Psalms 68:30

Psalm 68:30 . Rebuke, &c. — Chastise those that will not bring presents unto thee till they see their error and submit themselves. It is a prophetical prayer against the enemies of the Israelitish Church. The company of spearmen — The reading in the margin, The beasts of the reeds; or, as קנה חית , chajath kaneh, is still more literally rendered, the beast, or wild beast of the reed, seems preferable here to this which our translators have placed in the text. For although the word הית , rendered congregation, Psalm 68:10 , may signify a company, (see the note there,) it does not appear that there is any sufficient authority for translating קנה , spearmen, the word properly signifying a reed. The LXX. render the clause, επιτιμησον τοις θηριοις του καλαμου , rebuke the beasts of the reed. “By the wild beast (or beasts) of the reeds,” says Dr. Horne, after Poole, Chandler, Lowth, and several other learned men, “is to be understood the Egyptian power, described by its emblem, the crocodile, or river-horse, creatures living among the reeds of the Nile.” In consistency with this interpretation, by the calves of the people, or of the nations, as he translates it, he understands the objects of worship among the Egyptians, their Apis, Osiris, &c., around which the congregation of the mighty (Hebrew, עדת אבירים , gnadath abbirim, rendered in our text, the multitude of the bulls ) assembled to worship. There is, however, one considerable objection to this interpretation.

As David was not now attacked by the Egyptians, nor about to make war upon them, it does not seem likely that he should so particularly advert to them, or pray so pointedly against them, on this occasion. Some enemy, however, of great power, and fierce as a wild beast, was, no doubt, intended. Bishop Patrick, who refers us to 2 Samuel 8:3 , evidently thought that Hadadezer, king of Zobah, and the Syrians were meant. His paraphrase on the clause is, “Destroy that fierce prince, who, like a wild beast out of the forest, comes against us, with a great number of captains as furious as bulls, and of soldiers as insolent as young heifers.” Till every one submit himself — Hebrew, מתרפס , mithrappes, literally, casts himself down, or offers himself to be trod upon. The same word bears the same sense Proverbs 6:3 . With pieces of silver — Bringing pieces of silver by way of tribute, or in token of subjection. This sense of the clause seems to connect best with the context, although, it must be acknowledged, the original text is very obscure, and is capable of several different interpretations, as learned men have shown: see Chandler, Lowth, Dodd, and Horne. Which interpretations it would require more room to state than can be spared in this work.

(30) Rebuke . . . —See margin, which (if we change beasts to beast ) gives the right rendering. So LXX. and Vulgate. The beast of the reed is undoubtedly symbolical of Egypt, whether it be the crocodile or the hippopotamus. Bulls . . . calves.—These are possibly emblems respectively of the strong and the weak—the princes and the common people. (Comp., for a somewhat similar description of the Egyptians, Psalm 76:5-6.) But a slight emendation suggested by Grätz gives the herd of bulls despisers of the people, a reading quite in keeping with the ordinary use of this figure. (See Psalm 22:12; Jeremiah 1:11.) The figure in connection with the bull-worship of Egypt is especially significant. Till every one submit.—This clause still waits for a satisfactory explanation. The Authorised Version is intelligible, but grammatically indefensible. The LXX. are undoubtedly right in taking the verb as a contracted infinitive preceded by a negative particle (comp. Genesis 27:1), and not as a participle. The meaning submit or humble (Proverbs 6:3) is only with violence deduced from the original meaning of the verb, which (see Daniel 7:7) means to stamp like a furious animal. One cognate is used (Ezekiel 34:18) of a herd of bulls fouling the pasture with their feet, and another means to tread. The form of the verb here used might mean to set oneself in quick motion, which is the sense adopted by the LXX. in Proverbs 6:3.

Hence we get rebuke . . . from marching for pieces of silver, the meaning being that a rebuke is administered not only to Egypt, but also to those Jews who took the pay of Egypt as mercenaries, and oppressed the rest of the community, a sense in keeping with the next clause. Scatter.—The verb, as pointed, means hath scattered, but the LXX. support the alteration to the imperative which the context demands.

Verse 30. - Rebuke the company of spear men; rather, the wild beast of the reeds ; i . e . the crocodile or the hippopotamus, either of which may well symbolize the empire of Egypt, the mightiest of the heathen powers in David's time. The multitude of the bulls represents other heathen powers, Assyria perhaps especially, which had the human-headed and winged bull for its principal emblem. With the calves of the people; rather, of peoples - an obscure phrase, perhaps meaning inferior powers. Till every one submit himself with pieces of silver; literally, (each) submitting himself to thee with pieces of silver . This is given as the result of the rebukes. When the various earth powers have been "rebuked" or chastised by God, then they will submit to bring gifts, or pay tribute, to Israel (comp. ver. 18). Scatter thou the people that delight in war. This is exegetical of the first clause - rebuke these various world powers that delight in war by "scattering" them, or putting them to flight before their enemies. Psalm 68:30

Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one {a} submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war. (a) He desires that the pride of the mighty may be destroyed, who were accustomed to garnishing their shoes with silver, and therefore for their glittering pomp thought themselves above all men.

Rebuke, to wit, really; humble and chastise those that will not bring presents to thee, as the kings did, Psalm 68:29 , till they see their error and submit themselves, as it here follows. The company; so this word signifies here above, Psalm 68:11 2 Samuel 23:11 Psalm 74:19 . Or, the beast , or wild beast , as this word is elsewhere used, i.e. the beasts; the singular being put for the plural: so the sense is the same. Spear-men, Heb. of the reed , i.e. that use spears or arrows; which may be called reeds , either because in length and form they resemble reeds , or because anciently they were made of reeds. And this sense seems favoured by the last words of this verse, in which he explains this and the other metaphors of warriors. Or the reed may be taken properly; and by the beast of the reed he may understand the king of Egypt, who then was a very potent and a most idolatrous king, and a great and old enemy to the true religion, and to the people of Israel, whom therefore he desires God to rebuke and humble, that he may acknowledge the true God, which is foretold that he shall do, Psalm 68:31 . As for this enigmatical designation of this king, that is agreeable enough both to the usage of the prophets in such cases, and to the rules of prudence; and upon the same account the prophet Jeremiah, threatening destruction against Babylon, calls it enigmatically Sheshach , Jeremiah 25:26 51:41 , and St. Paul calls Nero the lion , 2 Timothy 4:17 .

But then this one king, being eminent in his kind, is by a usual synecdoche put for all of them which were enemies to God’s people. Bulls; by which he doubtless understands men of war, as the following words expound it; the great, and potent, and fierce, and furious adversaries of God, and of his church, as this word is used, Psalm 22:12 Isaiah 34:7 . And consequently the calves must be their people or soldiers depending upon them, and joining with them in these acts of hostility against thine Israel. Submit himself with pieces of silver: this he adds as a limitation of his request; Rebuke them, O Lord, not to utter destruction, but only till they be humbled and submit themselves, and in token thereof bring pieces of silver for presents, as was foretold, Psalm 68:29 . For submit himself , it is in the Hebrew cast himself down , or offer himself to be trod upon . But because this supplement may seem too large, and not necessary, the words are and may be rendered otherwise, that tread upon , or walk proudly in or with, fragments or pieces of silver , wherewith eminent captains used to adorn themselves and their very horses. And so this belongs to the bulls and calves , whose pride, and wealth, and power is described in this manner. Scatter thou , Heb. he hath scattered , i.e. he will certainly scatter, according to the prophetical style.

30 . the company of spearmen ] Better as R.V., the wild beast of the reeds, i.e. the crocodile, or rather, the hippopotamus, which is described in Job 40:21 as lying “in the covert of the reed.” It is a symbolical designation of Egypt, which is mentioned either as the typical enemy of Israel, or with reference to circumstances of the time. the multitude of Me bulls, with the calves of the people ] R.V. peoples. The kings or leaders of heathen nations, followed by their peoples as the calves of the herd follow the bulls. Cp. Jeremiah 46:20-21 , R.V. ‘Bulls’ suggests the idea of proud defiance; ‘calves’ that of comfortable security. till every one submit himself with pieces of silver ] Lit. as R.V. marg., Every one submitting himself &c. Their proud spirits are subdued by the irresistible divine ‘rebuke’ ( Psalm 76:6 ; Isaiah 17:13 ); they prostrate themselves in the dust before the Lord of the world, and offer tribute of their wealth. Cp. Isaiah 60:9 . This gives a fair sense, but the construction is difficult. The difficulty is avoided by the rendering of R.V., which makes the participle refer to God: Trampling under foot the pieces of silver, i.e. spurning the tribute which they bring Thee. The true meaning is however quite uncertain, and the text is very possibly corrupt. The Ancient Versions vary greatly, some of them pointing to varieties of reading.