“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.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 68:33 Mean?
The psalmist describes God riding on the "heavens of heavens" — the highest conceivable point in the cosmos. These heavens are "of old" (qedem) — they've existed from the beginning, before anything else was made. God rides on what is most ancient, most vast, and most permanent.
Then God sends out his voice — "a mighty voice." The Hebrew emphasizes the voice's power (oz — strength, might). This is the God whose voice at creation spoke everything into existence, whose voice at Sinai shook the mountain, whose voice in the storm breaks the cedars of Lebanon. When this God speaks, the volume matches the altitude from which he speaks.
The combination of riding and speaking presents God as both mobile and communicative. He's not a distant, silent deity watching from heaven's ceiling. He rides — actively moving across the sky. He speaks — powerfully addressing what's below. Sovereignty and engagement, height and voice, cosmic scale and personal address.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Does God feel distant to you right now — and how does this image of him riding and speaking challenge that?
- 2.What does 'a mighty voice' from the highest heavens sound like in your life?
- 3.How do you reconcile God's cosmic scale with his personal engagement?
- 4.When was the last time you sensed God's voice — and was it quiet or mighty?
Devotional
God rides the highest heavens. The ones that were there before anything else. And from that unimaginable height, he opens his mouth and speaks — and the voice is mighty.
There's a particular awe that comes from imagining scale and sound together. The God who inhabits the farthest, oldest reaches of the cosmos isn't silent up there. He speaks. And when he does, the voice matches the scale of the speaker. Not a whisper from the ceiling of the universe — a mighty voice that carries from the heavens of heavens down to wherever you're standing.
This verse addresses two common fears about God: that he's too far away to be relevant, and that he's too big to be personal. The psalmist says no to both. He rides the highest heavens (far away in scale) but sends out his voice (personally engaged). The distance doesn't create silence. The height doesn't produce detachment.
If God feels distant — if the heavens seem like a closed ceiling rather than a launching pad for his voice — this psalm says look up and listen. The rider of the ancient heavens is speaking. The voice is mighty. And it's aimed at you, from the farthest point in the cosmos, with a volume that nothing can muffle.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens, which were of old,.... Or "eastward" (q); the first, second, and third…
To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens - The highest heavens. The heaven of heaven would properly mean the…
The psalmist, having prayed for and prophesied of the conversion of the Gentiles, here invites them to come in and join…
To him that rideth&c. The same God who "rides through the deserts" (Psa 68:68) when He intervenes in human affairs is…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture