The big picture
Psalms 76 opens in verse 1 with “In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 6 with “At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.”, and closes in verse 12 with “He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.” Repeated or prominent terms include earth, feared, judgment, Selah, sleep. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 12Psalms 76:1-6
1–6: In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
Psalms 76:1–6 opens with “In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.” and reaches “At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by sleep, arrows, battle.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.” By verse 3, the text has turned to “There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.” It lands on “At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 2 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as sleep, arrows, battle, both, brake, chariot tie the complete block together. The central idea, “the wording and movement of this passage,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include God, Israel, Jacob, Judah, Salem, Selah. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 3: “There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: sleep, arrows, battle, both, brake, chariot
Verse-by-verse path
- Psalms 76:1
“In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.” Naming Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 76:2
“In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.” Naming Salem and Zion keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 76:3
“There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.” Naming Selah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 76:4
“Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 76:5
“The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.” The line’s distinctive content terms include hands, sleep, slept. Its relationship to verses 4 and 6 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 76:6
“At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.” Naming Jacob keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Psalms 76:1-6
King James Version1In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
2In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
3There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
4Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
5The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
6At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.
Psalms 76:7-12
7–12: Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when…
Psalms 76:7–12 opens with “Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” and reaches “He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by earth, feared, judgment.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” By verse 9, the text has turned to “When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.” It lands on “He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 question, 2 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as earth, feared, judgment, wrath, angry, arose tie the complete block together. The central idea, “the wording and movement of this passage,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include God, Thou, Selah, Surely, Vow. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 7: “Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: earth, feared, judgment, wrath, angry, arose
Verse-by-verse path
- Psalms 76:7
“Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
- Psalms 76:8
“Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,” Naming Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 76:9
“When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.” Naming Selah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 76:10
“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Psalms 76:11
“Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.” Naming Vow keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 76:12
“He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Psalms 76:7-12
King James Version7Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
8Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,
9When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.
10Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
11Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
12He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
Questions to keep in mind while reading
- Follow the speaker, images, parallel lines, questions, and emotional movement.
- Notice where tension or suffering resists an easy answer.
- Read a saying as wisdom for faithful discernment, not as a mechanical promise detached from context.
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.
Questions beneath the surface
- What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Psalms 76?
- Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
- What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
- Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?
Questions for serious personal contemplation
These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.
Observe without rushing
What part of Psalms 76 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?
Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?
Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Psalms 76:1–12 completes a passage that was not covered by the original study-unit map. Its own wording and immediate context supply the focus.?
What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?
Examine your inner life honestly
Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?
What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?
Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?
If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?
Respond with wisdom and courage
What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?
How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?
What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?
What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?