PSALM 60

The Star Spangled Banner of Israel

God’s rejection (vv.1-3)

1 O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us;	You have been angry; O, restore us.
2 You have made the land quake, You have split it open;	Heal its breaches, for it totters.
3 You have made Your people experience hardship;	You have given us wine to drink that makes us stagger. (Isaiah 51:17-23)

Prayer for deliverance (vv.4-5)

4 You have given a banner to those who fear You,	That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. (cf. Isa.11:10)
5 That Your beloved may be delivered, [1]	Save with Your right hand, and answer us!

God speaks (vv.6-8)

6 God has spoken in His holiness: [2]	“I will exult, I will portion out Shechem	and measure out the valley of Succoth. [3]
7 “Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine;	Ephraim also is the helmet of My head; [4]	Judah is My scepter. [5] (Gen.49:10)
8 “Moab is My washbowl;	Over Edom I shall throw My shoe (2 Sam.8:14);	Shout loud, O Philistia, because of Me!” (cf. 1 Cor.15:25) [6]

Valiant deeds through God (vv.9-12)

9 Who will bring me into the besieged city?	Who will lead me to Edom? (cf. Obadiah 3)
10 Have not You Yourself, O God, rejected us?	And will You not go forth with our armies, O God? (Psalm 44:9b)
11 O give us help against the adversary,	For deliverance by man is in vain.
12 Through God we shall do valiantly,	And it is He who will tread down our adversaries.

[1] Verses 5-11 are nearly the same to Psalm 108:6-13; in fact, Psalm 108 is a combination of Psalm 57:7-11 (108:1-5) + Psalm 60:5-11 (108:6-13). Interestingly, and perhaps significantly, the verses appropriated by Psalm 108 are taken after the “Selah” in 60:4 (Psalm 108:6-13 with 60:5-11) and after the “Selah” in 57:6 (Psalm 108:1-5 with 57:7-11).

“Selah,” occurs 71 times in the Psalter and 3 times in Habakkuk 3. In four instances, two Psalms are connected by it (Psalms 3–4; 9–10; 24–25; 46–47).

[2] cf. Deut.26:5-10; Josh.24:2-13; cf. Ps.44:9-16

[3] The NASB95 misses the Hebrew parallelism of v.6b which is chiastic:

(A) “I will exult, I will portion out

(B) Shechem

(B’) and the valley of Succoth

(A’)I will measure out.

[4] “helmet of My head” (v.7) is the antonym of “My washbowl” (v.8).

[5]“My scepter” (v.7) is the antonym of “My shoe” (v.8). What is being emphasized in vv.7-8 is rule and servitude.

[6] God also speaks directly in Psalms 50:7-22; 81:6-16; 95:9-11; 108:7-9; 110:1,4.