Psalms 60:1 - Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Bible Comments

Hast scattered us. — Literally, hast broken us. A word used of a wall or fence, Psalms 80:12, but in 2 Samuel 5:20 applied to the rout of an army, an event which gave its name to the locality, “plain of breaches.” So in English:

“And seeing me, with a great voice he cried,
They are broken, they are broken.” —

TENNYSON: Elaine.

On the other hand, the two succeeding verses seem to refer to a political convulsion rather than a military defeat, and it has been conjectured that the breach between the two kingdoms is here indicated. (See the use of perez=breach, in Judges 21:15.)

Psalms 60:1

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