Psalms 76 · Verse 3

Psalms 76:3

There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
Psalms 76:3, King James Version

Psalms 76:3 in other translations

BSBThere He shattered the flaming arrows, the shield and sword and weapons of war. Selah
WEBThere he broke the flaming arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah.
ASVThere he brake the arrows of the bow; The shield, and the sword, and the battle. [Selah
YLTThere he hath shivered arrows of a bow, Shield, and sword, and battle. Selah.
DARBYThere broke he the flashings of the bow, shield and sword and battle. Selah.
BBEThere were the arrows of the bow broken, there he put an end to body-cover, sword, and fight. (Selah.)
WebsterThere he broke the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.

What does Psalms 76:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. brake ... the arrows--literally, "thunderbolts" (Psa 78:48), from their rapid flight or ignition (compare Psa 18:14; Ep 6:16). the battle--for arms (Ho 2:18).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 There brake he the arrows of the bow - רשפי rishphey, the fiery arrows. Arrows, round the heads of which inflammable matter was rolled, and then ignited, were used by the ancients, and shot into towns to set them on fire; and were discharged among the towers and wooden works of besiegers. The Romans called them phalaricae; and we find them mentioned by Virgil, Aen. lib. ix., ver. 705: - Sed magnum stridens contorta phalarica venit, Fulminis acta modo. On this passage Servius describes the phalarica as a dart or spear with a spherical leaden head to which fire was attached. Thrown by a strong hand, it killed those whom it hit, and set fire to buildings, etc. It was called phalarica from the towers called phalae from which it was generally projected. In allusion to these St. Paul speaks of the fiery darts of the devil, Eph 6:16, to the note on which the reader is requested to refer. The shield and the sword - If this refers to the destruction of Sennacherib's army, it may be truly said that God rendered useless all their warlike instruments, his angel having destroyed 185,000 of them in one night.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 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…

Read the full comment on Psalms 76:1-6 →

Psalms 76:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

שָׁ֭מָּהSha.mahthere <towards>H8033
שִׁבַּ֣רshi.Barhe shatteredH7665
רִשְׁפֵי\־rish.fei-flames ofH7565
קָ֑שֶׁתKa.sheta bowH7198
מָגֵ֬ןma.GenshieldH4043
וְחֶ֖רֶבve.Che.revand swordH2719
וּמִלְחָמָ֣הu.mil.cha.Mahand battleH4421
סֶֽלָה\׃Se.lahSelahH5542

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 76:3

  • Psalms 46:9

    He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

  • Isaiah 37:35-36

    For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

  • Ezekiel 39:9-10

    And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.

  • Ezekiel 39:3-4

    And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

  • 2 Chronicles 20:25

    And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

  • 2 Chronicles 14:12-13

    So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the Lord, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.

  • 2 Chronicles 32:21

    And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
There.
46:9; 2Ch 14:12,13; 20:25; 32:21; Isa 37:35,36; Eze 39:3,4,9,10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 76:2

    In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.

  • Psalms 76:3

    There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.

  • Psalms 76:4

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

Read all of Psalms 76

Psalms 76:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Allí quebró las saetas del arco, el escudo, y la espada, y tren de guerra. (Selah.)
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et son tabernacle est en Salem, et son domicile en Sion.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Dort zerbrach er des Bogens Blitze, Schild und Schwert und Krieg.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		In die tribulationis meæ Deum exquisivi; manibus meis nocte contra eum, et non sum deceptus. Renuit consolari anima mea;