What Does Psalms 68:20 Mean?

He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death. This verse proclaims God's sovereignty over life and death—He alone possesses the power to save and the authority to deliver from death. 'The God of salvation' (literally 'the God of salvations,' El moshaot, אֵל מוֹשָׁעוֹת, plural) emphasizes God's multiple, varied deliverances. He doesn't just save once but repeatedly, in diverse ways—physical rescue, spiritual redemption, healing, provision, and ultimately resurrection.

The phrase 'unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death' uses two divine names—'GOD' (Adonai, אֲדֹנָי, Lord) and 'the Lord' (YHWH, יְהוָה). 'Issues from death' (totsaot lamavet, תּוֹצָאוֹת לַמָּוֶת) means exits or escapes from death—God controls the doorways leading out of death's realm. Only He can deliver from Sheol, resurrect the dead, or grant eternal life. This wasn't fully developed theology in ancient Israel, where understanding of afterlife was limited, but it anticipated fuller resurrection hope revealed later.

For Christians, this verse finds ultimate fulfillment in Christ's resurrection. Jesus is 'the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25), and through Him, God has delivered the death blow to death itself (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Christ holds 'the keys of death and Hades' (Revelation 1:18)—He controls death's exits. Every believer's salvation ultimately culminates in resurrection, the final 'exit from death' when mortality puts on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). Until then, we experience partial salvations—deliverances that point toward final deliverance.