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He delivered His strength to captivity, and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.
Psalms 78:61 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB and delivered his strength into captivity, his glory into the adversary’s hand.
  • KJV And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.
  • NKJV And delivered His strength into captivity, And His glory into the enemy’s hand.
  • NASB And He gave up His strength to captivity And His glory into the hand of the enemy.
  • NLT He allowed the Ark of his might to be captured; he surrendered his glory into enemy hands.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God let the ark, His strength and glory, fall into enemy hands. He surrendered the symbol of His presence to judge His people.

Overview

The 'strength' and 'glory' delivered into captivity refers to the ark taken by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4). God allowed even this sacred object to be lost to discipline Israel. Yet the account also reveals that no enemy can hold God's glory, for the ark's presence brought ruin to its captors.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Ps 132:8Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.
  • 1 Sam 4:21And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.
  • 1 Sam 4:17The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
  • Judg 18:30The Danites set up idols for themselves, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.
  • Ps 24:7Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!
  • 2 Chr 6:41Now therefore, arise, O LORD God, and enter Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might. May Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and may Your godly ones rejoice in goodness.
  • Exod 40:34Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
  • Ps 63:2So I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and glory.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 78:61YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 78:61 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.