The Meaning of Psalms 68:13 Explained

Psalms 68:13

KJV: Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

YLT: Though ye do lie between two boundaries, Wings of a dove covered with silver, And her pinions with yellow gold.

Darby: Though ye have lain among the sheepfolds, ye shall be as wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with green gold.

ASV: When ye lie among the sheepfolds, It is as the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her pinions with yellow gold.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Though ye have lien  among the pots,  [yet shall ye be as] the wings  of a dove  covered  with silver,  and her feathers  with yellow  gold. 

What does Psalms 68:13 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 68:13 mean?

Though you lie down among the sheepfolds [You will be] like the wings of a dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold
אִֽם־ תִּשְׁכְּבוּן֮ בֵּ֪ין שְׁפַ֫תָּ֥יִם כַּנְפֵ֣י י֭וֹנָה נֶחְפָּ֣ה בַכֶּ֑סֶף וְ֝אֶבְרוֹתֶ֗יהָ בִּֽירַקְרַ֥ק חָרֽוּץ

אִֽם־  Though 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
תִּשְׁכְּבוּן֮  you  lie  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
שְׁפַ֫תָּ֥יִם  the  sheepfolds 
Parse: Noun, md
Root: שְׁפַתַּיִם 
Sense: hook-shaped pegs, hooks, pots, fold.
כַּנְפֵ֣י  [You  will  be]  like  the  wings 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
י֭וֹנָה  of  a  dove 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: יׄונָה  
Sense: dove, pigeon.
נֶחְפָּ֣ה  covered 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: חָפָה  
Sense: to cover, overlay, wainscotted, covered with boards or panelling.
בַכֶּ֑סֶף  with  silver 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֶּסֶף  
Sense: silver, money.
וְ֝אֶבְרוֹתֶ֗יהָ  and  her  feathers 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: יְרַקְרַק  
Sense: greenish, pale green, greenish-yellow.
בִּֽירַקְרַ֥ק  with  yellow 
Parse: Preposition-b, Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: אֶבְרָה  
Sense: pinion, wing.
חָרֽוּץ  gold 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָרוּץ 
Sense: sharp-pointed, sharp, diligent.