Psalm 60 3

Psalm 60:3 kjv

Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

Psalm 60:3 nkjv

You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine of confusion.

Psalm 60:3 niv

You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

Psalm 60:3 esv

You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

Psalm 60:3 nlt

You have been very hard on us,
making us drink wine that sent us reeling.

Psalm 60 verses

Psalm 60 3 Meaning

Psalm 60:3 is a poignant lament expressing the profound suffering and perceived abandonment experienced by God's people. The verse declares that God Himself has caused them to endure severe hardship and confusion, metaphorically portraying their state as having "drunk the wine of stupor." It speaks to a moment of deep national crisis, where military defeat and societal upheaval are interpreted as direct actions of divine displeasure or judgment.

Psalm 60 3 Context

Psalm 60 is a communal lament set against the backdrop of a significant military defeat suffered by Israel. The superscription explicitly links the psalm to Joab's victory over Edom in the Valley of Salt, after an initial setback against Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah (cf. 2 Sam 8:3-13, 1 Kgs 11:15-16, 1 Chr 18:3-13). Verse 3 reflects the deep despair of a nation that feels God has turned away from them, leaving them vulnerable and disoriented. This specific verse portrays the immediate consequence of God's perceived withdrawal or direct punitive action. The preceding verses (60:1-2) express how God has broken them and shaken the land, a foundational sense of national catastrophe, setting the stage for the specific expressions of suffering in verse 3. The psalm then pivots from lament to a renewed plea for divine help, anchoring its hope in God's promises despite the current distress.

Psalm 60 3 Word analysis

• You have made us see (הִרְאֵיתָנוּ - hir’eitanu):
  • hir’eitanu: This is a Hiphil perfect verb from the root ra'ah (רָאָה), meaning "to see." In the Hiphil stem, it means "to cause to see" or "to show." The "you" is God, and "us" refers to the people of Israel.
  • Significance: This indicates an active, intentional act on God's part. It's not passive observation but an imposed experience. God deliberately subjected them to this suffering, implying His sovereignty over their affliction. This challenges any notion of chance or an absent deity.
• hard things (קָשָׁה - qashah):
  • qashah: From qasheh (קָשֶׁה), meaning "hard, difficult, grievous, harsh." It encompasses severe adversity, trouble, or affliction.
  • Significance: This word conveys extreme distress and suffering. It could refer to the harsh reality of war, defeat, loss of life, or national humiliation. It highlights the profound depth of the crisis Israel was facing.
• You have made us drink (הִשְׁקִיתָנוּ - hishqitanu):
  • hishqitanu: Similar to the first phrase, this is a Hiphil perfect verb from the root shaqah (שָׁקָה), meaning "to drink" or "to give to drink." Again, God is the active subject, and His people are the recipients.
  • Significance: This strengthens the idea of God's direct agency in their suffering. The metaphor of drinking suggests a forced intake, something unavoidable that completely permeates and affects them.
• wine of stupor (יַיִן תַּרְעֵלָה - yayin tar'elah):
  • yayin (יַיִן): "Wine," a common beverage, often associated with joy, but here with a negative connotation.
  • tar'elah (תַּרְעֵלָה): This is a crucial word, meaning "stupefaction," "giddiness," "reeling," "intoxication leading to staggering," or "a trembling produced by drunkenness or poison." It appears few times in the Bible (Ps 60:3, Isa 51:17, Zech 12:2 - though the last has a different sense).
  • Significance: This vivid metaphor describes a state of disorientation, confusion, and utter helplessness, not from actual intoxication but from the overwhelming effects of God's judgment or affliction. The "wine of stupor" makes them powerless to stand or act effectively, paralyzing their resolve and rendering them vulnerable. It signifies divine displeasure that incapacitates.
• Words-group Analysis:
  • "You have made us see hard things, You have made us drink wine of stupor": This parallel structure emphasizes the duality and depth of God's perceived actions. It’s not just a physical suffering (hard things) but a profound psychological and spiritual disorientation (wine of stupor). Both phrases attribute the state of the nation directly to God, underscoring His omnipotence even in bringing about distress. This challenges pagan deities who could not ultimately control a nation's destiny and firmly establishes Yahweh's absolute authority over Israel's fortunes. It implies that their defeat is not due to the weakness of their God, but rather to His intentional chastisement.

Psalm 60 3 Bonus section

The concept of God's "cup of wrath" or "wine of stupor" appears consistently throughout the prophetic literature (e.g., Isa 51:17, Jer 25:15) to describe divine judgment inflicted upon nations or individuals. It’s a powerful image of total incapacitation, where the "drinker" loses control, becoming vulnerable and unable to resist the consequences. The "hard things" (qashah) can also imply not just severity but spiritual dullness or stubbornness, which can itself be a form of judgment where God "hardens" hearts or allows people to walk in their own ways (Rom 1:24). This verse thus points to both external affliction and internal confusion as manifestations of God's dealings with His people when they have strayed or are undergoing intense purification.

Psalm 60 3 Commentary

Psalm 60:3 offers a stark declaration of perceived divine abandonment and active judgment, a profound theological statement within a lament. The psalmist directly attributes Israel's devastating experience of defeat and national confusion not to external enemies' superior power, but to God's deliberate actions: "You have made us see hard things, You have made us drink wine of stupor." This "wine of stupor" is a potent metaphor for God's judgment, causing the recipients to stagger and lose their footing, both literally in battle and metaphorically in their national stability and purpose. It signifies disorientation, loss of strength, and utter helplessness.

This verse reveals a crucial aspect of Israel's relationship with God: even in their darkest moments, they understood suffering, particularly national calamity, as being ultimately from the hand of God, either permitted or directly orchestrated. This belief affirmed God's sovereign control even over pain and adversity, contrasting sharply with polytheistic views where a nation's fate might be at the whim of numerous, often conflicting, deities. It acknowledges the Lord's hand in chastisement, recognizing that such suffering is not random but purposeful, often related to sin or to humble and refine His people. Despite the raw pain expressed, it implies a continued reliance on and wrestling with the one true God, setting the stage for the psalm's turn to desperate petition and eventual hope in divine salvation.

Examples:

• Spiritual Disorientation: A Christian facing deep trials might feel a "wine of stupor," overwhelmed and unable to think clearly, prompting them to question God's presence, yet still ultimately believing God is sovereign over their situation.
• Church Discipline: A church experiencing internal strife or decline might attribute it to God's hand, feeling His displeasure and seeking to understand where they have collectively erred, mirroring the nation's spiritual lament.