Back to Psalms 68

Psalms 68:32-34

Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing praises to the Lord!

To him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice.

Ascribe strength to God! His excellency is over Israel, his strength is in the skies.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing praises to the Lord!

    To him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice.

    Ascribe strength to God! His excellency is over Israel, his strength is in the skies.

  • KJV King James Version

    Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:

    To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

    Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    (68-33) Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah

    (68-34) To Him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which are of old; lo, He uttereth His voice, a mighty voice.

    (68-35) Ascribe ye strength unto God; His majesty is over Israel, and His strength is in the skies.

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Cross-references (30)

  • Psalms 18:10 (v33) He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
  • Psalms 104:3 (v33) He lays the beams of his rooms in the waters. He makes the clouds his chariot. He walks on the wings of the wind.
  • Psalms 68:4 (v33) Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to Yah, his name! Rejoice before him!
  • Deuteronomy 32:43 (v32) Rejoice, you nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his adversaries, and will…
  • 1 Kings 8:27 (v33) But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens can’t contain you; how much less this house that I…
Show all 29 cross-references
  • 1 Chronicles 16:28-29 (v34) Ascribe to Yahweh, you relatives of the peoples, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength! Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. Bring…
  • 2 Peter 1:17 (v34) For he received from God the Father honor and glory when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I…
  • Revelation 11:19 (v33) God’s temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an…
  • Revelation 19:6 (v34) I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying,…
  • Deuteronomy 33:26 (vv33–34) “There is no one like God, Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens for your help, in his excellency on the skies.
  • Psalms 67:2-5 (v32) That your way may be known on earth, and your salvation among all nations, let the peoples praise you, God. Let all the peoples praise you.…
  • Psalms 93:2 (v33) Your throne is established from long ago. You are from everlasting.
  • Psalms 117:1-2 (v32) Praise Yahweh, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! For his loving kindness is great toward us. Yahweh’s faithfulness endures…
  • Psalms 150:1 (v34) Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power!
  • John 12:28-29 (v33) Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came out of the sky, saying, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Therefore the…
  • Romans 15:10-11 (v32) Again he says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” Again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Let all the peoples praise him.”
  • Revelation 11:15 (v33) The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and…
  • Revelation 15:4 (v32) Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your…
  • Deuteronomy 10:14 (v33) Behold, to Yahweh your God belongs heaven, the heaven of heavens, and the earth, with all that is therein.
  • Psalms 29:1-2 (v34) Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of the mighty, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength. Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. Worship…
  • Psalms 29:3-9 (v33) Yahweh’s voice is on the waters. The God of glory thunders, even Yahweh on many waters. Yahweh’s voice is powerful. Yahweh’s voice is full…
  • Psalms 46:6 (v33) The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted his voice and the earth melted.
  • Psalms 77:17-18 (v33) The clouds poured out water. The skies resounded with thunder. Your arrows also flashed around. The voice of your thunder was in the…
  • Psalms 96:6-8 (v34) Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to Yahweh, you families of nations, ascribe to Yahweh…
  • Psalms 100:1 (v32) Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands!
  • Psalms 102:22 (v32) when the peoples are gathered together, the kingdoms, to serve Yahweh.
  • Psalms 102:25 (v33) Of old, you laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the work of your hands.
  • Ezekiel 10:5 (v33) The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
  • Revelation 11:12 (v33) I heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” They went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies saw them.

29 distinct cross-references across this passage (30 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (18 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv32, 34 In the next verse he goes farther than before,…

In the next verse he goes farther than before, and calls upon the kingdoms of the earth to praise God, language which implies that those who had once been distinguished by their hostility to him would be ranked amongst his willing worshippers. There must be the knowledge of God, as I have remarked elsewhere, before men can celebrate the praises of his name; and we have a proof of the calling of the Gentiles, in the fact that Moses and the prophets invite them to offer sacrifices of praise. That it might not seem a strange and incredible thing to speak of the extension of the worship of God from one land, within which it had been hitherto confined, to the whole world, David insists upon God’s rightful dominion over all parts of the earth. He rideth upon the heaven of heavens; that is, as we have observed at the beginning of the psalm, he has supreme power over all creatures, and governs the universe at his will. This truth is one which, even in its general application, is well fitted to beget a reverential consideration of the majesty of God; but we must not overlook the more particular reason for which it is here introduced. Mention having been made of the Gentiles, who lay as yet without the pale of the Church, he proves them to be embraced in the government of God by virtue of his sovereignty as Creator, and intimates that there was nothing wonderful in the fact, that he who sits upon the heavens should comprehend the whole inhabitants of the earth under his sway. By the heavens of ancient times, it is meant to intimate that the whole human family were under his power from the very beginning. We have a signal proof of the glorious power of God in the fact, that, notwithstanding the immensity of the fabric of the heavens, the rapidity of their motion, and the conflicting revolutions which take place in them, the most perfect subordination and harmony are preserved; and that this fair and beautiful order has been uninterruptedly maintained for ages. It is apparent then how the ancientness of the heavens may commend to us the singular excellency of the handiwork of God. Having touched upon the work of creation, he particularises thunder, for this is what he intends by a mighty voice, as in Psalm 29:4. There are two constructions which we may put upon the words used, either that by his voice of command he calls forth the thunders which shake heaven and earth with the loudness of their sound, or that he sends forth his mighty voice in the thunder. I have already shown, at some length, in commenting upon the other passage just quoted, that there is a propriety in God’s being represented as thundering; for the phenomenon is one which, more than any other, impresses an awe upon the spirits of men. And the words are introduced with the exclamation lo! or behold! the better to arrest our wandering thoughts, or rather to reprehend our security.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v33 By his terrible thunders he will make himself to…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Psa 68:32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Not only Egypt and Ethiopia, but other kingdoms and…
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v32 The psalmist, having prayed for and prophesied of the…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth,.... Not…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv33–34 Heavens - The highest heavens; dwelling there in infinite…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Verse 32. Sing unto God] All the inhabitants of…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv32, 34 Psa 68:32-33. Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth -…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v32 To Him who is presented as riding in triumph…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv32–33 32. Sing unto God—The call is upon all the…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv32–34 32. The kingdoms of the earth are invited to…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v32 (32) Sing praises . . .—Better, play and sing.…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O…
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Ver. 32. Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the…
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv32, 34 you kingdoms of the earth
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv32, 34 68:32-35 The psalmist calls for the people to praise…
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