4 Bright `art' Thou, honourable above hills of prey.
And thou, lift up a lamentation unto princes of Israel, and thou hast said: What `is' thy mother? -- a lioness, Among lions she hath crouched down, In the midst of young lions she hath multiplied her whelps. And she bringeth up one of her whelps, A young lion it hath been, And it learneth to tear prey, man it hath devoured. And hear of it do nations, In their pit it hath been caught, And they bring it in with chains unto the land of Egypt.
Gone up hath a lion from his thicket, And a destroyer of nations hath journeyed, He hath come forth from his place To make thy land become a desolation, Thy cities are laid waste, without inhabitant.
To take a spoil, and to take a prey, To turn back thy hand on inhabited wastes, And on a people gathered out of nations, Making cattle and substance, Dwelling on a high part of the land. Sheba, and Dedan, and merchants of Tarshish, And all its young lions say to thee: To take a spoil art thou come in? To take a prey assembled thine assembly? To bear away silver and gold? To take away cattle and substance? To take a great spoil?
The first `is' like a lion, and it hath an eagle's wings. I was seeing till that its wings have been plucked, and it hath been lifted up from the earth, and on feet as a man it hath been caused to stand, and a heart of man is given to it. And lo, another beast, a second, like to a bear, and to the same authority it hath been raised, and three ribs `are' in its mouth, between its teeth, and thus they are saying to it, Rise, consume much flesh. `After this I was seeing, and lo, another like a leopard, and it hath four wings of a fowl on its back, and four heads hath the beast, and dominion is given to it. `After this I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, a fourth beast, terrible and fearful, and exceedingly strong; and it hath iron teeth very great, it hath consumed, yea, it doth break small, and the remnant with its feet it hath trampled; and it `is' diverse from all the beasts that `are' before it; and it hath ten horns. `I was considering about the horns, and lo, another horn, a little one, hath come up between them, and three of the first horns have been eradicated from before it, and lo, eyes as the eyes of man `are' in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things.
`These great beasts, that `are' four, `are' four kings, they rise up from the earth; and receive the kingdom do the saints of the Most High, and they strengthen the kingdom unto the age, even unto the age of the ages. `Then I wished for certainty concerning the fourth beast, that was diverse from them all, fearful exceedingly; its teeth of iron, and its nails of brass, it hath devoured, it doth break small, and the remnant with its feet it hath trampled; and concerning the ten horns that `are' in its heads, and of the other that came up, and before which three have fallen, even of that horn that hath eyes, and a mouth speaking great things, and whose appearance `is' great above its companions. `I was seeing, and this horn is making war with the saints, and hath prevailed over them, till that the Ancient of Days hath come, and judgment is given to the saints of the Most High, and the time hath come, and the saints have strengthened the kingdom. `Thus he said: The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom in the earth, that is diverse from all kingdoms, and it consumeth all the earth, and treadeth it down, and breaketh it small. And the ten horns out of the kingdom `are' ten kings, they rise, and another doth rise after them, and it is diverse from the former, and three kings it humbleth; and words as an adversary of the Most High it doth speak, and the saints of the Most High it doth wear out, and it hopeth to change seasons and law; and they are given into its hand, till a time, and times, and a division of a time. `And the Judge is seated, and its dominion they cause to pass away, to cut off, and to destroy -- unto the end; and the kingdom, and the dominion, even the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens, is given to the people -- the saints of the Most High, His kingdom `is' a kingdom age-during, and all dominions do serve and obey Him. `Hitherto `is' the end of the matter. I, Daniel, greatly do my thoughts trouble me, and my countenance is changed on me, and the matter in my heart I have kept.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 76
Commentary on Psalms 76 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 76
Ps 76:1-12. On Neginoth—(See on Ps 4:1, title). This Psalm commemorates what the preceding anticipates: God's deliverance of His people by a signal interposition of power against their enemies. The occasion was probably the events narrated in 2Ki 19:35; Isa 37:1-28. (Compare Ps 46:1-11).
1, 2. These well-known terms denote God's people and Church and His intimate and glorious relations to them.
2. Salem—(Ge 14:18) is Jerusalem.
3. brake … the arrows—literally, "thunderbolts" (Ps 78:48), from their rapid flight or ignition (compare Ps 18:14; Eph 6:16).
the battle—for arms (Ho 2:18).
4. Thou—God.
mountains of prey—great victorious nations, as Assyria (Isa 41:15; Eze 38:11, 12; Zec 4:7).
5. slept their sleep—died (Ps 13:3).
none … found … hands—are powerless.
6. chariot and horse—for those fighting on them (compare Ps 68:17).
7. may … sight—contend with Thee (De 9:4; Jos 7:12).
8, 9. God's judgment on the wicked is His people's deliverance (Ps 9:12; 10:7).
10. Man's wrath praises God by its futility before His power.
restrain—or, "gird"; that is, Thyself, as with a sword, with which to destroy, or as an ornament to Thy praise.
11, 12. Invite homage to such a God (2Ch 32:23), who can stop the breath of kings and princes when He wills (Da 5:23).