Bible Strands
Psalms 68:6
God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist declares God’s character and actions, immediately following a description of Him as a father to the fatherless and defender of widows (Psalms 68:5), and preceding a recollection of His march through the wasteland (Psalms 68:7).
The words — The text uses מוֹשִׁיב (mo.Shiv), meaning "causing to dwell," to describe God placing יְחִידִים (ye.chi.Dim), "solitary people," into בַּיִת (Bayit), "a household," while מוֹצִיא (mo.Tzi'), "bringing out," delivers אֲסִירִים ('A.si.rim), "prisoners," to בְּכוֹשָׁרוֹת (be.ko.sha.ro.t), "prosperities."
The thread — This theme of divine placement for the displaced and deliverance for the captive echoes Psalms 113:9, where God settles the barren woman in her home, and Psalms 69:33, which notes that the LORD listens to the needy and does not despise His captive people.
Why it lands — The text states that God actively restructures domestic isolation into family belonging and extracts captives into favorable conditions, while the rebellious remain in desolation. It requires the reader to acknowledge God’s direct intervention in social and physical displacement before drawing any theological conclusions about His character.
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
King James Version
God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
Cross-references
- Psalms 113:9 He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother to her children. Hallelujah!
- Psalms 69:33 For the LORD listens to the needy and does not despise His captive people.
- Psalms 107:10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains,
- Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,
- Psalms 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke away their chains.
- Psalms 146:7 He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,
- Psalms 107:40 He pours out contempt on the nobles and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
- Galatians 4:27 For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have never travailed; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”
- 1 Samuel 2:5 The well-fed hire themselves out for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away.
- Acts 12:6 On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.