Psalms 76:12

“He shall cut off the spirit of princes, etc.] The pride of their spirits, as the Targum, humble their proud spirits, and bring them down; or dispirit them, take away their courage from them, upon which they flee apace to rocks and mountains to cover them; or confound them, blast their schemes, and carry their counsel headlong, and even take away their breath, or life; which he can as easily do as a man can cut off a bunch of grapes from the vine, as the word f1084 here used signifies; the destruction of the wicked is expressed by cutting down the vine of the earth, and casting it into the winepress of God’s wrath, (<661417>Revelation 14:17-19), he is terrible to the kings of the earth; as he…”

“He shall cut off the spirit of princes - That is, He will cut down their pride; he will break them down. Luther renders it, “He shall take away the wrath of princes.” The allusion is to what he had done as celebrated in this psalm. He had shown that he could rebuke the pride and self-confidence of kings, and could bring them low at his feet. He is terrible to the kings of the earth - When they are arrayed against him. (1) they are wholly under his control. (2) he can defeat their plans. (3) he can check them when he pleases. (4) he can, and will, make their plans - even their wrath - the means of promoting or carrying out his own purposes. (5) he will allow them to proceed no further in…”

“Cut off - As men do their grapes in time of vintage; so the Hebrew verb implies. The spirit - Their breath and life, as he did in the Assyrian army. Next: Psalms Chapter 77”

“He shall: Psa 2:5, Psa 2:10, Psa 48:4-6, Psa 68:12, Psa 68:35; Jos 5:1; Ch2 32:21; Zep 3:6 terrible: Isa 13:6-8, Isa 24:21; Rev 6:15, Rev 19:17-21 Next: Psalms Chapter 77”