Psalm 76:4 Study Bible: Glorious are you, and excellent, more than mountains of game.

◄ Psalm 76:4 ►

You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains filled with game.

You are resplendent with light
This phrase emphasizes the divine glory and holiness of God. In biblical literature, light often symbolizes purity, truth, and the presence of God. The imagery of light is frequently used to describe God's nature, as seen in passages like 1 John 1:5, which states, "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." The resplendence of God signifies His overwhelming beauty and the awe-inspiring nature of His presence. This can also be seen as a foreshadowing of Christ, who is described as the "light of the world" in John 8:12, indicating His role in bringing spiritual illumination and salvation.

more majestic than mountains filled with game
Mountains in biblical times were often seen as symbols of strength, stability, and grandeur. They were places of refuge and were sometimes associated with divine encounters, such as Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The reference to "mountains filled with game" suggests abundance and provision, as these areas were rich hunting grounds. However, God's majesty surpasses even the most bountiful and impressive natural landscapes. This comparison highlights God's superiority over creation, reinforcing His sovereignty and power. The imagery also connects to other scriptures that speak of God's majesty, such as Psalm 93:1, which declares, "The LORD reigns, He is robed in majesty." This phrase underscores the idea that God's glory and majesty are unparalleled and eternal.

Persons / Places / Events

1. God (Yahweh)
The central figure in this verse, depicted as resplendent and majestic, highlighting His divine nature and supreme authority.

2. Mountains filled with game
Symbolic of strength, abundance, and natural beauty, these mountains serve as a metaphor for God's majesty, which surpasses even the most impressive aspects of creation.

3. Zion
While not directly mentioned in this verse, the context of Psalm 76 places it in Zion, a significant location representing God's dwelling place and His protection over His people.

Teaching Points

God's Majestic Nature
God's majesty is unparalleled, surpassing even the most awe-inspiring elements of His creation. This should lead us to worship Him with reverence and awe.

God's Light and Glory
The imagery of God being "resplendent with light" reminds us of His purity and holiness. As believers, we are called to reflect His light in our lives.

Security in God's Power
Just as mountains are symbols of strength and stability, God's power provides us with security and confidence. We can trust in His protection and provision.

Creation as a Reflection of God's Glory
The natural world, with its beauty and abundance, points us to the Creator. We should appreciate and steward creation as a testament to God's greatness.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the imagery of God being "more majestic than mountains filled with game" enhance your understanding of His character?

2. In what ways can you reflect God's "resplendent light" in your daily life?

3. How does recognizing God's majesty and power influence your trust in Him during challenging times?

4. What aspects of creation remind you of God's glory, and how can you incorporate this appreciation into your worship?

5. How can the themes of God's majesty and light in Psalm 76:4 be connected to the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Psalm 104
This psalm also speaks of God's majesty and His creation, emphasizing His power and splendor in nature.

Isaiah 2
Describes the exaltation of the Lord above all creation, similar to the imagery of God being more majestic than the mountains.

Hebrews 12
Discusses the unshakable kingdom of God, drawing a parallel to the stability and majesty of mountains, yet highlighting God's superiority.

Sermons

The Returning Conqueror; Or, God Glorified in His Triumph Over Evil	R. Tuck	Psalm 76:4
A Psalm of Triumph	C. Short	Psalm 76:1-12
Glorious Aspects of the Divine Character	A. K. H. Boyd, D. D.	Psalm 76:1-12
The Triumphs of God	S. Conway	Psalm 76:1-12

People

Asaph, Jacob, Psalmist

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

Bright, Eternal, Everlasting, Excellent, Full, Game, Glorious, Glory, Hills, Honourable, Majestic, Mountains, Prey, Resplendent, Rich, Shining

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Psalm 76:4

4835 light, spiritual
8608 prayer, and worship

Library

Letter Xlviii to Magister Walter De Chaumont.
To Magister [75] Walter de Chaumont. He exhorts him to flee from the world, advising him to prefer the cause and the interests of his soul to those of parents. MY DEAR WALTER, I often grieve my heart about you whenever the most pleasant remembrance of you comes back to me, seeing how you consume in vain occupations the flower of your youth, the sharpness of your intellect, the store of your learning and skill, and also, what is more excellent in a Christian than all of these gifts, the pure and innocent …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Epistle cxxii. To Rechared, King of the visigoths .
To Rechared, King of the Visigoths [82] . Gregory to Rechared, &c. I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with thy work and thy life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit that the whole nation of the Goths has through thy Excellency been brought over from the error of Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, This is the change wrought by the right hand of the Most High (Ps. lxxvi. 11 [83] …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Concerning Jonathan, one of the Sicarii, that Stirred up a Sedition in Cyrene, and was a False Accuser [Of the Innocent].
1. And now did the madness of the Sicarii, like a disease, reach as far as the cities of Cyrene; for one Jonathan, a vile person, and by trade a weaver, came thither and prevailed with no small number of the poorer sort to give ear to him; he also led them into the desert, upon promising them that he would show them signs and apparitions. And as for the other Jews of Cyrene, he concealed his knavery from them, and put tricks upon them; but those of the greatest dignity among them informed Catullus, …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Jerusalem
The first name of this city was Shalem, Genesis 14:18, Psalm 76:2, and it is still retained in the writing, however it is read Jerushalaim. "The name of that place is Jehovah-jireh. Abraham called the place Jireh; Shem called it Shalem. Saith God, If I shall call it Jireh, it will displease Shem the Just; if I shall call it Shalem, it will displease Abraham the Just. I will therefore put that name upon it which was put upon it by both, Jireh, Shalem,--Jerusalem."--"We do not, therefore, put Jod between …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Beginning at Jerusalem
The whole verse runs thus: "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." The words were spoken by Christ, after he rose from the dead, and they are here rehearsed after an historical manner, but do contain in them a formal commission, with a special clause therein. The commission is, as you see, for the preaching of the gospel, and is very distinctly inserted in the holy record by Matthew and Mark. "Go teach all nations," …
John Bunyan—Jerusalem Sinner Saved

The Jerusalem Sinner Saved;
OR, GOOD NEWS FOR THE VILEST OF MEN; BEING A HELP FOR DESPAIRING SOULS, SHOWING THAT JESUS CHRIST WOULD HAVE MERCY IN THE FIRST PLACE OFFERED TO THE BIGGEST SINNERS. THE THIRD EDITION, IN WHICH IS ADDED, AN ANSWER TO THOSE GRAND OBJECTIONS THAT LIE IN THE WAY OF THE THEM THAT WOULD BELIEVE: FOR THE COMFORT OF THEM THAT FEAR THEY HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST. BY JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. London: Printed for Elizabeth Smith, at the Hand and Bible, on London Bridge, 1691. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Question Lxxxii of Devotion
I. Is Devotion a Special Kind of Act? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Meaning of the Term "Devotion" S. Augustine, Confessions, XIII. viii. 2 II. Is Devotion an Act of the Virtue of Religion? III. Is Contemplation, that is Meditation, the Cause of Devotion? Cardinal Cajetan, On the Causes of Devotion " " On the Devotion of Women IV. Is Joy an Effect of Devotion? Cardinal Cajetan, On Melancholy S. Augustine, Confessions, II. x. I Is Devotion a Special Kind of Act? It is by our acts that we merit. But …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, K ING OF K INGS AND L ORD OF L ORDS T he description of the administration and glory of the Redeemer's Kingdom, in defiance of all opposition, concludes the second part of Messiah Oratorio. Three different passages from the book of Revelation are selected to form a grand chorus, of which Handel's title in this verse is the close --a title which has been sometimes vainly usurped by proud worms of this earth. Eastern monarchs, in particular, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Question Lxxxi of the virtue of Religion
I. Does the Virtue of Religion Direct a Man To God Alone? S. Augustine, sermon, cccxxxiv. 3 " on Psalm lxxvi. 32 sermon, cccxi. 14-15 II. Is Religion a Virtue? III. Is Religion One Virtue? IV. Is Religion a Special Virtue Distinct From Others? V. Is Religion One of the Theological Virtues? VI. Is Religion To Be Preferred To the Other Moral Virtues? VII. Has Religion, Or Latria, Any External Acts? S. Augustine, of Care for the Dead, V. VIII. Is Religion the Same As Sanctity? Cardinal Cajetan, …
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Letter Xlv (Circa A. D. 1120) to a Youth Named Fulk, who Afterwards was Archdeacon of Langres
To a Youth Named Fulk, Who Afterwards Was Archdeacon of Langres He gravely warns Fulk, a Canon Regular, whom an uncle had by persuasions and promises drawn back to the world, to obey God and be faithful to Him rather than to his uncle. To the honourable young man Fulk, Brother Bernard, a sinner, wishes such joy in youth as in old age he will not regret. 1. I do not wonder at your surprise; I should wonder if you were not suprised [sic] that I should write to you, a countryman to a citizen, a monk …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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