Psalm 68:30 New English Translation
30 Sound your battle cry against[a] the wild beast of the reeds,[b]
and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls.[c]
They humble themselves[d] and offer gold and silver as tribute.[e]
God[f] scatters[g] the nations that like to do battle.
Footnotes
- Psalm 68:30 tn The Hebrew verb גָּעַר (gaʿar) is often understood to mean “rebuke.” In some cases it is apparent that scolding or threatening is in view (see Gen 37:10; Ruth 2:16; Zech 3:2). However, in militaristic contexts such as Ps 68 this translation is inadequate, for the verb refers in this setting to the warrior’s battle cry, which terrifies and paralyzes the enemy. See A. Caquot, TDOT 3:53, and note the use of the verb in Ps 106:9 and Nah 1:4, as well as the related noun in Job 26:11; Pss 18:15; 76:6; 104:7; Isa 50:2; 51:20; 66:15.
- Psalm 68:30 sn The wild beast of the reeds probably refers to a hippopotamus, which in turn symbolizes the nation of Egypt.
- Psalm 68:30 tn Heb “an assembly of bulls, with calves of the nations.”
- Psalm 68:30 tn Heb “humbling himself.” The verb form is a Hitpael participle from the root רָפַס (rafas, “to trample”). The Hitpael of this verb appears only here and in Prov 6:3, where it seems to mean, “humble oneself,” a nuance that fits nicely in this context. The apparent subject is “wild beast” or “assembly,” though both of these nouns are grammatically feminine, while the participle is a masculine form. Perhaps one should emend the participial form to a masculine plural (מִתְרַפִּם, mitrappim) and understand “bulls” or “calves” as the subject.
- Psalm 68:30 tc Heb “with pieces [?] of silver.” The meaning of the Hebrew term רַצֵּי (ratse) is unclear. It is probably best to emend the text to בֶּצֶר וְכָסֶף (betser vekhasef, “[with] gold and silver”).
- Psalm 68:30 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Psalm 68:30 tn The verb בָּזַר (bazar) is an alternative form of פָּזַר (pazar, “scatter”).
New English Translation (NET)
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