Psalm 68:16
New International Version
why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the LORD himself will dwell forever?

New Living Translation
Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the LORD himself will live forever?

English Standard Version
Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, yes, where the LORD will dwell forever?

Berean Standard Bible
Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling, where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

King James Bible
Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

New King James Version
Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; Yes, the LORD will dwell in it forever.

New American Standard Bible
Why do you look with envy, you mountains of many peaks, At the mountain God has desired as His dwelling? Indeed, the LORD will dwell there forever.

NASB 1995
Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, At the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely the LORD will dwell there forever.

NASB 1977
Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, At the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely, the LORD will dwell there forever.

Legacy Standard Bible
Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, At the mountain which God has prized for His habitation? Surely Yahweh will dwell there forever.

Amplified Bible
Why do you look with envy, mountains with many peaks, At the mountain [of the city of Zion] which God has desired for His dwelling place? Yes, the LORD will dwell there forever.

Christian Standard Bible
Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks, at the mountain God desired for his abode? The LORD will dwell there forever!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks, at the mountain God desired for His dwelling? The LORD will live there forever!

American Standard Version
Why look ye askance, ye high mountains, At the mountain which God hath desired for his abode? Yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
What do you seek in the ridged mountains? The mountain that God has chosen for himself to dwell in, LORD JEHOVAH will dwell in it to eternity.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Wherefore do ye conceive evil, ye swelling mountains? this is the mountain which God has delighted to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever.

Contemporary English Version
Why is it jealous of Zion, the mountain you chose as your home forever?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Why suspect, ye curdled mountains? A mountain in which God is well pleased to dwell: for there the Lord shall dwell unto the end.

English Revised Version
Why look ye askance, ye high mountains, at the mountain which God hath desired for his abode? yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why do you look with envy, you mountains with many peaks, at the mountain where God has chosen to live? Certainly, the LORD will live there forever.

Good News Translation
Why from your mighty peaks do you look with scorn on the mountain on which God chose to live? The LORD will live there forever!

International Standard Version
You mountains of many peaks, why do you watch with envy the mountain in which God has chosen to dwell? Indeed, the LORD will live there forever.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Why look ye askance, ye mountains of peaks, At the mountain which God hath desired for His abode? Yea, the LORD will dwell therein for ever.

Literal Standard Version
Why do you envy, O high hills, | The hill God has desired for His seat? YHWH also dwells forever.

Majority Standard Bible
Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling, where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

New American Bible
You rugged mountains, why look with envy at the mountain where God has chosen to dwell, where the LORD resides forever?

NET Bible
Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, at the mountain where God has decided to live? Indeed the LORD will live there permanently!

New Revised Standard Version
Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the LORD will reside forever?

New Heart English Bible
Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, the LORD will dwell there forever.

Webster's Bible Translation
Why leap ye, ye lofty hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yes, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

World English Bible
Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, Yahweh will dwell there forever.

Young's Literal Translation
Why do ye envy, O high hills, The hill God hath desired for His seat? Jehovah also doth tabernacle for ever.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Enemies Are Scattered
15A mountain of God is Mount Bashan; a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan. 16Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling, where the LORD will surely dwell forever. 17The chariots of God are tens of thousands—thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai.…

Cross References
Exodus 15:17
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance--the place, O LORD, You have prepared for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established.

Deuteronomy 12:5
Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.

Psalm 74:2
Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance--Mount Zion where You dwell.

Psalm 78:54
He brought them to His holy land, to the mountain His right hand had acquired.

Psalm 87:1
His foundation is on the holy mountains.

Psalm 87:2
The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Psalm 132:13
For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home:


Treasury of Scripture

Why leap you, you high hills? this is the hill which God desires to dwell in; yes, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

Why

Psalm 114:4,6
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs…

Isaiah 2:2
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

the hill

Psalm 132:13,14
For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation…

Deuteronomy 12:5,11
But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: …

1 Kings 9:3
And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

Jump to Previous
Abode Chooses Desired Desireth Dwell Envy Forever High Hill Hills Leap Many-Peaked Mount Mountain Mountains Peaks Reign Resting-Place Rugged Seat Surely Tabernacle
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Abode Chooses Desired Desireth Dwell Envy Forever High Hill Hills Leap Many-Peaked Mount Mountain Mountains Peaks Reign Resting-Place Rugged Seat Surely Tabernacle
Psalm 68
1. A prayer at the removing of the ark
4. An exhortation to praise God for his mercies
7. for his care of the church
19. for his great works














(16) Why leap ye?--The verb occurs only here, but is explained by Delitzsch, by comparison with an Arabic root, to express the attitude of a beast crouching down for a spring on its prey; a fine image: the jealous hills lying, like panthers, ready to spring on the passing Israelites. Or does the old feeling of jealousy of the tribes on the other side of Jordan still show itself lurking in this verse? Browning has an image some what similar:--

"Those two hills on the right

Crouched like two bulls."

Others make the meaning simply "to look enviously on." The older versions have caught the sense, "Why watch with suspicion?" We may translate the verse, Why, mountains of many peaks, glare ye at the mountain which God hath desired for a residence? Yea, Jehovah will dwell there for ever.

Verse 16. - Why leap ye, ye high hills? rather, Why look ye askance, ye mountains of peaks? In jealousy at not being chosen. This is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; rather, on the mountain which God desireth to dwell in - a continuation of the preceding sentence. The mountain intended is, of course, Mount Zion, a comparatively low elevation. Yea, the Lord will dwell in it forever; i.e. make it his permanent, not merely his temporary, habitation, like Sinai.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why
לָ֤מָּה ׀ (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

do you gaze in envy,
תְּֽרַצְּדוּן֮ (tə·raṣ·ṣə·ḏūn)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 7520: To look askant, be jealous

O mountains
הָרִ֪ים (hā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

of many peaks?
גַּבְנֻ֫נִּ֥ים (gaḇ·nun·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1386: A peak, rounded summit

[This is] the mountain
הָהָ֗ר (hā·hār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

God
אֱלֹהִ֣ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

chose
חָמַ֣ד (ḥā·maḏ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2530: To desire, take pleasure in

for [His] dwelling,
לְשִׁבְתּ֑וֹ (lə·šiḇ·tōw)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

where the LORD
יְ֝הוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

will surely
אַף־ (’ap̄-)
Conjunction
Strong's 637: Meaning accession, yea, adversatively though

dwell
יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן (yiš·kōn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7931: To settle down, abide, dwell

forever.
לָנֶֽצַח׃ (lā·ne·ṣaḥ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5331: Eminence, enduring, everlastingness, perpetuity


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OT Poetry: Psalm 68:16 Why do you look in envy you (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 68:15
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