Psalms 68:23

that your foot may be dipped in the blood of your foes—the tongues of your dogs in the same.”

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The psalmist declares God’s coming judgment against hostile nations during a vision of God’s triumphant procession toward the sanctuary. This declaration immediately follows God’s promise to retrieve enemies from Bashan and the depths of the sea.

The words — The Hebrew תִּֽמְחַ֥ץ (tim.Chatz) means “it may smash,” directly linked to בְּ֫/דָ֥ם (be./Dam) for “in blood,” depicting the violent subjugation of foes. The phrase לְשׁ֥וֹן כְּלָבֶ֑י/ךָ (le.Shon ke.la.Vei./kha) literally reads “the tongue of your dogs,” extending the imagery of shared destruction.

The thread — This imagery of divine vengeance appears in Psalms 58:10, where the righteous wash their feet in the blood of the wicked, and echoes the judgment of Ahab in 1 Kings 22:38 where dogs lick his blood. It also aligns with the prophetic warning in 1 Kings 21:19 regarding bloodguilt and divine retribution.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that God’s sovereign march culminates in the complete defeat of His enemies. It requires the reader to accept that divine justice operates with absolute finality, leaving no room for the enemy’s survival or escape.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

לְמַ֤עַן׀le.Ma.'anso that תִּֽמְחַ֥ץtim.Chatzit may smash רַגְלְךָ֗rag.le./Khafoot/ your בְּ֫דָ֥םbe./Damin/ blood לְשׁ֥וֹןle.Shon[the] tongue of כְּלָבֶ֑יךָke.la.Vei./khadogs/ your מֵאֹיְבִ֥יםme./'o.ye.Vim[will be] from/ [the] enemies מִנֵּֽהוּ׃mi.Ne./huportion/ its

King James Version

That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

Cross-references

1 Kings 21:19 Tell him that this is what the LORD says: ‘Have you not murdered a man and seized his land?’ Then tell him that this is also what the LORD says: ‘In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, there also the dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”
Psalms 58:10 The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
1 Kings 22:38 And the chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria where the prostitutes bathed, and the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood, according to the word that the LORD had spoken.
Revelation 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
2 Kings 9:33 “Throw her down!” yelled Jehu. So they threw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
Isaiah 63:1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.”