Psalms 79

This psalm of Asaph is a lament after enemy nations have invaded Jerusalem, defiled the temple, and left God’s people dead and mocked. The writer cries out for mercy, forgiveness and rescue, appealing to God’s own name and honor. It ends with the promise that God’s flock will praise Him forever.

Psalms 79:1

Foreign armies have broken into the land God gave His people, polluted His temple, and turned Jerusalem into heaps of stone. The psalmist speaks to God first. The land and temple are called Yours, so this is God’s own loss, not only Israel’s.

BSA: defiled (“made unclean, polluted”): The temple was a holy place, so enemy invasion made it ritually unclean in God’s sight. inheritance (“land, heritage”): The land was God’s gift and possession, so an attack on it was an attack on Him.

Hebrew: נַחֲלָתֶךָ (nachalatekha, H5159) — “Your inheritance.” The word speaks of a family possession handed on. Israel’s land is pictured as belonging to God and entrusted to His people.

See also: Psalm 74:3-7.

Psalms 79:2

The bodies of the faithful lay unburied, food for birds and wild animals. In the ancient world this was a dreadful disgrace. The psalmist names the dead as God’s servants and saints, so their death matters to Him.

BSA: saints (“pious ones, faithful followers”): The dead were people devoted to God, not just casualties of war.

Hebrew: חֲסִידֶיךָ (chasidekha, H2623) — “Your loyal ones.” This word comes from the Hebrew for steadfast covenant love. It describes people who answer God’s faithful love with faithfulness of their own.

Psalms 79:3

So many were killed that blood ran like water around the city. No one was left alive to bury them. The picture is of grief beyond mourning, a whole community overwhelmed.

BSA: like water (“a spring or watercourse”): Blood flowed freely, like a stream, showing how great the slaughter was.

Psalms 79:4

Survivors now face mockery from the nations next door. Suffering is made worse by being laughed at. The people feel disgraced, as if their God had failed them.

BSA: scorn (“scoffing, contempt”): The neighbors do not merely ignore Israel’s pain; they sneer at it.

See also: Psalm 44:13-14.

Psalms 79:5

The cry how long is honest. The psalmist uses God’s covenant name, LORD, and asks whether His anger and zeal will never end. He brings the pain directly to God rather than away from Him.

BSA: jealousy (“strong feelings of envy or zeal”): This is God’s fiery passion for His people and His covenant, not petty envy.

See also: Psalm 13:1; Psalm 74:10.

Psalms 79:6-7

The psalmist asks God to turn His anger on nations that have rejected Him and devoured Jacob, meaning Israel. The prayer leaves vengeance with God rather than taking it into human hands. It asks for justice against cruelty.

BSA: acknowledge (“know, recognize”): To know God means more than facts; these nations have refused to honor Him. devoured (“eaten up, consumed”): The enemy is pictured as a beast swallowing God’s people whole.

See also: Jeremiah 10:25; Romans 12:19.

Psalms 79:8

Here the psalmist admits Israel’s own sin and asks God not to hold it against them. The earlier sins have helped bring this ruin. The plea relies on God’s compassion, not on any merit of the people. They are brought very low, so need mercy quickly.

BSA: compassion (“mercies, womb of love”): The word pictures the tender love of a mother for the child she has carried.

Hebrew: רַחֲמֶיךָ (rachamekha, H7356) — “Your tender mercies.” The word is related to the Hebrew word for womb. It describes deep, protective, parental love.

See also: Psalm 103:10.

Psalms 79:9

The prayer rests on who God is. Help us, forgive us, rescue us, for Your name’s sake. The people ask for atonement, because their deepest problem is guilt before Him. They trust His character more than their own record.

BSA: atone (“cover, forgive”): Sin is pictured as covered over by God, so it no longer stands between Him and His people. name (“Your reputation, honor”): God’s name means His character and public honor, which are at stake in how He treats His people.

Hebrew: כַּפֵּר (kapper, H3722) — “cover, make atonement.” The verb is the one used for the sacrifices of atonement. It points to a sin dealt with at God’s own provision.

See also: Psalm 25:11; Ezekiel 36:22.

Psalms 79:10

The nations jeer that Israel’s God is absent. The psalmist asks God to act so visibly that they can no longer say it. The concern is God’s honor, and the justice owed for the blood of His servants.

BSA: vengeance (“avenging, punishment”): This is just retribution for the shed blood, left in God’s hands.

See also: Psalm 115:2; Deuteronomy 32:43.

Psalms 79:11

The prisoners cannot save themselves, so their sighing is turned into prayer. The psalmist asks God to hear it and, by His mighty arm, to keep alive those facing execution. God sees the helpless and hears the quietest cry.

BSA: groans (“a loud cry of pain”): Even wordless pain is counted as a prayer God can hear. arm (“stretched out”): God’s arm stands for His power at work to rescue, as in the Exodus.

See also: Psalm 102:19-20; Exodus 6:6.

Psalms 79:12

The psalmist asks that the neighbors receive back, many times over, the insults they threw at God. The scorn was aimed at God Himself, not just Israel. Sevenfold means full and complete repayment, and it is left for the Lord to decide.

BSA: sevenfold (“many times over, abundantly”): Seven stands for fullness, so the repayment is complete. laps (“bosom, intimate presence”): The bosom was where one carried goods, so what they gave out comes back right into their own keeping.

See also: Proverbs 6:30-31.

Psalms 79:13

The psalm ends with confidence. God’s people are His flock, and He is their shepherd. Once He has rescued them, they will give thanks forever and tell their children His praise. Prayer that begins in ruins ends in worship.

BSA: sheep (“a flock of sheep or goats”): The people are a flock who depend on their shepherd for safety and food. thank (“to give thanks, praise”): Thanks here is spoken aloud, openly acknowledging what God has done.

See also: Psalm 23:1; Psalm 100:3.