Psalms 68:16

Psalms 68:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever.
• New International Version (NIV)why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord himself will dwell forever?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.

Context of Psalms 68:16

14When the Almighty God chased away foreign kings, it was like snow that fell on Mount Zalmon. 15Bashan mountain is great, like God. It has many high rocks. You high mountains, why are you jealous when you look at Zion mountain? That is the mountain where God has chosen to live. Yes, that is where the Lord will live for ever! 17God has millions of chariots. The Lord has come from Sinai mountain to his own holy place. 18When you went up to the highest place, you took many prisoners with you. You received gifts from men, even from the men who had fought against you. Yes, the Lord God lives there!

Psalms 68:16 word by word

לָ֤מָּה׀ תְּֽרַצְּדוּן֮ הָרִ֪ים גַּבְנֻ֫נִּ֥ים הָהָ֗ר חָמַ֣ד אֱלֹהִ֣ים לְשִׁבְתּ֑וֹ אַף־יְ֝הוָ֗ה יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן לָנֶֽצַח׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Why leapרָצַדrâtsad · to watch with envyH7520
• ye, ye highגַּבְנֹןgabnôn · peakH1386
• hillsהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• desirethחָמַדchâmad · to desireH2530
• to dwell inיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• yea, the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• will dwellשָׁכַןshâkan · to dwellH7931
• for everנֵ֫צַחnetsach nêtsach · perpetuityH5331

Cross-references for Psalms 68:16

• Psalms 114:4The mountains shook, like sheep that are jumping. The hills jumped like lambs.
• Isaiah 2:2This is what will happen in the last days. The mountain where the Lord's temple is will continue to be there. It will be the most important mountain of all. It will be higher than all the hills around it. People from every nation will go there all the time.
• Psalms 132:13The Lord has chosen Zion to be his home.
• Deuteronomy 12:5The Lord will choose one place from the land where all your tribes live. That is the place where people must go to worship him. That is his special home.
• 1 Kings 9:3The Lord said to Solomon, ‘I have heard your prayer and how you have asked me to help you. I have made this temple that you have built a special place for me. People will worship me there for ever. I will always be there to watch over it.
• Hebrews 12:22But as believers in Christ, you have not come to God in that way. You have come to Mount Zion. You have come to the city of the true God who lives. You have come to the city of Jerusalem that is in heaven. There are many thousands of happy angels all together in that place.
• Revelation 21:2I saw God's own holy city, called the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. It was very beautiful, like a bride who is wearing beautiful clothes, ready to meet her husband.

Commentaries on Psalms 68:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16Why leap ye, ye high hills? - "God said, Why leap ye, ye high hills? It is not pleasing to me to give my law upon high and towering hills. Behold, Mount Sinai is low; and the Word of the Lord has desired to place on it the Divine majesty. Moreover, the Lord dwells for ever in the heaven of heavens." - Targum. The psalmist is speaking particularly of the mountains of Judea, and those of Gilead; the former were occupied by the Canaanites, and the others by…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16Why leap ye, ye high hills? - That is, with exultation; with pride; with conscious superiority. Why do you seem to regard yourselves as so superior to Mount Zion, in strength, in beauty, in grandeur? The Hebrew, however - רצד râtsad - rather means, “Why do ye watch insidiously? why do ye look askance at?” The word occurs only in this place. In Arabic it means to watch closely; to lie in wait for. This is the idea here. The mountains around Palestine…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-21Verses 15-21 The ascension of Christ must here be meant, and thereto it is applied, Ep 4:8. He received as the purchase of his death, the gifts needful for the conversion of sinners, and the salvation of believers. These he continually bestows, even on rebellious men, that the Lord God might dwell among them, as their Friend and Father. He gave gifts to men. Having received power to give eternal life, the Lord Jesus bestows it on as many as were given…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16Why do you gaze in envy: Bashan is more impressive than the mountains around Jerusalem, but it was not the Lord's home. Only Mount Zion had the honor of being God's dwelling place.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1615-16. Mountains are often symbols of nations (Psa 46:2; 65:6). That of Bashan, northeast of Palestine, denotes a heathen nation, which is described as a "hill of God," or a great hill. Such are represented as envious of the hill (Zion) on which God resides;Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 68:16

• God

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Commentaries on Psalms 68

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• The Treasury of David
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings