The Meaning of Psalms 68:12 Explained

Psalms 68:12

KJV: Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

YLT: Kings of hosts flee utterly away, And a female inhabitant of the house apportioneth spoil.

Darby: Kings of armies flee; they flee, and she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.

ASV: Kings of armies flee, they flee; And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Kings  of armies  did flee  apace:  and she that tarried  at home  divided  the spoil. 

What does Psalms 68:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 68:12-25 - Their Mighty Deliverer
The processional march still continues. Presently Mount Zion comes in sight, and the neighboring hills are depicted as eying it enviously for its selection in preference to themselves. In Psalms 68:17-18 the glad throng begins to climb the sacred slopes of Zion, amid still more triumphant strains; and in Psalms 68:19, etc., the gates of the sanctuary stand wide open to welcome the festal crowds.
How great the contrast between the blackened appearance of a smoky caldron, and the lustrous sheen of a bird's pinions as they flash in the sunlight! Psalms 68:13. Yet that is the contrast between what we were, and what we now are. Zalmon, Psalms 68:14 -perhaps a reference to the wooded hill near Shechem, mentioned in Judges 9:48. The hostile kings were scattered as snowflakes are driven before the wind and melt in the sun. The hill Bashan, Psalms 68:15, is a snow-clad summit, but Zion is greater, since God is there. In the triumphant words of Psalms 68:18, the singer quotes Judges 5:12, and they are applied in Ephesians 4:8 to our Lord's ascension. Note the r.v. rendering of Psalms 68:19 -that the Lord daily beareth our burdens. Singers, minstrels, and girls with timbrels, Psalms 68:25 -all have a share in the Church's joy. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 68

1  A prayer at the removing of the ark
4  An exhortation to praise God for his mercies
7  for his care of the church
19  for his great works

What do the individual words in Psalms 68:12 mean?

Kings of armies flee they flee and she who remains at home divides the spoil
מַלְכֵ֣י צְ֭בָאוֹת יִדֹּד֣וּן יִדֹּד֑וּן וּנְוַת בַּ֝֗יִת תְּחַלֵּ֥ק שָׁלָֽל

מַלְכֵ֣י  Kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
צְ֭בָאוֹת  of  armies 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
יִדֹּד֣וּן  flee 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: נָדַד  
Sense: to retreat, flee, depart, move, wander abroad, stray, flutter.
יִדֹּד֑וּן  they  flee 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: נָדַד  
Sense: to retreat, flee, depart, move, wander abroad, stray, flutter.
וּנְוַת  and  she  who  remains  at 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: נָוֶה 
Sense: abode, habitation, abode of shepherds or flocks, pasture.
בַּ֝֗יִת  home 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
תְּחַלֵּ֥ק  divides 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: חָלַק 
Sense: to divide, share, plunder, allot, apportion, assign.
שָׁלָֽל  the  spoil 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלָל  
Sense: prey, plunder, spoil, booty.