Commentary - Psalm 68:11-14

Bird's-eye view

This short passage is a vibrant snapshot within the grand, triumphal procession of Psalm 68. It describes the mechanics of a holy victory, God's victory. The sequence is crucial: God speaks the decisive word, the good news of this victory is then joyfully proclaimed by a great company of women, the enemy kings are routed, and the spoils of war are distributed throughout the entire covenant community, even to those who remained at home. The passage concludes with two powerful and somewhat enigmatic images: the people of God, at rest, are adorned with unimaginable beauty and wealth, and the battlefield itself is transformed by the Almighty's power. This is a portrait of the Gospel pattern: God acts, the news is proclaimed, enemies are scattered, and God's people are enriched and beautified by a victory they did not achieve on their own.

In essence, this is a song about the effectiveness of God's Word. When He gives the command, armies fly. When He declares a victory, it is total. The role of the people is to celebrate and distribute the plunder of His grace. This is not just ancient history; it is a paradigm for how the Kingdom of Christ advances in the world. The Lord gives the word of the gospel, the church proclaims it, spiritual tyrants are overthrown, and the saints enjoy the riches of Christ.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 68 is a magnificent, sprawling anthem celebrating God as the Divine Warrior who leads His people in a victory march. It begins by invoking the ancient words of Moses from Numbers 10, "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered." The entire psalm traces God's victorious movement, from His appearance at Sinai, through the wilderness, to His ultimate dwelling place in Zion. It is filled with historical allusions to past victories, like the conquest of Canaan. Our passage, verses 11-14, functions as a specific illustration of how these victories unfold. It follows a description of God's awesome power in the wilderness (vv. 7-10) and precedes a celebration of God's chosen dwelling in Zion (vv. 15-18). This section, therefore, provides the crucial link: how does the God of Sinai become the God of Zion? By winning decisive battles, the news of which must be proclaimed.

Key Issues

The Gospel According to the Spoils

We live in an age that is embarrassed by the idea of spoils, of plunder. But the Bible is not embarrassed by it at all. When God wins a victory, there are results. There is loot. When Christ triumphed over sin and death on the cross, He "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him" (Col. 2:15). And what did He do with that victory? He "ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men" (Eph. 4:8, quoting this very psalm). The spoils of Christ's victory are the gifts He lavishes upon His church: forgiveness, righteousness, the Holy Spirit, eternal life. This passage in Psalm 68 is a beautiful Old Covenant picture of this New Covenant reality. The victory belongs entirely to God, but the benefits, the glorious plunder, are distributed freely to His people. To understand this is to understand the heart of grace. We do not earn the treasure; we receive it from the hand of our victorious King.

Verse by Verse Commentary

11 The Lord gives the word; The women who proclaim the good news are a great host:

Everything begins with God. He is the active agent. The victory does not begin with a battle plan, but with a divine utterance. The Lord gives the word. This could be the command to go into battle, confident of success, or it could be the news of the victory itself, sent back from the front. Either way, the message originates with God. Man does not conjure this victory. And what happens when God speaks this word of triumph? It is proclaimed. Specifically, it is proclaimed by a "great host" of women. This is the Old Testament equivalent of evangelism. Think of Miriam leading the women in dance and song after the Red Sea crossing (Ex. 15:20). The men fight the battle, and the women celebrate and publish the victory far and wide. This is a glorious and orderly picture. The good news of God's mighty acts is so wonderful that it cannot be contained; it bursts forth in joyful, corporate praise, and here the women are the designated leaders of that great chorus.

12 “Kings of armies retreat, they retreat, And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!”

This verse is likely the content of the women's song, the "good news" they are proclaiming. The victory is absolute. "Kings of armies," the most powerful forces on earth, are in full flight. The Hebrew phrase "retreat, they retreat" emphasizes the panicked and complete nature of the rout. They are not just defeated; they are scattered and running for their lives. The second line is just as remarkable. The victory is so comprehensive that its benefits extend to the entire community. She who remains at home, the wife and mother managing the household, gets to take part in the distribution of the plunder. The victory won on the field of battle blesses the hearth and home. This is a fundamental principle of covenant life. When the head of the household works and provides, the whole family is nourished. When the men of a nation secure the borders, the women and children enjoy peace. And when Christ our Head wins the ultimate victory, the entire church, His bride, shares in the glorious spoils.

13 If you men lie down among the sheepfolds, You all would be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And its pinions with glistening gold.

This is a notoriously difficult verse to translate, but the sense of it is clear within the context of victory. After the battle, the soldiers are at rest. "Lying down among the sheepfolds" (or campfires, or saddlebags) is a picture of peace and security. The war is over. And in that state of rest, what is their condition? They are adorned with breathtaking beauty and wealth. They are like a dove, a common bird, that is suddenly and miraculously covered in precious metals. The image is one of transformation. These are dusty, weary soldiers, but because of God's victory, they are now radiantly beautiful. The silver and gold are the spoils of victory, the plunder taken from the defeated kings. This is a picture of the church. We are the common ones, the dusty ones. But when we rest in the finished work of Christ, we are clothed with an alien righteousness, adorned with the riches of His grace, and made beautiful in the sight of God.

14 When the Almighty dispersed the kings there, It was snowing in Zalmon.

This verse ties the beauty of the previous verse directly to the action of God. The reason the dove is covered in silver is because the Almighty dispersed the kings. The word for Almighty is Shaddai, emphasizing His overwhelming power. And what was the visible result of this divine scattering? "It was snowing in Zalmon." The name Zalmon means "dark" or "shadowy." So on this dark mountain, something bright and pure appears. Some commentators believe this refers to the bones of the slain enemy bleaching in the sun, covering the dark hillside like snow. Others see it as a literal, miraculous snowfall, a sign of God's presence and purifying power accompanying the victory. In either case, the meaning is the same: God's victory brings brilliant light into the darkest of places. His triumph transforms the landscape of despair into one of dazzling purity and glory. This is what the gospel does. It shines in the darkest hearts and transforms the shadowy places of this world with the bright, clean glory of God.

Application

The pattern laid out in this psalm is the pattern we are called to live in. First, we must recognize that the decisive "word" has already been given by the Lord. That word is the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has already crushed the head of the serpent. He has already routed the kings of darkness. The victory is an accomplished fact.

Second, our task is to be the "great host" who proclaims this good news. The church is God's choir, tasked with singing the song of His victory to the nations. This is not a song of what we will do for God, but a song of what He has done for us. It is the announcement of a rout.

Third, we are to live as those who are dividing the spoil. We are not trying to win a victory that is already won. We are to take possession of the riches that are ours in Christ: forgiveness of sins, peace with God, the gift of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with the saints. The Christian life is one of plunder, of joyfully taking hold of all that Christ has won for us.

Finally, we must learn to rest "among the sheepfolds." We must cease from our own striving and find our peace in His finished work. It is only when we are at rest in Him that we begin to reflect His glory, to be adorned like that dove with the silver and gold of a grace we did not earn. When we live this way, the world will see a dark place, a Zalmon, covered in the pure snow of God's miraculous grace.