Psalms 68:21

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Surely God crushes the heads of his enemies,the hairy brow of one who goes on in his guilty acts.

Hebrew Names Version
But God will strike through the head of his enemies, The hairy scalp of such a one as still continues in his guiltiness.

King James Version
But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

English Standard Version
But God will strike the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

New Century Version
God will crush his enemies' heads, the hairy skulls of those who continue to sin.

New English Translation
Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies, the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion.

Amplified Bible
Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies, The hairy scalp of one who goes on in his guilty ways.

New American Standard Bible
God certainly will shatter the heads of His enemies, The hairy head of one who goes about in his guilt.

World English Bible
But God will strike through the head of his enemies, The hairy scalp of such a one as still continues in his guiltiness.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Surely God will wound the head of his enemies, and the hearie pate of him that walketh in his sinnes.

Legacy Standard Bible
Surely God will crush the head of His enemies,The hairy skull of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.

Berean Standard Bible
Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies, the hairy crowns of those who persist in guilty ways.

Contemporary English Version
Our Lord and our God, your terrible enemies are ready for war, but you will crush their skulls.

Complete Jewish Bible
Our God is a God who saves; from Adonai Adonai comes escape from death.

Darby Translation
Verily God will smite the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp of him that goeth on still in his trespasses.

Easy-to-Read Version
God will smash the heads of his enemies. He will punish those who fight against him.

George Lamsa Translation
But God shall sever the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of the head of those who persist in their sins.

Good News Translation
God will surely break the heads of his enemies, of those who persist in their sinful ways.

Lexham English Bible
But God will shatter the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp of the one who continues on in his guilt.

Literal Translation
Yea, God will crush the head of His enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks on in his guilt.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The God that smyteth his enemies vpo the heades & vpon the hayrie scalpes: soch as go on still in their wikednes.

American Standard Version
But God will smite through the head of his enemies, The hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his guiltiness.

Bible in Basic English
The heads of the haters of God will be crushed; even the head of him who still goes on in his evil ways.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
God is unto us a God of deliverances; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues of death.

King James Version (1611)
But God shall wound the head of his enemies: and the hairy scalpe of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
God wyll wounde the head of his enemies: and the heary scalpe of hym who goeth on styll in his wickednesse.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But God shall crust the heads of his enemies; the hairy crown of them that go on in their trespasses.

English Revised Version
But God shall smite through the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his guiltiness.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Netheles God schal breke the heedis of hise enemyes; the cop of the heere of hem that goen in her trespassis.

Update Bible Version
But God will smite through the head of his enemies, The hairy scalp of such a one as goes on still in his guiltiness.

Webster's Bible Translation
But God will wound the head of his enemies, [and] the hairy scalp of such one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

New King James Version
But God will wound the head of His enemies, The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.

New Living Translation
But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.

New Life Bible
But God will break the head of those who hate Him, the hair-covered head of him who goes on in his sins.

New Revised Standard
But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Yea, God himself, will smite through the head of his foes, - The hairy crown of him that is marching on in his guilty deeds.

Douay-Rheims Bible
(67-22) But God shall break the heads of his enemies: the hairy crown of them that walk on in their sins.

Revised Standard Version
But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

Young's Literal Translation
Only -- God doth smite The head of His enemies, The hairy crown of a habitual walker in his guilt.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies, The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵You huge mountains, Bashan mountains, mighty mountains, dragon mountains. All you mountains not chosen, sulk now, and feel sorry for yourselves, For this is the mountain God has chosen to live on; he'll rule from this mountain forever. ¹⁷The chariots of God, twice ten thousand, and thousands more besides, The Lord in the lead, riding down Sinai— straight to the Holy Place! You climbed to the High Place, captives in tow, your arms full of booty from rebels, And now you sit there in state, God , sovereign God ! ¹⁹Blessed be the Lord— day after day he carries us along. He's our Savior, our God, oh yes! He's God-for-us, he's God-who-saves-us. Lord God knows all death's ins and outs. What's more, he made heads roll, split the skulls of the enemy As he marched out of heaven, saying, "I tied up the Dragon in knots, put a muzzle on the Deep Blue Sea." You can wade through your enemies' blood, and your dogs taste of your enemies from your boots.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God: Psalms 110:6, Habakkuk 3:13, Mark 12:4

the hairy: Psalms 55:23

of such: Psalms 68:18, Psalms 7:12, Proverbs 1:24-33, Ezekiel 18:27-30, Luke 13:5, Hebrews 2:1-3, Hebrews 12:25, Revelation 2:14-16

Reciprocal: Exodus 9:2 - General Amos 9:1 - cut them

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But God shall wound the head of his enemies,.... Him who is the chief of his enemies, even Satan the prince of devils, the god of the world, the father of the wicked Jews, all enemies of Christ; to "wound" is the same as to bruise him, as in Genesis 3:15; and so the Targum here,

"but God shall break the head of his enemies;''

disappoint his schemes, blast his designs, crush his power and authority, demolish his empire, and eternally destroy him with the fire prepared for him and his angels; and the same may be applied to the man of sin, and all other enemies of Christ, who is the divine Person here, and all along, spoken of; see Psalms 110:6;

[and] the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses; by whom may be meant antichrist: Jarchi interprets it of Esau, who was an hairy man, and a figure of antichrist: and his hairy scalp may denote his fierceness and cruelty, appearing like a savage beast, drinking the blood of the saints; and like a thief and a robber, who used to let their hair grow long, shagged, and entangled, to strike terror into men they met with, Job 5:5; and also his pride and haughtiness; he exalting himself above all that is called God, and opening his mouth in blasphemy against him: and likewise it signifies his great power and authority, he having people, kingdoms, and nations, depending upon him, as hair on the head, and subject to him: and of him it may be truly said, that he "goes on still in his trespasses"; in tyranny, idolatry, superstition, and will worship; taking no notice of what God says by his witnesses, nor any warning by what the eastern empire suffered by the Turks and Saracens; so as to repent of the works of his hands, of worshipping idols of gold, silver, brass, and wood; nor of his murders, sorceries, fornications, and thefts; but still persisting in them, until his, and the sins of his followers, reach to heaven, Revelation 9:20; but the God-man, Christ Jesus, will give him a deadly wound, of which he shall never be healed: this also holds true of all that persist in a sinful course of life without repentance; who are workers of iniquity, whose lives are one continued series of sinning; these will be punished by Christ with everlasting destruction.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But God shall wound the head of his enemies - More properly, “God shall crush the head,” etc. The idea is that of complete destruction, - as, if the head is crushed, life becomes ex tinct. See Genesis 3:15; compare Psalms 110:6.

And the hairy scalp - More literally, “the top of the hair.” The Hebrew word used here for “scalp” means the vertex, the top, the crown, as of the head, where the hair “divides itself;” and the idea is properly, “the dividing of the hair.” Gesenius, Lexicon. The allusion is to the top of the head; that is, the blow would descend on the top of the head, producing death.

Of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses - Of the man who perseveres in a course of wickedness. If he repents, God will be merciful to him; if he persists in sin, he will be punished. The literal rendering would be, “the hairy scalp going on, or going, sc. “about”, in his trespasses.” The reference is to a wicked man “continuing” in his transgressions.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 68:21. The hairy scalp — קדקד שער kodkod sear. Does this mean any thing like the Indian scalping? Or does it refer to a crest on a helmet or headcap? I suppose the latter.