Psalm 68:1-2

New Catholic Bible

Footnotes

1. Psalm 68:1 This psalm may have been used in a processional liturgy celebrating the triumphal march of Israel’s God to his sanctuary, possibly as part of the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles that included a procession of the tribes (vv. 25-28). With the words “May God rise up, . . .” the poet sets in motion the procession with the Ark, as at the time when it went before the marches of the people (v. 2; see Num 10:35). And he lets the whole history of Israel unfold before our eyes like a grand march of God, like his procession into the heart of Jerusalem. God rises, and the darkness dissipates; he takes the head of his people, and the adversaries are thrown into disorder. This epic poem assembles a series of allusive images, many of which remain obscure for us.
   In this coming of God, however, we will recognize stirring moments in the destiny of Israel: the Exodus from Egypt and the divine manifestation at Sinai (vv. 8-9; see Ex 19:16), the wonders of the Exodus (vv. 10-11), the exploits of the Judges (vv. 12-15; see Book of Judges), the Conquest of Jerusalem (vv. 15-19), the sad fate of the criminal Ahab (v. 24; see 1 Ki 21:19), and the solemn Passover of Hezekiah who had reunited all the tribes of Israel (vv. 25-36; see 2 Chr 30), which foreshadowed the gathering in the holy city of the pagans who had finally come to render homage to the Lord of all nations.
   The important thing in this psalm is not so much to grasp all the allusions as it is to let ourselves be carried along by the rhythm of the chant; we should listen to it as to a heroic march, as the glorious epic that draws Israel out of the atmosphere of everyday life. It is the ideal psalm for processions to the temple.
   In the ascent of God, who rises to take possession of the sacred hill of Jerusalem, the apostle Paul sees the Ascension of Christ, who draws after him the redeemed people, the Church that is filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit (v. 19; see Eph 4:8-11). When Christians sing this hymn, they recall the presence of God in the working out of the world’s destiny and the march of humanity, which is continually called by God until it is made one again in glory.
2. Psalm 68:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
3. Psalm 68:2 This first of nine parts prays that God will come at the head of his people to defeat their enemies and enter his sanctuary in triumph.