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The archaic elements of this psalm have long been recognized. Recently this psalm has been dated to the premonarchic Israelite league of the tenth or eleventh centuries b.c. (Hiebert, 120-24). It may also be compared to a mythic scheme paralleled in Canaanite and Mesopotamian literature in which a divine warrior emanates from a holy mountain to defeat the chaotic powers of the universe. In this tradition, the psalm becomes a song of victory in which the Israelite “Divine Warrior” fights on behalf of his people against her enemies. But unlike the parallels among Israel’s neighbors, this account has deep historical moorings. The theophany here described appears in two scenes: the events of Sinai (vv.3-7) and those of the Exodus and conquests (vv.8-15).
The geographical references in vv.3-7 are located to the south and southeast of Israel (see critical commentaries). They are the same features used in the Songs of Deborah (Jdg 5) and Moses (Dt 32-33) to emphasize Yahweh’s movement from the Sinai Peninsula northward through the land of Edom to arrive at Israel (Szeles, 46-47). These are his eternal ways (v.6), the route used by Yahweh to redeem his people from Egypt and set them free. Before his glory (hôd̠, v.3) every feature of the universe was powerless, and the region was left desolate in his wake (vv.6-7).
The geographical notations in vv.3, 7 (known as “inclusios”) serve to frame the verses between them as a distinct unit. Certain other stylistic features designate vv.8-15 as a separate unit. As in vv.3-7, the emphasis here is on Yahweh’s mighty saving acts in the past. The repetition of vocabulary denoting water and military conquest reflect God’s deliverance at the Red Sea and during the conquest. The references to horses and chariots (v.8) confirm that the picture described in Ex 14:2-15:22 (and Dt 11:4) is in view.