psalm 75 chiastic structure

Read Psalm 75 at Bible Gateway.

This psalm is in the form of a reverse parallelism:

1a) Psa 75:1-7, Thanksgiving + judgment of wicked + exaltation;

1) Psa 75:1, We give thanks to You, O God, for Your wondrous works declare Your name is near;
2) Psa 75:2-5, I will judge uprightly + Boastful, do not lift up your horn on high;
3) Psa 75:6-7, God is the judge who puts down one and exalts another;

1b) Psa 75:8a, “For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is fully mixed, and He pours it out; {n}

2b) Psa 75:8b, Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down;

2a) Psa 75:9-10, Praise + judgment of wicked + exaltation of righteous;

1) Psa 75:9, I will declare forever and sing praises to the God of Jacob;
2) Psa 75:10a, All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off;
3) Psa 75:10b, But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted. {p}

A “horn,” according to Strong’s is referring to the strength or might of the wicked, and Matthew Henry’s commentary indicates that it refers to power or authority; i.e. the wicked lifts up his own horn, his own authority, in defiance and rebellion against the Lord’s authority over him. Smith’s Bible Dictionary says “horn” is often used metaphorically to signify strength and honor, because horns are the chief weapons and ornaments of the animals which possess them; that they can signify victory; supreme authority; thus concretely, kings, or kingdoms. The use of “horn” to mean strength, power, or authority is continued throughout the Psalms.