Psalms 66:12

Men. Heb. ’enosh, “man in his frailty” (see on Ps. 8:4; 9:19).

Ride over our heads. A figure, perhaps derived from the ancient custom of Oriental conquerors victoriously riding over the bodies of the conquered.

Through fire and through water. This phrase, now part and parcel of the English language, is a graphic representation of the many dangers to which men are exposed.

Wealthy place. Heb. rewayah, “abundance [of drink].” Rewayah occurs elsewhere only in Ps. 23:5, where it is translated “runneth over” (literally, “an overflowing”). Perhaps the idea of “abundance” is intended, and the psalmist is asserting that God has brought the Israelites into a state of abundance. The LXX has anapsuche, as if from the Heb. rewachah, meaning “relief,” “respite.” If rewachah is the correct reading, then there is perhaps an allusion to the relief experienced when the children of Israel reached the Promised Land.