Psalm 76:4

Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) Thou art . . .—Better, Splendid art thou, glorious one, from the mountains of prey. The construction is somewhat doubtful and favours Hupfeld’s emendation (nora, i.e., to be feared, as in verses 8 and 13, instead of noar, i.e., glorious). Certainly the comparative of the Authorised Version is to be abandoned. The poet’s thought plainly proceeds from the figure of Psalm 76:2. The mountains are the mountains of prey of the Lion of Judah. True, a different image, as so frequently in Hebrew poetry, suddenly interrupts and changes the picture. The hero appears from the battle shining in the spoils taken from the foe.

Benson Commentary

Psalm 76:4. Thou — O God, to whom he is thought to direct his speech here, as also Psalm 76:6, art more glorious, &c., than the mountains of prey — Than the greatest kings and empires of the earth, which in the prophetical writings are often compared to mountains. And they are called mountains of prey, because then they were generally established by tyranny, and maintained by preying on their own subjects, or other inferior kingdoms: or, which amounts to the same thing, than the most powerful enemies of thy people, upon whom they used, and now expected, to prey. Or, as some think, the psalmist asserts here that Jehovah, who sent help to his people from mount Zion, was superior to the idol gods of the mountains, under whose protection the despoilers of the earth made their depredations. Thus the powerful assistance which Jehovah afforded his people from mount Zion, caused the Syrians to call him the God of the hills, and not of the valleys, 1 Kings 20:23. But the words may be considered as an apostrophe to mount Zion, and then the sense is, Thou, O Zion, art infinitely more glorious and excellent, and far more impregnable, through the favour and protection of God, than the mountains upon which the Assyrians had fortified themselves, and from which their soldiers made frequent excursions, and ravaged the country; more safe and secure, through the defence of the Almighty, than “the arm of flesh and the instruments of war could render the kingdoms of the earth, which set themselves against Zion; and which, for their tyranny, and cruelty, and the ravages committed by them, are likened to those mountains, where beasts of prey, with similar dispositions, rove, and roar, and devour.” — Horne.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

76:1-6 Happy people are those who have their land filled with the knowledge of God! happy persons that have their hearts filled with that knowledge! It is the glory and happiness of a people to have God among them by his ordinances. Wherein the enemies of the church deal proudly, it will appear that God is above them. See the power of God's rebukes. With pleasure may Christians apply this to the advantages bestowed by the Redeemer.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou art more glorious and excellent - The word rendered glorious - נאור na'ôr - is from the verb which means "to shine," to give light, and the word would properly refer to a luminous or "shining" object - as the sun, the source of light. Hence, it means "shining," splendid, glorious; and it is thus applied to the Divine Being with reference to his perfections, being like light. Compare 1 John 1:5. The word rendered "excellent," means exalted, noble, great. These words are applied here to God from the manifestation of his perfections in the case referred to.

Than the mountains of prey - The word "prey" as employed here - טרף ṭereph - means that which is obtained by hunting; and then, plunder. It is usually applied to the food of wild beasts, beasts of prey. Here it refers to the "mountains" considered as the abode or stronghold of robbers and banditti, from where they sally forth in search of plunder. These mountains, in their heights, their rocks, their fastnesses, furnished safe places of retreat for robbers, and hence, they became emblems of power. It is not improbable that the hordes referred to in the psalm had their abodes in such mountains, and hence, the psalmist says that God who made those mountains and hills was superior to them in strength and power.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4. Thou—God.

mountains of prey—great victorious nations, as Assyria (Isa 41:15; Eze 38:11, 12; Zec 4:7).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Thou, O God; to whom he directeth his speech here, as also Psalm 76:6-8.

Than the mountains of prey; either,

1. Than the greatest kings and emperors of the earth, which in prophetical writings are oft compared to mountains, as Psalm 46:2,3 Isa 41:15 Jeremiah 51:25 Habakkuk 3:6. And they are called mountains of prey, because then they generally were established by tyranny, and maintained by preying upon their own subjects, or other inferior kingdoms. Or,

2. (which amounts to the same thing) Than the most powerful enemies of thy people, upon whom they used and now desired and expected to prey; such persons being oft expressed by the name of mountains, as Psalm 144:5 Zechariah 4:7, &c.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. Which is to be understood not of Zion, as some interpret it; though it is true that the mountain of Zion, or the church of Christ, his kingdom and interest, shall in the latter day be more glorious and excellent than all other mountains, kingdoms, and interests; see Isaiah 2:2, but of God or Christ before spoken of; and so the Targum,

"bright, to be feared, art thou, O God, to be praised from the house of thy sanctuary.''

Christ, who is God over all, is "bright" (z), splendid, and glorious, in his divine nature, being the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person: and "excellent" in his office as Mediator, and in all his works as such; and in human nature, at he is exalted at his Father's right hand, far above all principality, power, might, and dominion, signified here by "mountains of prey": the kingdoms of this world, because of their eminence and strength, are compared to mountains: see Isaiah 41:15 and may be called "mountains of prey", in allusion to mountains inhabited by beasts of prey, as lions and leopards; see Sol 4:8 because obtained and possessed by tyranny and oppression. Christ is more glorious and excellent than the kings of the earth; he is higher than they, and is King of kings; he is richer than they, the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein; he is wiser than they, by him kings reign, and princes decree justice; he is more powerful than they, and all must submit to him, and all will serve him hereafter; and his kingdom will be greater than theirs, more large and more lasting; it will be an everlasting one, and reach from sea to sea, and even to the ends of the earth.

(z) "illustris", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "illustrior", Tigurine, version; "splendidus", Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis; "bright", Ainsworth.

Geneva Study Bible

Thou art more glorious and excellent than {c} the mountains of prey.

(c) He compares the kingdom full of extortion and rapine to the mountains that are full of ravening beasts.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

4. A difficult verse. Two renderings are grammatically possible: either, Illustrious art Thou, majestic, from the mountains of prey: or, more than the mountains of prey. The second rendering however appears to involve an unsuitable comparison, whether mountains of prey is explained to mean the strongholds of the invaders, or as a metaphor for the invaders themselves, and the first rendering is certainly preferable. It describes God either as issuing forth from mount Zion to spoil the foe (Psalm 68:35); or better, as a lion returning from the mountains where he has hunted his prey. Cp. Isaiah 14:25, “I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot.” The fierce lion of Assyria who “filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin” (Nahum 2:11 ff; Nahum 3:1) had met his match.

The LXX has, from the eternal mountains (cp. Habakkuk 3:6), a reading which is preferred by some commentators, and understood to mean the mountains of Zion, on which God has placed His throne.

The word rendered majestic (A.V. excellent) is applied to God in Isaiah 10:34 : “Lebanon,” the emblem of the Assyrians, “shall fall by a majestic one”: Isaiah 33:21, “There Jehovah will be with us in majesty”: cp. the cognate word in Exodus 15:11, “majestic in holiness.”

4–6. The manifestation of God’s majesty in the discomfiture of the enemy.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 4. - Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. The psalmist, in this, the main portion of his psalm, directly addresses God. "Thou, O God," he says, "art glorious," or "terrible" (comp. ver. 7, where the same word is used), "and excellent, more than the mountains of prey," or perhaps "from the mountains of spoil;" i.e. from Jerusalem, where the spoils of the Assyrians are laid up, and where thou sittest and rulest. (So Professor Cheyne and Canon Cook.) Psalm 76:4

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The "mountains of prey," for which the lxx has ὀρέων αἰωνίων (טרם?), is an emblematical appellation for the haughty possessors of power who also plunder every one that comes near them,

(Note: One verse of a beautiful poem of the Muḥammel which Ibn Dûchı̂, the phylarch of the Beni Zumeir, an honoured poet of the steppe, dictated to Consul Wetzstein runs thus: The noble are like a very lofty hill-side upon which, when thou comest to it, thou findest an evening meal and protection (Arab. 'l-‛š' w-ḏry).)

or the proud and despoiling worldly powers. Far aloft beyond these towers the glory of God. He is נאור, illustris, prop. illumined; said of God: light-encircled, fortified in light, in the sense of Daniel 2:22; 1 Timothy 6:16. He is the אדּיר, to whom the Lebanon of the hostile army of the nations must succumb (Isaiah 10:34) According to Solinus (ed. Mommsen, p. 124) the Moors call Atlas Addirim. This succumbing is described in Psalm 76:6. The strong of heart or stout-hearted, the lion-hearted, have been despoiled, disarmed, exuti; אשׁתּוללוּ

(Note: With orthophonic Gaja, vid., Baer's Metheg-Setzung, 45.)

is an Aramaizing praet. Hithpo. (like אתחבּר, 2 Chronicles 20:35, cf. Daniel 4:16; Isaiah 63:3) with a passive signification. From Psalm 76:6 we see that the beginning of the catastrophe is described, and therefore נמוּ (perhaps on that account accented on the ult.) is meant inchoatively: they have fallen into their sleep, viz., the eternal sleep (Jeremiah 51:39, Jeremiah 51:57), as Nahum says (Nahum 3:18): thy shepherds sleep, O king of Assyria, thy valiant ones rest. In Psalm 76:6 we see them lying in the last throes of death, and making a last effort to spring up again. But they cannot find their hands, which they have lifted up threateningly against Jerusalem: these are lamed, motionless, rigid and dead; cf. the phrases in Joshua 8:20; 2 Samuel 7:27, and the Talmudic phrase, "he did not find his hands and feet in the school-house," i.e., he was entirely disconcerted and stupefied.

(Note: Dukes, Rabbinische Blumenlese, S. 191.)

This field of corpses is the effect of the omnipotent energy of the word of the God of Jacob; cf. וגער בּו, Isaiah 17:13. Before His threatening both war-chariot and horse (ו - ו) are sunk into motionlessness and unconsciousness - an allusion to Exodus 15, as in Isaiah 43:17 : who bringeth out chariot and horse, army and heroes - together they faint away, they shall never rise; they have flickered out, like a wick they are extinguished.