Psalms 108

Chapter context

What is happening in Psalms 108?

prayerpraiselamentkingship

Psalms 108 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book IV. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. ² Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. ³ I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations. ⁴ For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. ⁵ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth; ⁶ That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me. ⁷ God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. ⁸ Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver; ⁹ Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph. ¹⁰ Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? ¹¹ Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? ¹² Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. ¹³ Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

Study helps

Glossary

Shechem Place v. 7: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Balatah.
Valley of Succoth Place v. 7: Biblical valley. Modern identification: Tell Deir Alla.
Gilead Place v. 8: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tell edh Dhahab esh Sherqiyeh.
Edom Place v. 9-10: Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.
Moab Place v. 9: Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.
Philistia Place v. 9: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Ashkelon.
City People v. 10: The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).