“O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 68:35 Mean?
The psalm closes with a declaration that holds awe and intimacy together: "O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places" — God is awe-inspiring, fearsome, overwhelming in his sanctuaries. And then, immediately: "the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people." The terrifying God is the giving God. The same holiness that makes him fearsome makes him generous.
The word "terrible" (nora) means awe-inspiring, reverence-inducing — not cruel or malicious. God's terribleness is the appropriate response of creatures encountering uncreated power. It's the word used for what Israel felt at Sinai, what Manoah felt before the angel, what Isaiah felt in the temple.
The psalm ends with the simplest possible benediction: "Blessed be God." After sixty-eight verses of cosmic imagery, military triumph, historical recitation, and theological reflection — two words. Blessed be God. The response to everything God is and does, compressed to its essence.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How do you hold together God's awe-inspiring terribleness and his generous giving?
- 2.Does your worship tend toward casual familiarity or fearful distance — and which do you need more of?
- 3.What strength has God given you that could only come from someone as powerful as he is?
- 4.What does 'blessed be God' mean as a response to everything you know about him?
Devotional
God is terrible — awe-inspiring, overwhelming, fearsome — from his holy places. And the same God gives strength and power to his people. Both things are true simultaneously. He is not less terrifying because he is generous, and he is not less generous because he is terrifying.
We tend to emphasize one side: either God is comforting and kind (which he is) or God is powerful and fearsome (which he is). The psalmist refuses to choose. The terribleness and the giving flow from the same source. The holiness that makes you tremble is the holiness that makes you strong.
This matters for how you approach worship. If God is only kind, worship becomes casual. If God is only fearsome, worship becomes terror. But if God is both — terrible and giving, awesome and generous — worship becomes what the psalm concludes with: "Blessed be God." The full response to the full revelation.
The strength and power God gives aren't separate from his terribleness — they come from it. He gives strength because he has unlimited strength to give. He gives power because he is ultimate power. The same holy places that inspire awe are the distribution centers for the resources you need. You go to the terrifying God to receive what only the terrifying God can provide.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
O God, thou art terrible,.... In his judgments and acts of vengeance, on antichrist and the antichristian states; being…
O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places - The places where thou dwellest, and from which thou dost manifest…
The psalmist, having prayed for and prophesied of the conversion of the Gentiles, here invites them to come in and join…
O God, thou art terrible&c. This rendering is retained in R.V., but grammar requires us to render (cp. R.V. marg.);…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture