Psalms 60

Chapter context

What is happening in Psalms 60?

prayerpraiselamentkingship

Psalms 60 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book II. 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, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again. ² Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh. ³ Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. ⁴ Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. ⁵ That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me. ⁶ God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. ⁷ Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver; ⁸ Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me. ⁹ Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? ¹⁰ Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies? ¹¹ Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. ¹² Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

Study helps

Glossary

Aram-naharaim Place v. 1: Biblical region. Modern identification: Harran.
Edom Place v. 1, 8-9: Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.
Valley of Salt Place v. 1: Biblical special. Modern identification: Es Sebkha.
Zobah Place v. 1: Biblical region. Modern identification: Brital.
Shechem Place v. 6: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell Balatah.
Valley of Succoth Place v. 6: Biblical valley. Modern identification: Tell Deir Alla.
Gilead Place v. 7: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tell edh Dhahab esh Sherqiyeh.
Moab Place v. 8: Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.
Philistia Place v. 8: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Ashkelon.
City People v. 9: 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).