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Psalm 68:8-10
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 68:8-10
New Catholic Bible
8 [a]O God, when you set out at the head of your people,
when you went marching through the wilderness, Selah
9 the earth quaked,[b]
and rain poured down from the heavens,
at the presence of God, the One of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
10 [c]You poured down rain in abundance, O God,
and revived your exhausted inheritance.
Footnotes
- Psalm 68:8 This third part recalls God’s march at the head of his people from Egypt, through the Desert of Sinai, and into the Promised Land (see Ps 60:14; Ex 13:21; 19:16; Num 14:14; Deut 33:2; Hab 3:3).
- Psalm 68:9 Earth quaked: a reference to the “trembling” of Mount Sinai (see Ex 19:18). Rain poured down from the heavens: although there is no record of rain in the Sinai story, there is mention of “thunder, lightning, a dense cloud” (see Ex 19:16), which would usually indicate rain. In addition, rain is connected with the shaking of the earth (see Jdg 5:4).
- Psalm 68:10 These two verses evoke the miracles of the Exodus: the cloud (see Ex 13:21; Num 14:14), the manna and quail (see Ps 78:24f; Ex 16:4f), and the entrance into the Promised Land (v. 11: it was there).
