Bible Strands
Psalms 76:3
There He shattered the flaming arrows, the shield and sword and weapons of war. Selah
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist declares God’s decisive action at Zion immediately after identifying Jerusalem as His chosen dwelling in the preceding verse. The speaker addresses the surrounding nations and Israel’s observers, marking the climax of a military deliverance narrative.
The words — The verb שִבַּר (shi.bar) translates literally as “he shattered,” describing the violent destruction of enemy equipment. The noun רִשְׁפֵי (rish-fei) means “flames of” or “flaming,” directly modifying the arrows to specify their destructive nature.
The thread — This disarmament motif appears in Psalms 46:9, Isaiah 37:35, and Ezekiel 39:3, where God similarly breaks bows, shatters spears, and halts combat. The pattern consistently ties military defeat to divine intervention aimed at protecting a specific location.
Why it lands — The text states that God actively destroys weapons and halts warfare, establishing that human conflict is subject to His veto. It requires the reader to acknowledge the limits of military power and cease relying on armored strength for security.
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
There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
Cross-references
- Psalms 46:9 He makes wars to cease throughout the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns the shields in the fire.
- Isaiah 37:35 ‘I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
- Ezekiel 39:3 Then I will strike the bow from your left hand and dash down the arrows from your right hand.
- Ezekiel 39:9 Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out, kindle fires, and burn up the weapons—the bucklers and shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.
- 2 Chronicles 14:12 So the LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled.
- 2 Chronicles 20:25 Then Jehoshaphat and his people went to carry off the plunder, and they found on the bodies an abundance of goods and valuables—more than they could carry away. They were gathering the plunder for three days because there was so much.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.