Psalms 68:16
Psalms 68:16 in Multiple Translations
Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling, where the LORD will surely dwell forever.
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.
Why look ye askance, ye high mountains, At the mountain which God hath desired for his abode? Yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever.
Why are you looking with envy, you high hills, on the hill desired by God as his resting-place? truly, God will make it his house for ever.
why do you look enviously, mountain with many peaks, at the mountain God chose as his home, where the Lord will live forever?
Why leape ye, ye high mountaines? as for this Mountaine, God deliteth to dwell in it: yea, the Lord will dwell in it for euer.
Why do ye envy, O high hills, The hill God hath desired for His seat? Jehovah also doth tabernacle for ever.
Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, the LORD will dwell there forever.
Why leap ye, ye lofty hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yes, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.
Let not the tempest of water drown me, nor the deep swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
But the people who live near that mountain should not [RHQ] envy those who live near Zion, the mountain on which God chose to live! Yahweh will live there forever!
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 68:16
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 68:16 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
הַר
אֱ֭לֹהִים
הַר
בָּשָׁ֑ן
הַ֥ר
גַּ֝בְנֻנִּ֗ים
הַר
בָּשָֽׁן
הַר
har
H2022
mountain
N-ms
אֱ֭לֹהִים
ʼĕlôhîym
H430
God
N-mp
הַר
har
H2022
mountain
N-ms
בָּשָׁ֑ן
Bâshân
H1316
Bashan
N-proper
הַ֥ר
har
H2022
mountain
N-ms
גַּ֝בְנֻנִּ֗ים
gabnôn
H1386
peak
N-mp
הַר
har
H2022
mountain
N-ms
בָּשָֽׁן
Bâshân
H1316
Bashan
N-proper
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 68:16
הַר
har
H2022
"mountain"
N-ms
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Definition: : mount/hill hill, mountain, hill country, mount
Usage: Occurs in 486 OT verses. KJV: hill (country), mount(-ain), [idiom] promotion. See also: Genesis 7:19; Deuteronomy 3:12; Judges 18:13.
אֱ֭לֹהִים
ʼĕlôhîym
H430
"God"
N-mp
The Hebrew word for God, elohim, refers to the one supreme God, and is sometimes used to show respect to judges or magistrates. It is also used to describe angels or mighty beings. This word is closely related to the name of the Lord, Yahweh, and is often translated as God or gods in the Bible.
Definition: This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God" Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
Usage: Occurs in 2246 OT verses. KJV: angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty. See also: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 22:12; Exodus 3:11.
הַר
har
H2022
"mountain"
N-ms
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Definition: : mount/hill hill, mountain, hill country, mount
Usage: Occurs in 486 OT verses. KJV: hill (country), mount(-ain), [idiom] promotion. See also: Genesis 7:19; Deuteronomy 3:12; Judges 18:13.
בָּשָׁ֑ן
Bâshân
H1316
"Bashan"
N-proper
Bashan was a fertile region east of the Jordan River, given to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was known for its fruitfulness and is mentioned in the Bible as a significant area.
Definition: § Bashan = "fruitful" a district east of the Jordan known for its fertility which was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh
Usage: Occurs in 53 OT verses. KJV: Bashan. See also: Numbers 21:33; Joshua 21:27; Psalms 22:13.
הַ֥ר
har
H2022
"mountain"
N-ms
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Definition: : mount/hill hill, mountain, hill country, mount
Usage: Occurs in 486 OT verses. KJV: hill (country), mount(-ain), [idiom] promotion. See also: Genesis 7:19; Deuteronomy 3:12; Judges 18:13.
גַּ֝בְנֻנִּ֗ים
gabnôn
H1386
"peak"
N-mp
This word means a peak or high point of hills, a rounded summit. It is used in the Bible to describe the geography of Israel.
Definition: peak, rounded summit, a mountain peak
Usage: Occurs in 2 OT verses. KJV: high. See also: Psalms 68:16; Psalms 68:17.
הַר
har
H2022
"mountain"
N-ms
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Definition: : mount/hill hill, mountain, hill country, mount
Usage: Occurs in 486 OT verses. KJV: hill (country), mount(-ain), [idiom] promotion. See also: Genesis 7:19; Deuteronomy 3:12; Judges 18:13.
בָּשָֽׁן
Bâshân
H1316
"Bashan"
N-proper
Bashan was a fertile region east of the Jordan River, given to the half-tribe of Manasseh. It was known for its fruitfulness and is mentioned in the Bible as a significant area.
Definition: § Bashan = "fruitful" a district east of the Jordan known for its fertility which was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh
Usage: Occurs in 53 OT verses. KJV: Bashan. See also: Numbers 21:33; Joshua 21:27; Psalms 22:13.
Study Notes — Psalms 68:16
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 68:16 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 68:16
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 68:16
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 68:16
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 68:16
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
- Sermons on Psalms 68:16
Context — God’s Enemies Are Scattered
14When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.
15A mountain of God is Mount Bashan; a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.
16Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling, where the LORD will surely dwell forever.
17The chariots of God are tens of thousands— thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai. 18You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deuteronomy 12:5 | Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go. |
| 2 | Psalms 132:13–14 | For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home: “This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired this home. |
| 3 | Revelation 21:2–3 | I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. |
| 4 | Deuteronomy 12:11 | then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD. |
| 5 | Hebrews 12:22–23 | Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, |
| 6 | Psalms 114:6 | O mountains, that you skipped like rams, O hills, like lambs? |
| 7 | 1 Kings 9:3 | And the LORD said to him: “I have heard your prayer and petition before Me. I have consecrated this temple you have built by putting My Name there forever; My eyes and My heart will be there for all time. |
| 8 | Isaiah 2:2 | In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. |
| 9 | Psalms 87:1–2 | He has founded His city on the holy mountains. The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. |
| 10 | Psalms 114:4 | the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. |
Psalms 68:16 Summary
[This verse is saying that God has chosen a special mountain, Mount Zion, as the place where He will live and be worshiped. This is a big deal because it means that God is making a commitment to be present in this place and to bless the people who worship Him there, as seen in Psalms 132:13-14. It's kind of like when you choose a special place to meet with your friends or family - it becomes a special and meaningful place because of the people who are there. For God, Mount Zion is that special place, and He promises to dwell there forever, as mentioned in Psalms 68:16 and also in Jeremiah 31:23 where God says He will dwell in the midst of Judah forever.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for God to choose a mountain for His dwelling?
This refers to God's selection of a specific mountain, in this case Mount Zion, as the place where He would reside and be worshiped, as seen in Psalms 68:16 and also in Psalms 132:13-14 where God chooses Zion as His dwelling place.
Why do the mountains gaze in envy in Psalms 68:16?
The mountains gaze in envy because they are aware that God has chosen another mountain, Mount Zion, as His dwelling place, and they are envious of the honor and privilege that comes with being the dwelling place of God, as mentioned in Psalms 68:15-16.
What does it mean for the LORD to dwell forever in a place?
This means that God's presence will be permanently established in this place, and He will not leave or forsake it, as seen in Psalms 68:16 and also in Deuteronomy 31:6 where God promises to never leave or forsake His people.
How does this verse relate to the rest of Scripture?
This verse is connected to other passages in the Bible that talk about God's presence and dwelling place, such as Exodus 25:8 where God instructs the Israelites to build a tabernacle so He can dwell among them, and Revelation 21:3 where God will dwell with His people in the New Jerusalem.
Reflection Questions
- What does it mean to you that God has chosen a specific place to dwell, and how does that impact your understanding of His presence in your life?
- How can you apply the concept of God's dwelling place to your own life, and what does it mean for you to be a dwelling place for God?
- What are some ways that you can honor and reverence God's chosen dwelling place, whether that is a physical location or a spiritual reality?
- How does the idea of God's eternal dwelling place give you hope and comfort in times of uncertainty or difficulty?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 68:16
Why leap ye, ye high hills?.... Meaning the kingdoms of this world that lift up themselves above, and look with contempt upon the interest, kingdom, and church of Christ; lie in wait for it, leap
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 68:16
The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan. -God has chosen Zion whereon to dwell forever, with His countless chariots, in spite of all the resistance of the pagan.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
Why leap ye? why do you triumph and boast of your height, and look upon poor Zion with scorn and contempt, as an obscure and inconsiderable hill, if compared with you? He speaks to the hills by a usual figure called prosopopaeia. This hill, though despicable in your eyes, is precious and honourable in God’ s eyes, and chosen by him for his settled and perpetual residence. For though the ark was removed from this particular place, in which it was now to be placed, to the hill of Moriah, upon which the temple was built, yet it must be remembered that Zion and Moriah stood one near to the other, being both in Jerusalem, and are by some said to have been but two tops of one and the same hill.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
Psalms 68:16 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.Ver. 16. Why leap ye, ye high hills?] Why do ye pride and please yourselves in your privileges of nature, so far above this of Sion? Quare contenditis, montes gibbosi? so some render it, and tell us, that the original word ratsad is Syriac, and significth to envy, to irritate, to insult, or contend with any one. This is the hill which God desireth to dwell in] This low, little, barren hill of Sion; and God’ s election maketh the difference, as it did of Aaron’ s rod from the rest, and doth still of the Church from the rest of the world. The Lamb Christ is on Mount Sion, Revelation 14:1.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
(16) Why leap ye?—The verb occurs only here, but is explained by Delitzsch, by comparison with an Arabic root, to express the attitude of a beast crouching down for a spring on its prey; a fine image: the jealous hills lying, like panthers, ready to spring on the passing Israelites. Or does the old feeling of jealousy of the tribes on the other side of Jordan still show itself lurking in this verse? Browning has an image some what similar:— “Those two hills on the right Crouched like two bulls.” Others make the meaning simply “to look enviously on.” The older versions have caught the sense, “Why watch with suspicion?” We may translate the verse, Why, mountains of many peaks, glare ye at the mountain which God hath desired for a residence? Yea, Jehovah will dwell there for ever.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
Verse 16. Why 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 Og, king of Bashan, and Sihon, king of the Amorites, whom Moses defeated.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 68:16
16. Why look ye enviously, ye high-peaked mountains, At the mountain which God hath desired for his abode? Yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever. The grander mountains of Bashan, not Hermon only, but the rugged basaltic mountains which rise in precipitous peaks, suggesting ideas of majesty, antiquity, impregnability, are represented as looking enviously upon the insignificant mountain of Zion which God has chosen for His earthly dwelling-place. Sinai had been his temporary abode (Exodus 24:16); on Zion He will dwell for ever. Cp. 1 Kings 8:12-13. The choice of Zion is a parable of the method of God’s dealings with men. Cp. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. The A.V. why leap ye comes from the Targ., and assumes that the root rtsd, occurring here only, is synonymous with rqd, used in a similar apostrophe, Psalms 114:4; Psalms 114:6. But it is certainly to be explained from the meaning of the same root in Arabic.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 68:16
Why 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?
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 68:16
16. Why leap ye, ye high hills—The word translated “leap,” which occurs nowhere else, would be better rendered in the sense of looking askance, watching insidiously. Why will ye be jealous, or envious, ye lofty mountains?
Sermons on Psalms 68:16
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Synopsis of the Books of the Bible - Deuteronomy by John Nelson Darby | John Nelson Darby discusses the Book of Deuteronomy, emphasizing its moral warnings and the importance of Israel's obedience to God's commandments as they stand on the brink of Can |
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"neither... nor... but..." by T. Austin-Sparks | T. Austin-Sparks emphasizes the transformative nature of worship in his sermon 'neither... nor... but...', highlighting Jesus' declaration that true worship is not confined to spec |
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Let the House Be Builded - Part 1of3 by T. Austin-Sparks | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding God's all-inclusive purpose. He highlights that while Christianity has many aspects, such as evangelism, teac |
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Ye Are Come to Zion - Part 7 by T. Austin-Sparks | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing and embracing the specific purpose and calling that God has for each individual. He encourages listeners to see |
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The Credentials of True Ministry by George Warnock | George Warnock preaches about the significance of carrying the ark of God on the shoulders of anointed men, emphasizing the importance of walking in God's anointing and not delegat |
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Zion, the City of Solemnities by William Gadsby | William Gadsby expounds on the spiritual significance of Zion as the true church of Christ, emphasizing its divine selection and the solemnities that characterize it. He describes |
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Why Mount Zion? by George Warnock | George Warnock emphasizes the significance of Mount Zion as a divine union of king and priest, exemplified in David, and the establishment of a structure that embodies both authori |