Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 68:11

"The Lord giveth the word: The women that publish the tidings are a great host." — Psalms 68:11 (ASV)

The Lord gave the word - The command, or the order. It is not certain to what the psalmist here refers: whether to a particular occasion then fresh in the people's recollection, when a great victory had been gained which the psalm was designed to celebrate; or whether it is a general statement regarding God's actions, referring to all his victories and triumphs, and meaning that in all cases the command came from him. The subsequent verses make it clear that there is an allusion here to the ark of the covenant, and to the victories that had been achieved with it as a guide or protector.

The entire psalm refers to the ark and its triumphs; and the idea here seems to be that in all the victories that had been achieved, the “word” or the command came from God, and that its promulgation was immediately made by a “great company” who stood ready to communicate it or to “publish” it.

Great was the company of those that published it - Margin, army. More literally, “The women publishing it were a great host.” The word used is in the feminine gender and refers to the Eastern custom by which women celebrated victories in songs and dances. See Exodus 15:20-21; Judges 11:34; Judges 21:21; 1 Samuel 18:6–7. The idea here is that when there was a proclamation of war—when God commanded his people to go out to battle and to take the ark with them—the women of the land (the singers) were ready to make the proclamation known, to celebrate the Lord’s will with songs and dances, and to cheer and encourage their husbands, brothers, and fathers as they went out to the conflict. The result is stated in the following verse.