Psalms 68:1 - John Trapp Complete Commentary

Bible Comments

Psalms 68:1 «To the chief Musician, A Psalm [or] Song of David. » Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.

A Psalm or Song of David] Made at that time when, having overcome his enemies, he brought arcam in arcem, the ark of God into the tower of Sion. Confer Psa 68:1 with Numbers 10:35. Herein also he treateth of the greatest secrets of Christ's kingdom, and prophesieth of things to come, as Acts 2:30,31; witness the apostle, Ephesians 4:8 .

Ver. 1. Let God arise] He need do no more that his enemies may be scattered, though never so closely united, etiamsi cataphraetus incedat Satan, as Luther speaketh; digitum suum tantum moveat, et dissipabuntur hostes, Let the Lord but stir his finger only, let him but look unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire, and they shall be troubled, as Exodus 14:24, funduntur et fugantur cum primum se exserit Deus, as those Philistines, 2 Samuel 5:17,25

Let them also that hate him flee before him] Athanasius telleth us that evil spirits may be put to flight by this psalm; and that Antony, the hermit, fought against the devil with this verse, and worsted him. This may be done also as well with other texts of Scripture. Luther encountered the devil with that sentence, Thou hast put all things under his feet (Colloq. Mens.); another Dutch divine with this, The Son of God came to dissolve the works of the devil; a third with those words, The seed of the woman shall break the serpent's head (Cramerus). As the rocks repel the boisterous waves - conantia frangere, frangunt; so doth Christ, the Rock (the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, Dan 2:45), all his Church's enemies.

Psalms 68:1

1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee beforea him.