Psalm 76

Introduction

Welcome to Torah Today Ministries in our continuing series Tehillim Talks, our studies in the Psalms. And with this episode, we begin the second half of the book of Psalms — Psalm 76. I thought we’d never get here. We still have a long way to go, but it’s nice to be over the hump and to begin the second half of this book.

Now, the attribution to this psalm reads like this: “To the choir master, with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph (אָסָף). A song.” Now, we’re in the middle of a series of 11 psalms composed by Asaph (אָסָף). This is number four of the 11. And the more I study these, I’m seeing how each of these psalms flows into the next. So I look forward to completing this series of 11 Asaph (אָסָף) songs and seeing how they tell one big story. So I invite you to follow along with that as well and see what connections you make between these 11 amazing psalms.

Now, this is a very short psalm. It’s only 12 verses, and it divides itself into four nice, neat groups of three verses each. And as we read through it, it’s going to be obvious that a battle is being described — a battle in which God himself is the victor. And there are different ideas about what particular battle this psalm might be discussing and describing, but generally it’s thought to describe the final battle, the end of the age, the battle of Gog and Magog. And that’s kind of how I see it too, though there are parts of this that apply to any kind of spiritual battle. But I think this is pointing towards a great battle at the end of the age.

So let’s get right into it.

Psalm 76:1–3 — The Lion’s Lair in Salem

God is known in Judah (יְהוּדָה), in Israel his name is great. His lair has been established in Salem (שָׁלֵם), his den in Zion (צִיּוֹן). There he broke the bow’s flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of battle. — Psalm 76:1–3

Now, your translation might say there in verse 2, “His tabernacle has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.” And the way they get the word “tabernacle” is that the word used here is the word sok (סֹךְ), which is the root word for sukkah (סֻכָּה). And the Feast of Tabernacles is called Sukkot (סֻכּוֹת), when we dwell in tabernacles and booths.

And also, the word I’ve translated “den” — and other translators do this as well — is the word me’onah (מְעוֹנָה). It’s kind of an unusual word for a dwelling place. You’d expect the word mishkan (מִשְׁכָּן) or some other word. But this is me’onah (מְעוֹנָה).

And again, most translations will say “his tabernacle, his dwelling place.” I’ve translated it “his lair” and “his den.” Why? Because these two words — sok (סֹךְ) and me’onah (מְעוֹנָה) — are used many times in Scripture to refer to the place where lions live. Let me give you some examples, and you’ll find these also in the notes at the end:

Like a lion he has left his sok (סֹךְ). — Jeremiah 25:38

He lurks in ambush like a lion in his sok (סֹךְ). — Psalm 10:9

The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their me’onah (מְעוֹנָה). — Psalm 104:21–22

Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his me’onah (מְעוֹנָה)? — Amos 3:4

The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses. He filled his caves with prey and his me’onah (מְעוֹנָה) with torn flesh. — Nahum 2:12

So again, we see these words used a number of times in relation to lions. And since the opening phrase is “God is known in Judah (יְהוּדָה),” I believe that this psalm is describing God as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah — the ferocious lion who’s victorious in battle, who causes fear in the hearts of those who encounter him.

Now, the word for “flashing arrows” here is kind of interesting — the bows’ flashing arrows, or the fire coming out of the bows. It would seem to be that these are flaming arrows. Who knows — maybe it’s a prophetic picture of missiles coming out of the sky looking like fire. Who knows?

So anyways, we see there’s this battle, and I really do believe God is being described here as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. But let’s move on.

Psalm 76:4–6 — Na’or (נָאוֹר) and the Mountains of Teref (טֶרֶף)

Radiant are you, more majestic than the mountains of prey (teref / טֶרֶף). The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil. They sank into sleep. All the men of war were unable to find their hands. At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned. — Psalm 76:4–6

Now, that word for “radiant” is the word na’or (נָאוֹר). And there’s a word coming up in verse 7 which is the word nora (נוֹרָא). Na’or (נָאוֹר) means “radiant” — remember the word or (אוֹר), “to shine.” But nora (נוֹרָא) means “fearsome” — something that strikes fear in people’s hearts. So Asaph (אָסָף) here is obviously using a bit of a play on words — na’or (נָאוֹר) and nora (נוֹרָא).

Now, in those verses I read just a moment ago about lions, you find this word teref (טֶרֶף) a number of times. You can go back and look for yourself. But teref (טֶרֶף) is from the verb taraf (טָרַף), “to tear.” And so the meat that lions eat is torn from the prey. And so teref (טֶרֶף) is a word that refers to torn meat that the lion or other wild animals may eat.

It’s also the word that’s used in modern Hebrew and Judaism to refer to unkosher food. They just call it treif (טְרֵיף) — whether it’s torn or sliced. If it’s something that’s unkosher, from an unkosher animal, or has been prepared in an unkosher way, they just call it treif (טְרֵיף), because we’re not to eat that which is torn. So treif (טְרֵיף) has become a catch-all word today for any kind of forbidden foods.

So “he’s more majestic than the mountains of prey (teref / טֶרֶף).” What an image. You picture a mountain covered with dead bodies of soldiers killed in battle. And like God, the Lion of Judah, rising up over it in great majesty because he’s the victor. They went and attacked him and his people, and they lost. And his majesty is put on display.

“The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil. They sank into sleep. All the men of war were unable to find their hands.” Your translations may say something different, but it’s literally — they couldn’t find their hands. They went numb. Now, the word “hand” is used often to refer to power. This could mean they couldn’t find their power — they lost their power to fight. But literally it says they couldn’t find their hands.

“At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned.” It’s an interesting word. It’s the word radam (רָדַם). And from that word we get the word tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה), which is used only a couple of times in Scripture. Tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה) means a very deep sleep — it’s like a God-induced coma.

It’s the word that’s used of Adam — God caused a tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה) on Adam, and then out of Adam’s side he made a bride. It’s also the word used of Abraham — God put Abraham in a tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה) when God passed between the pieces of the sacrifices as a smoking furnace and a flaming torch.

So a tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה), like I said, is like a God-induced coma. So not only the riders but the horses as well — they just passed out.

Psalm 76:7–9 — Nora (נוֹרָא): The Fearsome One

But you — you nora (נוֹרָא), you fearsome one — who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you made heard din (דִּין); the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט), to save all the humble of the earth. — Psalm 76:7–9

Remember, this is like na’or (נָאוֹר), the word we saw earlier — which is “radiant.” This is nora (נוֹרָא) — “fearsome.” And this word is used three times in this psalm.

And I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a lion up close, but they’re fearsome looking. When you take out the iron bars or the barrier between you and the lion, they look really fearsome.

I’ve been to South Africa a number of times and to Kenya, and I’ve had occasion more than once to be in a pen with lions — with nothing between me and them. Now, most of the time these are lion cubs. They’re very cute and playful. But one time I was in a pen with four lions that were just about full grown. They weighed more than I did.

And it was kind of a fearsome experience. I was put in this pen and told, “Oh, they’re tame. They won’t hurt you. Just pet them, rub them, you know.” And once I’m in there with these four lions, the guy who owns them, he says, “Don’t show any fear. They can sense fear.” And I’m thinking, “Thanks for telling me that now — before I came in here, I feel a little afraid.”

And I’ll never forget — these lions were kind of pushed up against me just to rub against my legs, but they weighed more than I did. And it was all I could do to stand up. And one of them came and just put its massive jaws right on my knee — just around my knee. And if it was so inclined, it could have just crushed my leg like that. But it was playing. It didn’t hurt me. But when I looked down and saw my knee inside this lion’s mouth — I tell you what, it’s kind of a fearful experience. It all turned out well, and here I am, all in one piece. But it was an amazing experience to be in there with these full-grown or almost full-grown lions.

But anyhow, I could not help but conjure up these memories as I was reading and studying this psalm.

“But you — you nora (נוֹרָא) — you fearsome one — who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? From the heavens you made heard din (דִּין); the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט), to save all the humble of the earth.”

So there we see that word “fear” again.

Din (דִּין) and Mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט) — Two Kinds of Judgment

Now, the words for “judgment” used here are different words. Your translations — I noticed most English translations do not differentiate between these two words.

But the first word, verse 8, for “judgment” is the word din (דִּין). And you may have heard of a beit din (בֵּית דִּין), a tribunal of judges. You would bring your case before the din (דִּין), and they would decide if you’re innocent or guilty and decide what the punishment is. Din (דִּין) is the root of the name Daniel — Dani’el (דָּנִיֵּאל), “my judge is Elohim (אֱלֹהִים).”

So there’s this kind of judgment. Which is like — as Samson Raphael Hirsch puts it — he says it’s like “applied tzedek (צֶדֶק) — applied righteousness.” The judge here is imposing righteousness.

You know, we always hear this stupid phrase: “You cannot legislate morality.” Well, all legislation is an attempt to legislate morality — saying this is moral and right, this is immoral and wrong. And if you do this, you’re going to be punished. But if you do the moral thing, you won’t be. Every law is established to maintain and enforce morality. And so that’s what the din (דִּין) is — that’s this kind of judgment here where especially the guilty come before the panel of judges and din (דִּין) is imposed. Righteousness — tzedek (צֶדֶק) — will be imposed.

But this word here is the word mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט) — the second time it’s used, here in verse 9. And mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט) — in fact, we just finished a Torah (תּוֹרָה) portion in Exodus that begins in chapter 21 of Exodus called Mishpatim (מִשְׁפָּטִים) — “these are the judgments.” These are the laws that have to do with fairness between people, personal interactions.

And notice how this word is used: “when God arose to establish mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט)” — in other words, to justify the humble, to vindicate the righteous, and to proclaim the righteous righteous. And what does it say after it? “To save all the humble of the earth.”

Din (דִּין) is something that is kind of fearful to have to face. But mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט) — if you’re innocent, you look forward to this kind of judgment. It’s like a person says, “I can’t wait for my day in court.” This is a person who is in the right, and he knows that when he has his day in court, he will be vindicated. That’s what the second word for judgment is.

Psalm 76:10–12 — Shai (שַׁי): Tribute to the Fearsome One

And then we come to the final four verses of our psalm:

Surely the wrath of man shall praise you when you gird on wrath like a belt. Make your vows to Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) your God and perform them. Let all around him bring shai (שַׁי) — tribute — to the nora (נוֹרָא), the fearsome one. He plucks the spirit of princes. He is fearsome to the kings of the earth. — Psalm 76:10–12

You’ll notice — this is a verse that translators really break their teeth on. It’s a very difficult translation, and you’ll find that translators are all over the map on this one. So I guess this is as good as any: “Surely the wrath of man shall praise you when you gird on wrath like a belt.”

This very rare word — shai (שַׁי) — is only used three times in the Bible. When you see this word shai (שַׁי), it occurs here in Psalm 76, and it also occurs in Psalm 68:29:

Because of your temple at Jerusalem, kings shall bear tribute (shai / שַׁי) to you. — Psalm 68:29

And the other is Isaiah 18:7:

At that time, tribute (shai / שַׁי) will be brought to Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) of hosts from a people tall and smooth, from a people feared near and far, a nation mighty and conquering. — Isaiah 18:7

When we see this word used all three times, it’s referring to Gentile nations bringing tribute to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — in Israel and Mount Zion. So it’s a very interesting word, used three times, and you might want to compare these three verses to see what aspects of this word for tribute you can discover.

So — “Let all around him” — this would be the Gentile nations — “bring tribute (shai / שַׁי) to the nora (נוֹרָא), the fearsome one. He plucks the spirit of princes. He is fearsome to the kings of the earth.”

The “kings of the earth” — wherever you see the phrase “kings of the earth,” it’s not a positive phrase. The kings of the earth are Gentiles — the leaders of Gentile nations who are normally opposed to God and to the people of Israel. This is why, when I read in Revelation — there at the end of Revelation, I believe it’s in chapter 21 — where it talks about the new heavens and new earth, the New Jerusalem, it says, “And the kings of the earth will bring their honor and their glory into the city.” Won’t that be something? Maybe that’s a little bit of what this psalm is hinting at — in this future day.

I want to point out one thing that I overlooked earlier — when it talks about the “rebuke.” When God rebukes — Robert Alter translates that as “when God roars.” Now, that’s not what the word means, but it is the spirit of the word. So it’s another reinforcement that this great Bible translator sees in this psalm — that this psalm is portraying God as the great Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who’s roaring, who’s victorious in battle, and everyone is just in fear, begins to bow to him, or even to faint and pass out.

Excursus: The Fear of God 

I’m going to do something that’s a little unusual — that I normally don’t do with these Psalms teachings — and digress a little bit and talk about a related topic. And the topic I want to discuss is the fear of God.

You know, this is a confusing topic. Because we read in Proverbs that fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and fear of God is portrayed as this positive attribute — something we should all have. But then we also read how “perfect love casts out fear.” And then we see Messiah inviting the little children to come to him. And we see the sinners — we see the social rejects of the day coming to him and finding his warm embrace and experiencing his love and acceptance.

So what is it? Are we to fear God or not fear him? And what does that fear look like? Is it raw terror, like facing a grown lion who’s coming at you? Or is it just respect and awe?

I came across a passage that I’ve read many times — I’m sure you have too. And it was in our Torah (תּוֹרָה) portion here, just very recently, in Exodus. It comes from Exodus chapter 20, right at the end. And this is right after God has spoken from Mount Sinai and given the Ten Words, given some instructions about altars, and so on. And here in Exodus 20:18 through 20, this amazing passage. Now see if you can catch what doesn’t seem to fit here:

Now when all the people saw the thunder — — Exodus 20:18a

Now think about that. They saw the thunder. This must have been very unusual thunder. The word there is kolot (קוֹלוֹת) — voices — but that’s what thunder is called. But they could see it. What a strange experience.

— and the flashes of lightning, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, the people trembled and they stood far off, and said to Moses, “You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” — Exodus 20:18–19

They were terrified. I mean, there’s just no other way to put it. They were trembling. They were terrified. They said, “Moses, please make it stop. We’re just going to go to pieces here. If God continues to speak, we can’t take it.” So — “You speak to God and you tell us what he said.”

But then look at Moses’ reply:

Moses said to the people, “Do not fear (yara / יָרָא).” — Exodus 20:20a

All right, you ready? “Do not fear.” And the word here is yara (יָרָא). That’s the basic word for “fear.” That’s where we get the word nora (נוֹרָא) — “the fearsome one.” Do not yara (יָרָא). Do not fear. Okay, so that’s the commandment. Don’t fear.

But let’s go on:

“Do not fear, for God has come to test you, so that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” — Exodus 20:20

Wait a minute. He says, “Do not fear, but all of this has happened so that you would have fear.” How does this work out? This seems like an oxymoron. Don’t fear, but God has done all this so you would fear. But don’t fear. But this has happened so you would — but don’t. You see the conundrum we’re in.

Now, I’ve pondered this, and I invite you to ponder it as well. But let me share my insight with you, and then you can decide for yourself.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. It’s not the end, but it is the beginning. And fear of God is something that must be foundational to our walk with him, our experience with him.

And I tell my Christian friends — they say, “I don’t fear God. He’s my friend, he’s my amigo, my pal. God’s my father, he’s my Abba (אַבָּא). I don’t fear him.” My response to them — and sometimes I say it, I try to be tactful — I’ll say, “Well, if you don’t fear God, then the God you claim to love is not the God of the Bible.”

Our God is an awesome — that’s the word, nora (נוֹרָא) — he is a fearsome God. He is a fearsome God.

I think one of the reasons that the Flood took place so early in human history is so that there would be this universal, kind of a built-in to human nature — there would be this foundational, basic fear of God. Because the threat of being able to wipe out humanity doesn’t mean a lot unless he actually does it. And the sin was so horrible that he did. He just erased humanity, except for Noah and his family.

So we know that he can, and we know that he did, destroy humanity — because he had laid this foundation of fear of him. And he’s doing the same thing here with the people of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. He’s instilling fear in them.

Now, once that fear is instilled, once it’s before your face — “so that you may not sin,” as Moses says — then God says, “Okay, now that you have a healthy, appropriate fear of me — a terror of me — now what I want you to do is never forget that. But I want you to overcome it.”

You catch that? We need to have a healthy fear of God — terror, if necessary. And then God says, “Okay, now we’ve got that settled. Now you see that I am the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” And as C.S. Lewis writes, “He is not a tame lion.”

Then he says, “Now let’s work to overcome that fear, because I do want to have a close relationship with you. Yes, I am not a tame lion. Yes, I’m a destroyer of nations. I am one who’s majestic over the mountains of teref (טֶרֶף). But I want to have a close relationship with you. So I want you to overcome that fear.”

And how do we do that? By coming to love this God who is nora (נוֹרָא) — who is fearsome, who is awesome. Does that make sense?

So I want you to ponder that and think about that along with me, because it’s something that’s been on my heart. I’ve been thinking about it for some time. And to me, it starts making sense of — do we fear God, or do we not fear God? Yes, we do. And then once we do — and truly do — fear him, now he invites us on this adventure of coming to love him. But never forgetting — never forgetting — and having that fear before our face. That fear that helps protect us from sin, because we know what kind of a God he is.

So with that, I look forward to seeing you next time with Psalm 77. And until then, I wish you shalom (שָׁלוֹם) and may God bless.

Teaching Material

Hebrew Word Studies

• Sok (סֹךְ) — “Lair, thicket, booth”; root of sukkah (סֻכָּה). Often translated “tabernacle” in Psalm 76:2, but used repeatedly for a lion’s lair (Jeremiah 25:38; Psalm 10:9). “His sok (סֹךְ) has been established in Salem (שָׁלֵם)” — God as the Lion of Judah whose lair is in Jerusalem. — Strong’s H5520
• Me’onah (מְעוֹנָה) — “Den, dwelling, habitation”; translated “den” in Psalm 76:2. Used for a lion’s den in Psalm 104:22, Amos 3:4, and Nahum 2:12. “His me’onah (מְעוֹנָה) in Zion (צִיּוֹן)” — reinforcing the lion imagery. — Strong’s H4585
• Na’or (נָאוֹר) — “Radiant, shining”; from or (אוֹר), “light.” Used in Psalm 76:4 — “Radiant are you.” Asaph (אָסָף) plays on the similarity to nora (נוֹרָא) — the one who is radiant is also fearsome. — Strong’s H215
• Nora (נוֹרָא) — “Fearsome, awesome, terrible”; from yara (יָרָא), “to fear.” Used three times in Psalm 76 (vv. 7, 11, 12). God the Lion of Judah is nora (נוֹרָא) — not a tame lion. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), but we are invited to overcome that fear through love without ever forgetting it. — Strong’s H3372
• Teref (טֶרֶף) — “Prey, torn meat”; from taraf (טָרַף), “to tear.” The “mountains of teref (טֶרֶף)” in Psalm 76:4 — a battlefield strewn with the torn prey of the victorious Lion. Also the source of modern Hebrew treif (טְרֵיף), used for any unkosher food. — Strong’s H2964
• Tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה) — “Deep sleep, God-induced coma”; from radam (רָדַם). In Psalm 76:6, both rider and horse lay stunned — radam (רָדַם). The same root as the tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה) that fell on Adam (Genesis 2:21) before God made a bride from his side, and on Abraham (Genesis 15:12) when God passed between the pieces. — Strong’s H8639
• Din (דִּין) — “Judgment, verdict”; the kind of judgment that imposes righteousness (tzedek / צֶדֶק) on the guilty. Root of the name Daniel / Dani’el (דָּנִיֵּאל) — “my judge is God.” As Samson Raphael Hirsch puts it: din (דִּין) is “applied tzedek (צֶדֶק).” Fearful for the guilty. — Strong’s H1779
• Mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט) — “Justice, ordinance, vindication”; the kind of judgment that vindicates the righteous and saves the humble. Root of Mishpatim (מִשְׁפָּטִים), the Torah (תּוֹרָה) portion (Exodus 21–24) dealing with fairness between people. If you’re innocent, you look forward to mishpat (מִשְׁפָּט) — “I can’t wait for my day in court.” — Strong’s H4941
• Shai (שַׁי) — “Tribute, gift”; a very rare word used only three times in all of Scripture (Psalm 76:11; Psalm 68:29; Isaiah 18:7). In all three cases, it refers to Gentile nations bringing tribute to the God of Israel in Zion (צִיּוֹן). — Strong’s H7862
• Yara (יָרָא) — “To fear, to be afraid, to revere”; the root of nora (נוֹרָא). In Exodus 20:20, Moses says “Do not yara (יָרָא) — do not fear — for God has come so that the fear (yir’ah / יִרְאָה) of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The paradox: fear God, then overcome that fear through love — but never forget it. — Strong’s H3372
• Kolot (קוֹלוֹת) — “Voices, thunders”; the people “saw the kolot (קוֹלוֹת)” — they saw the thunder (Exodus 20:18). A synesthetic experience where sound became visible, terrifying the people of Israel at Sinai. — Strong’s H6963
• Asaph (אָסָף) — “Gatherer”; Levitical musician and psalm composer. Psalm 76 is the fourth of his 11 consecutive psalms (Psalms 73–83), each flowing into the next to tell one big story. — Strong’s H623
• Shalom (שָׁלוֹם) — “Peace, wholeness, completeness.” — Strong’s H7965

Scripture References

Open All Scripture in Bible Gateway

• Psalm 76 — The full psalm: God as the Lion of Judah, victorious in battle, fearsome (nora / נוֹרָא) to the kings of the earth, receiving tribute (shai / שַׁי) from the nations
• Jeremiah 25:38 — “Like a lion he has left his sok (סֹךְ)” — the same word used for God’s dwelling in Psalm 76:2
• Psalm 10:9 — “He lurks in ambush like a lion in his sok (סֹךְ)” — lion’s lair imagery
• Psalm 104:21–22 — “The young lions roar for their prey… they lie down in their me’onah (מְעוֹנָה)” — lion’s den vocabulary
• Amos 3:4 — “Does a young lion cry out from his me’onah (מְעוֹנָה)?” — reinforcing the lion-den connection
• Nahum 2:12 — “He filled his me’onah (מְעוֹנָה) with torn flesh (teref / טֶרֶף)” — lion, den, and prey all in one verse
• Psalm 68:29 — “Kings shall bear tribute (shai / שַׁי) to you” — one of only three uses of this rare word
• Isaiah 18:7 — “Tribute (shai / שַׁי) will be brought to Adonai (אֲדֹנָי) of hosts” — the third use: Gentile nations bringing gifts to God
• Exodus 20:18–20 — The paradox of fear: “Do not fear (yara / יָרָא), for God has come so that the fear of him may be before you” — fear God, then overcome that fear through love
• Genesis 2:21 — God caused a tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה) on Adam and from his side made a bride — the same root as the stunned sleep of Psalm 76:6
• Genesis 15:12 — God put Abraham in a tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה) and passed between the sacrificial pieces — a God-induced coma for covenant-making
• Proverbs 9:10 — “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” — the beginning, not the end; the foundation we must never forget
• 1 John 4:18 — “Perfect love casts out fear” — the goal: once we have a healthy fear of God, we overcome it by coming to love him
• Revelation 21:24 — “The kings of the earth will bring their glory into the city” — the future fulfillment hinted at in Psalm 76:11, when the kings of the earth bring shai (שַׁי) to the fearsome one

External References & Further Study

• Psalm 76 — Sefaria — Full Hebrew and English text of the psalm with rabbinic commentary on God as the victorious Lion whose lair is in Zion (צִיּוֹן)
• C.S. Lewis: “He Is Not a Tame Lion” — The famous characterization of Aslan that captures the nora (נוֹרָא) nature of God — fearsome yet good
• Torah Today Ministries — Home of Tehillim Talks, The Hebrew Key, and other Torah-centered teachings