Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 76:12

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 76:12. He shall cut off the spirit of princes — Even in the midst of their conquests, he can fill them with terror and dismay, or cut them off in their career of victory.

He is terrible to the kings of the earth. — "He is the only Ruler of princes;" to him they must account. And a terrible account most of them will have to give to the great God; especially those who, instigated by the desire of dominion, have, in the lust of conquest which it generates, laid countries waste by fire and sword, making widows and orphans without number, and extending the empire of desolation and death.

Thus all are under his dominion, and are accountable to him. Even those whom man cannot bring to justice, God will; and to judge them is one grand use of a final judgment day.

ANALYSIS OF THE SEVENTY-SIXTH PSALM

In this Psalm there are three parts: -

I. The Prerogative of Judah and Israel, Psalms 76:1-2.

II. A narration of God's majesty in the Church, Psalms 76:3-11.

III. An exhortation to worship and serve God.

I. The prerogatives of the Jews above all other nations.

1. God was known among them: "In Judah is God known."

2. His name was great in Israel. Illustrious for his manifold deliverances.

3. At Salem was his tabernacle, - his seat of worship, his peculiar presence.

4. His dwelling in Zion, - his constant habitation.

II. A narration of God's power and majesty.

He was glorious among good men; more glorious than the mountains of prey - kingdoms acquired by violence, murder, and robbery.

And this glory was manifest in the following particulars: -

1. They who came to spoil were spoiled, Psalms 76:5.

2. They were slain: "They have slept their sleep," Psalms 76:5.

3. They could make no head against their destroyer, though they were both numerous and strong: "None of the men of might have found their hands," Psalms 76:5.

The cause of their consternation: -

1. The rebuke of God, Psalms 76:6.

2. He was terrible: "None could stand in his sight," Psalms 76:7.

3. He was determinate: "Judgment was heard from heaven," Psalms 76:8. Sennacherib and his host were destroyed.

The effects produced by this were,

1. Praise from the wicked: "They shall acknowledge this as the hand of God." Psalms 76:10.

2. Victory; though they rally, and return again to the battle, they shall be routed: "The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain," Psalms 76:10. See the notes.

III. He exhorts all to praise him: - 1. "Vow, and pay." 2. "Fear and submit to him," Psalms 76:11.

This exhortation he founds on the following REASONS: -

1. "He shall cut off the spirit of princes;" take away from tyrants their prudence and courage.

2. "He is terrible to the kings of the earth." They also shall know that he is God.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 75-76 Exalting God, not self

In a psalm designed for use in public worship, the congregation begins by thanking God for all his mighty deeds (75:1). A singer representing God replies that even when conditions in the world look hopeless, God is still in control. He will intervene when he sees fit (2-3). Therefore, the wicked should not be proud or stubborn like an ox that struggles against its master (4-5). The only exaltation that matters is that which comes from God. The opinions of people mean nothing (6-7). Punishment also comes from God, and the wicked will drink his cup of anger to the last drop (8).
The leader of the congregation then responds on the people’s behalf. He gives the assurance that they will always remain loyal to their God and will cooperate with him in doing good and opposing evil (9-10).
In the next psalm God is again praised, this time for some great deliverance in saving Jerusalem from an enemy (76:1-3). His glory, majesty and power are seen in the decisive way he crushed the enemy (4-6). The one who defends Jerusalem is also Lord of the universe. Nothing can stand before him. His power is absolute in the heavens and on the earth (7-9).
Angry rebellion against God is turned into a source of praise to him, for his triumph brings glory to his name. Since God will be glorified whether people submit or rebel, they will do well to bring glory to him willingly by offering true and humble worship (10-12).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: The residue of wrath shalt thou gird upon thee. Vow, and pay unto Jehovah your God: Let all that are round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. He will cut off the spirit of princes: He is terrible to the kings of the earth.”

Here again we have echoes of that judgment scene in Revelation 6:12-17, where the kings of the earth are seen crying for the rocks and the mountains to fall upon them and hide them from The Lamb and from Him that sitteth upon the throne.

“Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee” We have chosen this as an appropriate title of this whole psalm. Sennacherib was angry against God’s people; but that vicious anger exhibited by his deployment of an arrogant and blasphemous army against Jerusalem surely `praised God’ in its total destruction. It is always thus in history.

Pharaoh was angry with God’s people and decided to exterminate all of them, by his edict commanding the destruction of all male children in the Nile River. Did that anger praise God? Indeed! Pharaoh’s edict did not destroy God’s people; it only bounced the infant Moses out of the River and into the lap of Pharaoh’s daughter, from which position Moses eventually delivered God’s people, destroying Pharaoh and all his host in the process. Thousands of other examples of the same phenomenon might be cited.

“The residue of wrath shalt thou gird upon thee” This makes much more sense if the marginal reading is used. “The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”

“Vow, and pay unto Jehovah your God” The blessing of God upon his people and his protection of them against every enemy carries with it a reciprocal behavior pattern that is also binding upon Christians today. In order for the soul of redeemed persons to grow in the likeness of the Saviour, it is absolutely necessary that they should heed the admonition, “Freely ye have received; freely give.” A stingy, penurious Christian is a contradiction of terms.

Kidner pointed out that not only are God’s followers commanded to give (in the first part of this little paragraph); “But in the second half the surrounding world also are summonsed to pay tribute to the True God, who alone should be feared.”Derek Kidner, op. cit., p. 176.

The great lesson of this psalm, according to McCaw, is that the mighty victory over the most terrible army on earth in a single night, accomplished by a single word upon the lips of the Lord, “Should be seen as the pledge and foretaste of God’s ultimate subjection of the entire world to do his will.”The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 499.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

He shall cut off the spirit of princes - That is, He will cut down their pride; he will break them down. Luther renders it, “He shall take away the wrath of princes.” The allusion is to what he had done as celebrated in this psalm. He had shown that he could rebuke the pride and self-confidence of kings, and could bring them low at his feet.

He is terrible to the kings of the earth - When they are arrayed against him.

(1) they are wholly under his control.

(2) he can defeat their plans.

(3) he can check them when he pleases.

(4) he can, and will, make their plans - even their wrath - the means of promoting or carrying out his own purposes.

(5) he will allow them to proceed no further in their plans of evil than he can make subservient to the furtherance of his own.

(6) he can cut down the most mighty of them at his pleasure, and destroy them forever.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

12.He will cut off ⁽²⁸⁵⁾ the spirit of princes. As the Hebrew word בצר, batsar, occasionally signifies to strengthen, some think it should be so translated in this passage. But as in the two clauses of the verse the same sentiment is repeated, I have no doubt that by the first clause is meant that understanding and wisdom are taken away from princes; and that by the second, God is represented in general as terrible to them, because he will cast them down headlong from their loftiness. As the first thing necessary to conduct an enterprise to a prosperous issue is to possess sound foresight, in which the people of God are often deficient from the great perplexity in which they are involved in the midst of their distresses, while, on the other hand, the ungodly are too sharp-sighted in their crafty schemes; it is here declared that it is in the power of God to deprive of understanding, and to inflict blindness on those who seem to surpass others in acuteness and ingenuity. The majority of princes being enemies to the Church of God, it is expressly affirmed, that He is sufficiently terrible to subdue all the kings of the earth. When it is said, that their spirit is cut off, or taken away from them, it is to be limited to tyrants and robbers whom God infatuates, because he sees that they apply all their ingenuity and counsels to do mischief.

(285) The word employed by Calvin is “Vindemiabit,” which expresses the precise idea of the original verb, יבצור, yebtstor It is from בצר, he cut off, brake off, referring properly to grapes and other fruits. The reading of the LXX. is, “takes away.”

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 76:1-12

Psalms 76:1-12 :

In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel ( Psalms 76:1 ).

Judah, of course, was the southern kingdom. Israel was the northern kingdom.

In Salem also is his tabernacle [that would be Jerusalem], and his dwelling place in mount Zion. And there brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. The stout-hearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. Thou, even thou, are to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once you are angry? Thou did cause judgment to be heard from heaven; and the earth feared, and was still, When God arose to judgment, to save the meek of the earth. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of the princes: he is awesome to the kings of the eaRuth ( Psalms 76:2-12 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 76

In this psalm of declarative praise, Asaph praised God for His power. He had destroyed the wicked and delivered the godly. Therefore the leaders of His people should follow Him faithfully. The psalm is in the form of a victory hymn, though it may not refer to one particular victory in Israel’s history.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

3. The fearful character of God’s judgments 76:11-12

Since God is such a fearful Judge, His people should be careful to pay the gifts they vow to give Him. Leaders should fear Him and submit to His authority rather than rebelling against Him.

An appreciation of God’s power can and should produce submission and worship in those who can benefit or suffer from His judgment.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

He shall cut off the spirit of princes,.... The pride of their spirits, as the Targum, humble their proud spirits, and bring them down; or dispirit them, take away their courage from them, upon which they flee apace to rocks and mountains to cover them; or confound them, blast their schemes, and carry their counsel headlong, and even take away their breath, or life; which he can as easily do as a man can cut off a bunch of grapes from the vine, as the word g here used signifies; the destruction of the wicked is expressed by cutting down the vine of the earth, and casting it into the winepress of God's wrath, Revelation 14:17,

he is terrible to the kings of the earth; as he was to the king of Assyria, when he sent his angel, and destroyed his army; and as he has been to others in all ages; so he will be to the kings of the earth that have committed fornication with the whore of Rome, who will be in the utmost panic at the time of her destruction, Revelation 18:9, and who will themselves be overcome by the Lamb, Revelation 16:14. The Targum is, he is to be feared above all the kings of the earth.

g יבצר "qui vindemiat", Junius Tremellius, Piscator "succidet nempe, ut vindemiator racemos", Vatablus, so Ainsworth.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?   8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,   9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.   10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.   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.   12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.

      This glorious victory with which God had graced and blessed his church is here made to speak three things:--

      I. Terror to God's enemies (Psalms 76:7-9; Psalms 76:7-9): "Thou, even thou, art to be feared; thy majesty is to be reverenced, thy sovereignty to be submitted to, and thy justice to be dreaded by those that have offended thee." Let all the world learn by this event to stand in awe of the great God. 1. Let all be afraid of his wrath against the daring impiety of sinners: Who may stand in thy sight from the minute that thou art angry? If God be a consuming fire, how can chaff and stubble stand before him, though his anger be kindled but a little?Psalms 2:12. 2. Let all be afraid of his jealousy for oppressed innocency and the injured cause of his own people: "Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven, then when thou didst arise to save all the meek of the earth (Psalms 76:8; Psalms 76:9); and then the earth feared and was still, waiting what would be the issue of those glorious appearances of thine." Note, (1.) God's people are the meek of the earth (Zechariah 2:3), the quiet in the land (Psalms 35:20), that can bear any wrong, but do none. (2.) Though the meek of the earth are by their meekness exposed to injury, yet God will, sooner or later, appear for their salvation, and plead their cause. (3.) When God comes to save all the meek of the earth, he will cause judgment to be heard from heaven; he will make the world know that he is angry at the oppressors of his people, and takes what is done against them as done against himself. The righteous God long seems to keep silence, yet, sooner or later, he will make judgment to be heard. (4.) When God is speaking judgment from heaven it is time for the earth to compose itself into an awful and reverent silence: The earth feared and was still, as silence is made by proclamation when the court sits. Be still and know that I am God,Psalms 46:10. Be silent, O all flesh! before the Lord, for he is raised up to judgment, Zechariah 2:13. Those that suppose this psalm to have been penned upon the occasion of the routing of Sennacherib's army take it for granted that the descent of the destroying angel, who did the execution, was accompanied with thunder, by which God caused judgment to be heard from heaven, and that the earth feared (that is, there was an earthquake), but it was soon over. But this is altogether uncertain.

      II. Comfort to God's people, Psalms 76:10; Psalms 76:10. We live in a very angry provoking world; we often feel much, and are apt to fear more, from the wrath of man, which seems boundless. But this is a great comfort to us, 1. That as far as God permits the wrath of man to break forth at any time he will make it turn to his praise, will bring honour to himself and serve his own purposes by it: Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee, not only by the checks given to it, when it shall be forced to confess its own impotency, but even by the liberty given to it for a time. The hardships which God's people suffer by the wrath of their enemies are made to redound to the glory of God and his grace; and the more the heathen rage and plot against the Lord and his anointed the more will God be praised for setting his King upon his holy hill of Zion in spite of them, Psalms 2:1; Psalms 2:6. When the heavenly hosts make this the matter of their thanksgiving-song that God has taken to himself his great power and has reigned, though the nations were angry (Revelation 11:17; Revelation 11:18), then the wrath of man adds lustre to the praises of God. 2. That what will not turn to his praise shall not be suffered to break out: The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Men must never permit sin, because they cannot check it when they will; but God can. He can set bounds to the wrath of man, as he does to the raging sea. Hitherto it shall come and no further; here shall its proud waves be stayed. God restrained the remainder of Sennacherib's rage, for he put a hook in his nose and a bridle in his jaws (Isaiah 37:29); and, though he permitted him to talk big, he restrained him from doing what he designed.

      III. Duty to all, Psalms 76:11; Psalms 76:12. Let all submit themselves to this great God and become his loyal subjects. Observe, 1. The duty required of us all, all that are about him, that have any dependence upon him or any occasion to approach to him; and who is there that has not? We are therefore every one of us commanded to do our homage to the King of kings: Vow and pay; that is, take an oath of allegiance to him and make conscience of keeping it. Vow to be his, and pay what you vow. Bind your souls with a bond to him (for that is the nature of a vow), and then live up to the obligations you have laid upon yourselves; for better it is not to vow than to vow and not to pay. And, having taken him for our King, let us bring presents to him, as subjects to their sovereign, 1 Samuel 10:27. Send you the lamb to the ruler of the land,Isaiah 16:1. Not that God needs any present we can bring, or can be benefited by it; but thus we must give him honour and own that we have our all from him. Our prayers and praises, and especially our hearts, are the presents we should bring to the Lord our God. 2. The reasons to enforce this duty: Render to all their due, fear to whom fear is due; and is it not due to God? Yes; (1.) He ought to be feared: He is the fear (so the word is); his name is glorious and fearful,; and he is the proper object of our fear; with him is terrible majesty. The God of Abraham is called the fear of Isaac (Genesis 31:42), and we are commanded to make him our fear,Isaiah 8:13. When we bring presents to him we must have an eye to him as greatly to be feared; for he is terrible in his holy places. (2.) He will be feared, even by those who think it their own sole prerogative to be feared (Psalms 76:12; Psalms 76:12): He shall cut off the spirit of princes; he shall slip it off as easily as we slip off a flower from the stalk or a bunch of grapes from the vine; so the word signifies. He can dispirit those that are most daring and make them heartless; for he is, or will be, terrible to the kings of the earth; and sooner or later, if they be not so wise as to submit themselves to him, he will force them to call in vain to rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from his wrath,Revelation 6:16. Since there is no contending with God, it is as much our wisdom as it is our duty to submit to him.