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Psalm 60 · a question people ask

"Who will bring me into the strong city? Who has led me to Edom?" (60:9). Who is speaking?

In the text

The psalm doesn't name him. The Hebrew has no quotation marks; the WEB closes God's words at the end of 60:8, so in the WEB 60:9 stands outside God's words. The me asks two questions, and the next verse turns to God with a third, now as us: "Haven’t you, God, rejected us? You don’t go out with our armies, God" (60:10). From there the psalm prays as us to its end (60:11-12). The title calls the psalm "A teaching poem by David" (60:1) and says nothing more about who speaks in 60:9. Psalm 108 has the same two questions, with "the fortified city" and "Who will lead me to Edom?" (Psalm 108:10). These notes don't say more than the verses do.

The verses

“For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lily of the Covenant.” A teaching poem by David, when he fought with Aram Naharaim and with Aram Zobah, and Joab returned, and killed twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt. God, you have rejected us. You have broken us down. You have been angry. Restore us, again.”
Psalm 60:1 · World English Bible
“Moab is my wash basin. I will throw my sandal on Edom. I shout in triumph over Philistia.” Who will bring me into the strong city? Who has led me to Edom? Haven’t you, God, rejected us? You don’t go out with our armies, God. Give us help against the adversary, for the help of man is vain. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is he who will tread down our adversaries.”
Psalm 60:8-12 · World English Bible
“Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?”
Psalm 108:10 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Psalm 60

Psalm 60: Through God we will do valiantly

Psalm 60 opens "God, you have rejected us" (60:1), and after God has spoken (60:6-8) it asks, "Haven’t you, God, rejected us?" (60:10), the same Hebrew verb, and then prays anyway. And the two helps of 60:11 are two Hebrew words: the help it asks of God, and the teshu'ah of man it calls vain.

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions