Princes shall come out of Egypt. Then shall princely ambassadors come to Zion out of Egypt, and make submission (comp. Isaiah 43:3 ; Isaiah 45:14 ). Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God . The Ptolemies, in their wars with Syria, often sought the favour of the Jews. Christian Churches at an early date were established both in Egypt and in Abyssinia, and some of the most promising mission fields today are in Africa. read more
Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord. All the world powers having submitted to the Church, all the kingdoms of the earth can be called upon to join in the praise of God. read more
Thy God hath commanded thy strength - Has ordered thy strength to appear, or to be manifested. This is addressed, evidently, to the people of the land; and the idea is, that, on this occasion, God had called forth a full representation of the strength of the nation; or, as we should say, there had been a full “turn out.” It was an impressive sight, showing the real strength of the people.Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us - Increase the strength thus manifested. Let it be... read more
Because of thy temple at Jerusalem - The word rendered “temple” here properly means a palace; then, the abode of God considered as a king, or his residence as a king. It might, therefore, be applied either to the tabernacle or to the temple, erected as the special dwelling-place of God. As the word has so general a meaning, the passage here does not prove that the psalm was composed after Solomon’s temple was reared, for it may refer to the tabernacle that David set up for the ark on Mount... read more
Rebuke the company of spearmen - Margin, “the beasts of the reeds.” This is in the form of a prayer - “Rebuke;” but the idea is, that this “would” occur; and the meaning of the whole verse, though there is much difficulty in interpreting the particular expressions, is, that the most formidable enemies of the people of God, represented here by wild beasts, would be subdued, and would be made to show their submission by bringing presents - by “pieces of silver,” or, with tribute. Thus the idea... read more
Princes shall come out of Egypt - That is, Shall come and acknowledge the true God. Egypt is referred to here as one of the most prominent of the foreign nations then known; and the idea is, that the distinguished men of foreign nations - the rulers and princes of the world - would come and submit themselves to God, and be united to his people. The word rendered “princes” here - חשׁמנים chashmaniym - occurs nowhere else in the Scriptures. It means, according to Gesenius (Lexicon), the fat;... read more
Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth - That is - that acknowledge the true God - celebrate his praise. The psalmist sees the conversion of the world to God to be so certain an event that he calls on all nations to join in the song. read more
Psalms 68:28. Thy God, O Israel, hath commanded Hath ordained, or effectually procured; thy strength All that strength and power which thou hast effectually exerted at any time against thine enemies, and which is now greatly increased by the union of all the tribes under one head. In other words, the great power of the Israelites, and the height of glory and strength to which the kingdom of David had arisen, were the work of God. This naturally makes way for the petition following: ... read more
Psalms 68:29. Because of thy temple at Jerusalem The tabernacle erected there by David, in which the ark was now placed; or rather, the temple which he foresaw would be built, and which he knew would be very magnificent, and of fame and glory throughout all countries, as he says, 1 Chronicles 22:5; and such as would command esteem and reverence, even from the heathen princes and people, and that, not only for its most splendid and glorious structure, but especially for the wonderful works... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 68:30
Rebuke the company of spear men; rather, the wild beast of the reeds ; i . e . the crocodile or the hippopotamus, either of which may well symbolize the empire of Egypt, the mightiest of the heathen powers in David's time. The multitude of the bulls represents other heathen powers, Assyria perhaps especially, which had the human-headed and winged bull for its principal emblem. With the calves of the people; rather, of peoples— an obscure phrase, perhaps meaning inferior powers.... read more