Psalm 68
Psalm 68 is the 68th psalm of the Book of Psalms, or Psalm 67 in Septuagint and Vulgate numbering. In the English of the King James Version it begins "Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered". In the Latin Vulgate version it begins "Exsurgat Deus et dissipentur inimici eius". It has 35 verses (36 according to Hebrew numbering). Methodist writer Arno C. Gaebelein calls it "The Great Redemption Accomplished" and describes it as "one of the greatest Psalms". Name of God. According to Gaebelein, the name of God is found in this psalm in seven different forms : Jehovah (or YHWH), Adonai, El, Shaddai, Jah (or Yah), Jehovah-Adonai and Jah-Elohim. Uses. In Judaism. According to the "Complete ArtScroll Siddur" as edited by Nosson Scherman in 1984, isolated verses from the psalm are part of contemporary Jewish liturgy: According to "The ArtScroll Tehillim" by Hillel Danziger (1989, p. 329), in some traditions, the entire psalm is recited on Shavuot. New Testament. Verse 18 is referenced in Ephesians : The passage in the psalm makes reference to the Ark of the Covenant ascending to Mount Zion, and Paul is here drawing a comparison to the Ascension of Jesus. Roman  Catholic liturgy. In the monastic tradition dating from the Early Middle Ages, this psalm was traditionally recited at the Matins office on Wednesday, according to the distribution of the rule of St. Benedict fixed at 530. In the current Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 68 is recited or sung at the Reading Office on Tuesday of the third week in the four weekly cycle. It is also read on the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time in year C in the triennial cycle of the Sunday masses. Eastern Orthodox tradition. The first two verses of the psalm's Church Slavonic version  form the beginning of the "Prayer of the Cross" or in the Russian tradition part of the daily evening prayers: Book of Common Prayer. In the Church of England's "Book of Common Prayer", this is the sole psalm appointed to be read on the morning of the 13th day of the month. Musical settings. Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed "Exurgat Deus" (H.215) around 1690, set for soloists, chorus, 2 treble instruments and continuo. Philipp Heinrich Erlebach composed "Gelobet sei der Herr täglich", a church cantata for the First Sunday after Trinity beginning with Psalm 68:20. Handel's oratorio "Messiah" (HWV  56) cites verses 1 and 18 according to the King James Version. Secular references. The second part of verse 31, "Ethiopia shall soon stretch her hands unto God" (Ge'ez: "ኢትዮጵያ ታበድ አደዊሃ ሃበ አግዚአብሐር", "Itiyopia tabetsih edewiha habe Igziabiher") was used in the of Emperor Haile Selassie, and was also formerly used as the national motto of Ethiopia. (The original Hebrew refers to Cush (כוש).) John Buchan's collection of short stories The Runagates Club (1928) derives its title from verse 6, which in the Book of Common Prayer reads "but letteth the runagates continue in scarceness", where the King  James Version has "but the rebellious dwell in a dry land"; "runagate" is an obsolete spelling of "renegade".