Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

PSALMS 68:26KJV
Know the Bible

Psalms 68:26 (KJV)

What does Psalms 68:26 mean?

Psalms 68:26 calls the people of Israel to speak praise to God when they gather together. The verse presents that praise as a shared act, with the whole gathered community invited to honor the Lord.

The command follows the picture of singers and musicians in verse 25. The phrase “from the fountain of Israel” uses the image of a spring or source for the people who came from Israel. The words sound like a call addressed to those taking part in the gathering.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 68:26

  • “Bless” — בָּרַךְ (barakh): The word can mean to bless or praise. Here, people are being called to speak well of God, rather than to give him something he lacks.
  • “fountain” — מָקוֹר (maqor): The word means a spring or source of water. In this verse, the image is often understood as pointing to Israel as the source from which the people came.

Why Psalms 68:26 matters

  • The verse places the praise among the assembled people. “In the congregations” makes the gathering part of the scene, rather than describing someone praising alone.
  • The call reaches beyond the performers named in verse 25. Singers and musicians appear there, but verse 26 addresses the wider gathering.
  • The people’s identity is tied to a shared origin. “The fountain of Israel” pictures them as coming from one source, while the Lord is the one they are called to praise.

Where else these words appear

“congregations” Hebrew H4721 · used in 2 verses

  • Psalms 26:12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.

“fountain” Hebrew H4726 · used in 17 verses

  • Leviticus 12:7 Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.
  • Proverbs 13:14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
  • Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.