Christianity
Psalms 76God Known in Judah
Summary
Psalm 76, attributed by its heading to Asaph, celebrates God as the defender of Zion who broke the bows, shields and swords of an attacking army and left its warriors in the sleep of death. It is the only psalm to call Jerusalem Salem, the name of Melchizedek's city. Some interpreters, following an ancient Greek heading, connect it with the defeat of the Assyrian army in 2 Kings 19, though the psalm itself names no enemy.
Key verse
“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”
Psalms 76:10
Themes
- God the Defender
- Protection of Zion
- Humbling the Proud
- Awe Before God
Text
In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.
Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,
When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.
Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.
Across traditions
Christianity
Genesis 14: Melchizedek, King of SalemGenesis 14:18 introduces Melchizedek as king of Salem and priest of the most high God. Psalm 76:2 uses the same old name in parallel with Zion, and Jewish and Christian tradition generally identify Salem with Jerusalem.
Christianity
2 Kings 19: The Assyrian Camp Struck2 Kings 19:35 reports that the angel of the LORD struck the Assyrian camp besieging Jerusalem in a single night. Psalm 76 never names Assyria, so the link is a traditional reading rather than a stated setting.
Judaism
Psalm 76 in the JPS 1917 TanakhIn the JPS 1917 numbering the heading counts as verse 1, so the line about Salem appears as verse 3 there rather than verse 2.
Questions about Psalms 76
Where is Salem in Psalm 76?
Psalm 76:2 places God's tabernacle in Salem and his dwelling in Zion, using the two names side by side. Most readers take Salem as an ancient name for Jerusalem, the same name given to Melchizedek's city in Genesis 14:18.
What does 'the wrath of man shall praise thee' mean?
Psalm 76:10 says that even human fury ends up serving God's glory, and that God restrains whatever wrath remains. Readers often take it as confidence that hostile plans cannot finally defeat God's purposes.