Psalms 68:25

The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
singers	שָׁ֭רִים Sha.rim	H7891	to sing · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
before	קִדְּמ֣וּ ki.de.Mu	H6923	to project (one self) · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person common plural
instruments	נֹגְנִ֑ים no.ge.Nim	H5059	properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
after	אַחַ֣ר 'a.Char	H310	properly · cardinal number, masculine singular absolute
among	בְּת֥וֹךְ be.Tokh	H8432	a bisection · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
damsels	עֲ֝לָמ֗וֹת a.la.Mot	H5959	a lass (as veiled or private) · noun, common feminine plural absolute
timbrels	תּוֹפֵפֽוֹת to.fe.Fot	H8608	to drum · verb, qal active participle, feminine plural absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Chronicles 13:8 And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, a…
Judges 11:34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his on…
Exodus 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with danc…
1 Samuel 18:6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Isr…
Revelation 14:2-3 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping…
Revelation 15:2-3 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his…
Psalms 87:7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee.
Psalms 148:12-13 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 68:22-31

In these verses we have three things: - I. The gracious promise which God makes of the redemption of his people, and their victory over his and their enemies (Psa 68:22, Psa 68:23): The Lord said, in his own gracious purpose and promise, "I will do great things for my people, as the God of their salvation," Psa 68:20. God will not fail the expectations of those who by faith take him for their God. It is promised, 1. That he will set them in safety from their danger, as he had done formerly: "I will again bring them from the depths of the sea," as he did Israel when he brought them out of the slavery of Egypt into the ease and liberty of the wilderness; "and I will again bring them from Bash…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 68:24

The triumphal procession, after the deliverance, is depicted. They have seen--impersonally, "There have been seen." the goings of my God--as leading the procession; the ark, the symbol of His presence, being in front. The various bands of music (Psa 68:25) follow, and all who are--

John Gill on Psalms 68:25

The singers went before,.... The apostles and ministers of the word, the sweet singers of Israel, the charmers that charm so very wisely: the Gospel is a joyful sound; it is like vocal music, harmonious and delightful; it is as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, as Ezekiel's ministry was, Ezekiel 33:32; it is a voice of love, grace, and mercy, of peace, pardon, and righteousness, and of eternal life and salvation by Christ; it is as music in the ears of sensible souls, when sounded forth, and sung out clearly and distinctly by the faithful ministers of it. The allusion seems to be to singers going before armies, when marching to battle, or returning with victory; see 2 Chr…

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John Calvin on Psalms 68:25-27

Psalm 68:25-27 25. The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; in the midst were the damsels playing with timbrels. [47] 26. Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, O ye who are of the fountain of Israel! 27. There is little Benjamin their ruler, the princes of Judah in their assembly, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali. 25. The singers went before It is evident that he does not now speak of an army in battle array, but of a solemn assembly held for offering up thanksgivings to God for victory. God had openly shown that he was their leader in war, and to him the song of triumph is with propriety addressed. Mention is made of distinct choir…

The Church Fathers

The princes went before, joined with those making melody. The apostles themselves went before, and those who through them believed followed: or certainly the churches. But he says "of the timbrel-players" because their body is dead to sin. And Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron, holding a timbrel in Exodus, went before those making melody, and said: "Let us sing to the Lord, for gloriously has he been honored."
— Jerome, Homily 7, on Psalm 67

But in order that those steps might be seen, "there went before princes conjoined with men psalming, in the midst of damsels players on timbrels" [Psalm 68:25]. The princes are the Apostles: for they went before, that the peoples might come in multitudes. "They went before" proclaiming the New Testament: "conjoined with men psalming," by whose good works that were even visible, as it were with instruments of praise, God was glorified. But those same princes are "in the midst of damsels players on timbrels," to wit, in an honourable ministry: for thus in the midst are ministers set over new Churches; for this is "damsels:" with flesh subdued praising God; for this is "players on timbrels," because timbrels are made of skin dried and stretched.
— Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 68

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Music, Instrumental — Among instruments of music used by the Hebrews a principal place is given to stringed instruments. These were, (1.) The kinnor, the “harp.” (2.) The nebel, “a skin bottle,” rendered “psaltery.” (3.)…
Neginah — In the title of Ps. 61, denotes the music of stringed instruments (1 Sam. 16:16; Isa. 38:20). It is the singular form of Neginoth.
Sabbath — (Heb. verb shabbath, meaning “to rest from labour”), the day of rest. It is first mentioned as having been instituted in Paradise, when man was in innocence (Gen. 2:2). “The sabbath was made for…
Timbrel, Tabret — (Heb. toph). In old English tabor was used for any drum. Tabouret and tambourine are diminutives of tabor, and denote the instrument now known as the tambourine. Tabret is a contraction of tabouret.…
Music · Instruments of: Timbrel — Instruments of: Timbrel
Timbrel · Used in religious services — Used in religious services

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Psalms 68:25

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 68:22-31

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 68:24

John Gill on Psalms 68:25

John Calvin on Psalms 68:25-27

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Psalms 68:25

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 68:22-31

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 68:24

John Gill on Psalms 68:25

John Calvin on Psalms 68:25-27

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 68:19-27

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 68:24-27

Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 68:25