The Meaning of Psalms 68:23 Explained

Psalms 68:23

KJV: That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

YLT: So that thou dashest thy foot in blood, In the blood of enemies -- the tongue of Thy dogs.'

Darby: That thou mayest dip thy foot in blood: the tongue of thy dogs has its portion from enemies.

ASV: That thou mayest crush them , dipping thy foot in blood, That the tongue of thy dogs may have its portion from thine enemies.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

That thy foot  may be dipped  in the blood  of [thine] enemies,  [and] the tongue  of thy dogs  in the same. 

What does Psalms 68:23 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 68:23 mean?

that may crush [them] your foot in blood and the tongues of your dogs from [your] enemies [may have] their portion
לְמַ֤עַן ׀ תִּֽמְחַ֥ץ רַגְלְךָ֗ בְּ֫דָ֥ם לְשׁ֥וֹן כְּלָבֶ֑יךָ מֵאֹיְבִ֥ים מִנֵּֽהוּ

לְמַ֤עַן ׀  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: לְמַעַן 
Sense: purpose, intent prep.
תִּֽמְחַ֥ץ  may  crush  [them] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מָחַץ  
Sense: to smite through, shatter, wound severely.
רַגְלְךָ֗  your  foot 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
בְּ֫דָ֥ם  in  blood 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
לְשׁ֥וֹן  and  the  tongues 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: לָשֹׁון  
Sense: tongue.
כְּלָבֶ֑יךָ  of  your  dogs 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: כֶּלֶב  
Sense: dog.
מֵאֹיְבִ֥ים  from  [your]  enemies 
Parse: Preposition-m, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.
מִנֵּֽהוּ  [may  have]  their  portion 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.