of prey, is meant kingdoms distinguished for their violence and extortion. We know that from the beginning, he who exercised himself most in robbery and pillage, was the man who most enlarged his borders and became greatest. The Psalmist, therefore, here compares those great kings, who had acquired large dominions by violence and the shedding of human blood, to savage... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 76:5

Verse 5 5.The stout-hearted were spoiled, The power of God in destroying his enemies is here exalted by another form of expression. The verb אשתוללו , eshtolelu, which we translate were spoiled, is derived from שלל, shalal, and the letter א, aleph, is put instead of the letter ה, he. (270) Some translate, were made fools; (271) but this is too forced. I, however, admit that it is of the same import, as if it had been said, that they were deprived of wisdom and courage; but we must adhere to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:1-12

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:1-12

The triumphs of God. There can be little doubt that this psalm is one of several others whose main theme is God's deliverance of his people from Sennacherib, King of Assyria. Then, in Judah, God was known, and his Name was great in Israel. But we may fitly use the psalm as telling of those great and blessed spiritual deliverances which the soul of God's servants have often known and rejoiced in—these triumphs of God over a deadlier foe than ever any Assyrian king could be to Israel.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:1-12

A psalm of triumph. This is one of several psalms supposed to have been written in celebration of the sudden overthrow of Sennacherib's army in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, and suggests the following truths— I. THAT THE CHURCH IS GOD 'S PECULIAR ABODE , WHERE THE MOST GLORIOUS REVELATIONS OF HIS POWER AND GRACE ARE SEEN . ( Psalms 76:3 .) The gospel is most emphatically the "power of God unto salvation." II. THAT GOD 'S GREATEST ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:3

There brake he the arrows of the bow . The expression "there" seems certainly to show that the deliverance celebrated took place at, or very near to, Jerusalem. This would sufficiently suit the destruction of Sennacherib's army, which certainly occurred in the neighbourhood, though not very close to the city (see 2 Kings 19:32 , 38). The word translated "arrows" ( רשׁפי ) means properly "lightnings" (comp. Psalms 78:48 ), and expresses the swift flight of the arrow, not actual "fiery... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:4

Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. The psalmist, in this, the main portion of his psalm, directly addresses God. "Thou, O God," he says, "art glorious," or "terrible" (comp. Psalms 76:7 , where the same word is used), "and excellent, more than the mountains of prey," or perhaps "from the mountains of spoil;" i.e. from Jerusalem, where the spoils of the Assyrians are laid up, and where thou sittest and rulest. (So Professor Cheyne and Canon Cook.) read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:4

The returning Conqueror; or, God glorified in his triumph over evil. The actual triumph over the Assyrian army is poetically presented in the sudden exclamation of Psalms 76:3 , "There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle." In Psalms 76:4 God is regarded as returning to Zion with the spoils of the camp. The precise figure is difficult to trace. Some render, "Bright art thou and glorious from the mountains of spoil;" and understand the mountains to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:5

The stout hearted are spoiled. A "vivid description of the catastrophe" now follows. The "stout hearted," the aggressors, the great dominant race, that has spoiled all the nations of the earth, and fears no one (comp. Isaiah 10:12-14 , "The stout heart of the King of Assyria"), is itself spoiled in turn. They have slept their sleep. They have slept, and, as they slept ( 2 Kings 19:35 ), they found it indeed a sleep, even the sleep of death. And none of the men of might have found... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:6

At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob. The catastrophe has been God's doing; man has had no part in it. Both the chariot and the horse are cast into a dead sleep. Metonymy for the charioteers and the horsemen (comp. Isaiah 43:17 ). These were the two chief arms of the military service with the Assyrians. read more

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 76:4

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 76:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 76:6

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