gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
commanded
צִוָּ֥הtzi.Vah
H6680
(intensively) to constitute · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
strength
עֻ֫זֶּ֥ךָ'u.Ze.kha
H5797
strength in various applications (force · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
strengthen
עוּזָּ֥ה'u.Zah
H5810
to be stout (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular + paragogic he
God
אֱלֹהִ֑ים'E.lo.Him
H430
gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
which
ז֝֗וּZu
H2098
this or that · relative particle
wrought
פָּעַ֥לְתָּpa.'Al.ta
H6466
to do or make (systematically and habitually) · verb, qal perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
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
Psalms 71:3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortre…
Psalms 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and…
Psalms 42:8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my li…
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory…
Ephesians 3:17-20 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
2 Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness…
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…
Thanks for the past, and confident prayer for the future victories of Zion are mingled in a song of praise.
John Gill on Psalms 68:28
Thy God hath commanded thy strength,.... Which is either an apostrophe or an address to the Messiah, as in Psalm 45:7; declaring, that as his God and Father had purposed and promised to send forth, so he had sent forth, the rod of his strength out of Zion, Psalm 110:1; that is, his Gospel, both into the several cities of Judea, and into the Gentile world, where it was the power of God unto salvation, both to Jew and Gentile: or else these words are spoken to the churches and congregations, in whom the Lord's name was to be blessed; or to the princes, rulers, and governors of them before mentioned, showing that the Lord has made good his promise to them, that as their day was their strength s…
Psalm 68:28-30
28. Thy God hath commanded thy strength; strengthen, O God! that which thou hast wrought in us. 29. From thy temple upon Jerusalem kings shall bring presents unto thee. 30. Destroy the company of spearmen, (literally, of the reed,) the multitude of bulls with the calves of the people, treading with their feet upon pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.
28. Thy God hath commanded thy strength Men are always disposed to arrogate to themselves the glory of what they may have done instead of tracing their success to God, and David reminds the people once more that they had not triumphed by their own strength, but by power communicated from above. If they…
The Church Fathers
Confirm this, O God, which you have worked in us. This salvation, which you have granted us through your passion, confirm, and give aid; because we are men, and we cannot advance in the virtues, if we have not obtained your help.
"Command, O God, Your Virtue" [Psalm 68:28]. For one is our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, [1 Corinthians 8:6] and we in Him, of whom we read that He is "the Virtue of God and the Wisdom of God." [1 Corinthians 1:24] But how does God command His Christ, save while He commends Him? For "God commends His love in us, in that while yet we were sinners, for us Christ died." [Romans 5:8] "How has He not also with Him given to us all things?" [Romans 8:32] "Command, O God, Your Virtue: confirm, O God, that which You have wrought in us." Command by teaching, confirm by aiding.
Therefore we know both the will to do good and the ability to do good come from God. David agrees completely with this, showing that by the command of divine generosity the grace of a good will is granted: "Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way." We have no good works in us unless they come from God, and we bear witness that it is done in God, saying, "Show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before." And in another place: "With God we shall do valiantly," that is, the work of virtue. So here in the place of the work of virtue, he said "virtue" just as John, for the work of justice, spoke of doing justice. For he says, "The person who acts in righteousness is righteous." Paul also wants us to do the will of God, saying, "May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, Jesus our Lord, furnish you with all that is good, that you may do his will."
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
Blessing · SPIRITUAL, FROM GOD — SPIRITUAL, FROM GOD
Desire · SPIRITUAL — SPIRITUAL
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).
The poet now looks forth beyond the domain of Israel, and describes the effects of Jahve's deed of judgment and deliverance in the Gentile world. The language of Psa 68:29 is addressed to Israel, or rather to its king (Psa 86:16; Psa 110:2): God, to whom everything is subject, has given Israel עז, victory and power over the world. Out of the consciousness that He alone can preserve Israel upon this height of power upon which it is placed, who has placed it thereon, grows the prayer: establish (עוּזּה with וּ for ŭ, as is frequently the case, and with the accent on the ultima on account of the following Aleph, vid., on Psa 6:5), Elohim, that which Thou hast wrought for us; עזז, roborare, as…
The people pray for God’s success and for victory over the enemy nations (68:1-3).
Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 68:28
Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.
Thy God hath commanded thy strength. His decree had ordained the nation strong, and his arm had made them so. As a commander in chief, the Lord made the valiant men pass in battle array, and bade them be strong in the day of conflict. This is a very rich though brief sentence, and, whether applied to an individual believer, or to the whole church, it is full of consolation. Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us. As all power comes from God at first, so its continual maintenance is also of him. We who have life should pray to have it more "abundantly; "if we have strength we should s…
