John Calvin Commentary Psalms 76:5

"The stouthearted are made a spoil, They have slept their sleep; And none of the men of might have found their hands." — Psalms 76:5 (ASV)

The stout-hearted were spoiled, The power of God in destroying His enemies is exalted here by another form of expression. The verb אשתוללו, eshtolelu, which we translate were spoiled, is derived from שלל, shalal, and the letter א, aleph, is used instead of the letter ה, he. Some translate it as were made fools, but this is too forced.

I, however, admit that it has the same meaning, as if it had been said that they were deprived of wisdom and courage; but we must adhere to the proper meaning of the word. What is added in the second clause serves the same purpose: All the men of might have not found their hands; that is to say, they were as incapable of fighting as if their hands had been maimed or cut off.

In short, their strength, of which they boasted, was utterly overthrown.

The words, they slept their sleep, refer to the same subject, implying that while previously they were active and resolute, their hearts now failed them, and they were sunk asleep in sloth and listlessness.

The meaning, therefore, is that the enemies of the chosen people were deprived of that heroic courage of which they boasted and which inspired them with such audacity; and that, in consequence, neither mind, nor heart, nor hands—indeed, none of their mental or bodily faculties—could perform their function.

We are thus taught that all the gifts and power which men seem to possess are in God’s hand, so that He can, at any moment, deprive them of the wisdom He has given them, make their hearts effeminate, render their hands unfit for war, and annihilate their whole strength.

Not without reason are both the courage and power of these enemies magnified; the purpose of this is that the faithful might be led, by the contrast, to extol the power and working of God.

The same subject is further confirmed by the statement that the chariot and the horse were cast into a deep sleep at the rebuke of God. This implies that whatever activity characterized these enemies, it was rendered powerless simply by God’s nod.

Although, therefore, we may be deprived of all created means of help, let us rest content with God’s favor alone, accounting it all-sufficient, since He has no need of great armies to repel the assaults of the whole world, but is able, by the mere breath of His mouth, to subdue and dissipate all assailants.