Psalms 60:9 · Bible study
Psalms 60:9 Commentary: Strong City, Divine Help
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 60:9: David's rhetorical question about the strong city reveals human limitation and the absolute need for God to lead us in victory.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A rhetorical question expressing dependence on God for victory over seemingly impossible obstacles, specifically Edom's capital.
- Key words: 'Strong city' (fortified, impregnable), 'lead me' (a divine leading required).
- Main debate: Whether 'strong city' refers to Petra (Edom) or another fortified city, and whether the question is one of despair or confident hope.
- Theological theme: Human inability and absolute need for divine intervention in God's mission.
- Best use: Teaching the necessity of prayerful dependence on God in the face of daunting challenges.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
WEB World English Bible 2000
Who will bring me into the strong city? Who has led me to Edom?
KJV King James Version 1769
Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Who will bring me into the strong city? Who hath led me unto Edom?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Who doth bring me to a city of bulwarks? Who hath led me unto Edom?
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me unto Edom?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
So will I sing a psalm to thy name for ever and ever: that I may pay my vows from day to day.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¿ Quién me llevará á la ciudad fortalecida? ¿ quién me llevará hasta Idumea?
Quem me levará a uma cidade fortificada? Quem me guiará até Edom?
A moi Galaad, à moi Manassé;
Wer will mich führen in die feste Stadt? Wer geleitet mich bis nach Edom?
Gilead is mijn, en Manasse is mijn, en Efraim is de sterkte mijns hoofds; Juda is mijn wetgever.
Chi mi condurrà nella città forte? Chi mi menerà fino in Edom?
Mojeć jest Galaad, mój i Manases, i Efraim moc głowy mojej; Juda zakonodawcą moim.
И я буду петь имени Твоему вовек, исполняя обеты мои всякий день.
誰 能領我進 堅固 城？誰 能引我 到 以東地？
Who will take me into the strong town? who will be my guide into Edom?
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the 'strong city' in this verse refers to the capital of Edom, likely the rock-hewn city of Petra (Barnes, Cambridge, Keil & Delitzsch). The question 'Who will bring me into the strong city?' is not a request for information but a rhetorical expression of dependence. Matthew Henry captures the consensus: 'None can do it but God.' The perfect tense of the verb 'lead' in Hebrew (as noted by the Cambridge Bible) may convey a sense of hopelessness, 'who could possibly have led me?', underlining the impossibility of human conquest without divine aid. Wesley echoes this: the city is so strong by nature and art that it 'cannot be subdued without a Divine hand.' At the same time, the question is asked with confidence in God's promise; the surrounding verses show the psalmist moving from lament to trust. Thus, scholars see this verse as a pivot point: human inability confessed, divine help sought, and victory anticipated through God alone.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical reading: The strong city is Petra, capital of Edom; the question reflects David's actual military campaign.
- Poetic/rhetorical reading: The question is a general expression of reliance on God, using Edom as a symbol of difficulty.
- Spiritual allegory: The strong city represents any formidable obstacle in the believer's life, and the question becomes a prayer for divine help.
What is clear: The verse underscores that human effort alone cannot secure victory; only God can bring His people into the promised triumph.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the strong city | Most interpreters agree it refers to the capital of Edom, Petra. | Some see it as Rabbath Ammon (Gill), others as Tyre (Targum), and some as a general symbol for any fortified enemy stronghold. |
| Nature of the rhetorical question | The question expresses human inability to achieve victory alone. | Whether it is a cry of despair (Cambridge) or a confident anticipation of God's action (Keil & Delitzsch). |
| Historical setting | The psalm is set during David's wars with Edom. | Whether the psalm was composed before the victory (Delitzsch) or after a preliminary defeat (Hengstenberg). |
| Applicability to spiritual warfare | The verse teaches reliance on God for victory. | Whether the strong city symbolizes sin, Satan, or specific cultural challenges in the life of the church. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 60 is set against the backdrop of David's military campaigns, specifically the war against Edom. The title references Joab's victory at the Valley of Salt, where 12,000 Edomites were killed (2 Samuel 8:13; 1 Kings 11:15-16). The 'strong city' that David longs to enter is almost certainly Sela (Petra), the Edomite capital perched on a rocky plateau and accessible only through a narrow gorge. Ancient travelers described it as nearly impregnable (see Obadiah 1:3). In verses 6-8, God has spoken from his sanctuary, claiming ownership of Israel's territories and even treating enemy nations like Moab and Edom as conquered vassals. But verse 9 opens with a sobering question. Despite the divine oracle, the conquest is not yet realized on the ground. David's question 'Who will bring me into the strong city?' is not doubt about God's promise but a recognition that human strength alone cannot fulfill it. The verbs in Hebrew heighten this tension. The Cambridge Bible notes that the perfect tense of 'lead' in 'Who has led me to Edom?' sometimes expresses a sense of difficulty or hopelessness in questions. It is as if David says, 'Who could possibly lead me there?' The only implied answer is God, who had gone out with Israel's armies in past victories but now seemed absent (v. 10). The psalmist prays for that divine help to return. This verse thus stands at the intersection of promise and present difficulty, a pattern familiar throughout the Old Testament.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentaries note no significant textual variants for Psalm 60:9. The question in the MT is stable; the chief debate is interpretive rather than textual.
Reception History
Throughout church history, Psalm 60:9 has been read as a model of prayerful dependence. Matthew Henry saw it as 'rejoicing in hope', the psalmist pleases himself with the promises of God even while facing real obstacles. In the Reformation, Calvin and others used the verse to teach that God's people must look beyond human resources to the God who fulfills His covenant. Some later interpreters, like John Gill, read the strong city allegorically as the city of Rome, applying David's desire to the hope of God's judgment against oppressive powers. More commonly, the verse has been used to encourage believers to confess their weakness and ask God to lead them into victory, trusting that what God has promised He will accomplish.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Fortress That Only God Can Breach. The strong city represents any obstacle that seems insurmountable to human effort.
- The Honest Question That Confesses Dependence. David does not pretend to have the answer; he asks who can do it.
- The Confident Answer. God Himself, who has promised and who alone can deliver.
Five-point outline
- The Context of Promise (vv.6-8): God declares ownership of the land.
- The Reality of Resistance (v.9): The strong city stands unconquered.
- The Cry for Help (v.10-11): God seems to have rejected us, but we ask again.
- The Confidence in God's Power (v.12): Through God we will do valiantly.
- The Assurance of Victory (v.12b): He will tread down our enemies.
Illustration hooks
- Facing a fortified problem in your life (financial, relational, health) that you cannot solve by your own strength.
- The feeling of being hemmed in, like an army outside an impregnable city, needing wisdom from outside.
- The relief of admitting you cannot do it alone and asking for help.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God allow us to face impossible situations?
- How do we know if God is for us or against us when we face setbacks?
- What does it look like to trust God for victory when we feel defeated?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 60 presents a people who have experienced defeat but hold on to God's promise. In verse 9, David asks a question that cuts to the heart of human limitation: 'Who will bring me into the strong city?' This question invites us to consider where our trust really lies.
Discussion questions
- Read the surrounding context of Psalm 60:1-12. What has happened to the people of God at the beginning of the psalm?
- What does the 'strong city' represent in David's situation? Why is it significant that he doesn't assume he can take it on his own?
- The verb 'lead' in Hebrew can express a sense of hopelessness in questions. How does that nuance affect your understanding of David's state of mind?
- Verse 10 says 'Haven't you, God, rejected us?' How do you reconcile that question with the confidence expressed in verses 6-8?
- Why does David equate conquering Edom with God's presence (v.10-12)? What does that tell us about the source of true victory?
- Can you think of a 'strong city' in your own life, a situation that seems impossible to change? How does this psalm encourage you to pray about it?
- How does this passage challenge our culture's emphasis on self-reliance? What does it mean to ask God to 'bring us in'?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Judges 1:12 | Caleb said, “I will give Achsah my daughter as wife to the man who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it.” |
| Judges 1:24 | The watchers saw a man come out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance into the city, and we will deal kindly with you.” |
| Judges 1:25 | He showed them the entrance into the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword; but they let the man and all his family go. |
| II Samuel 11:1 | At the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. |
| II Samuel 12:26 | Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city. |
| II Samuel 12:31 | He brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work under saws, under iron picks, under axes of iron, and made them go to the brick kiln; and he did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. |
| I Chronicles 11:6 | David had said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain.” Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was made chief. |
| I Chronicles 11:17 | David longed, and said, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies several possible candidates for the strong city, including Petra, Bozra, Rabba, Tyre, or even Jerusalem itself. He leans toward understanding the verse in the context of the return from Babylon, where the strong city may represent a literal stronghold or figuratively mean dominion over those regions.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies the strong city as Petra, the fortified capital of Edom built into the rocks and nearly impossible to take. He reads David's question as an anxious appeal for one of his captains to lead the army there, noting that Joab and Abishai later accomplished the conquest.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that David composed this psalm not simply to thank God for victories, but to use God's own oracle to persuade the divided nation that supporting his kingship was obedience to the divine will. The prayers throughout urge God to complete what He had begun.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that the question about being led into Edom uses a perfect tense verb, which in such questions can convey a sense of difficulty or near hopelessness. This suggests the speaker feels the obstacles are almost insuperable, rather than referring to a past successful invasion.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Who will leade me into the strong citie? who will bring me vnto Edom?
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads this verse as a prophetic longing for God's judgment on Rome, the great city of Revelation. He interprets David's question as the voice of God's people, eager to enter and destroy that power just before God moves the earthly kings to burn it with fire.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that the psalmist's confidence shifts from asking "who will lead me" to declaring "who has led me," as if the deliverance is already accomplished. This captures an assured faith that God's anger is past and His favor has already begun.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch identifies the fortified city as Petra rather than Rabbath Ammon, making Edom the target. The prayer expresses a warrior's confident longing for battle, grounded in the conviction that victory comes only from God, who has previously withheld it. Human help has proven futile, so Israel asks God for the power to conquer.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry points out that David
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley points out that after driving enemies from open battle, the psalmist asks God for help capturing their fortified cities. Edom is a high rocky country, defended by both nature and human fortifications, so it cannot be subdued without God's direct hand.