The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 74
In brief
Psalm 74 is a maskil of Asaph and a lament. Facing a sanctuary ravaged and burned by the enemy, the psalmist cries out why and how long: has God rejected his flock forever? Then he turns to the past and recalls what God has done: the sea split, the sea monsters crushed, creation put in order. He then prays: remember your covenant, do not let the oppressed return in shame, rise up and defend your cause.
The chapter in 5 parts
1God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2Remember your congregation, which you purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your inheritance: Mount Zion, in which you have lived.
3Lift up your feet to the perpetual ruins, all the evil that the enemy has done in the sanctuary.
4Your adversaries have roared in the middle of your assembly. They have set up their standards as signs.
5They behaved like men wielding axes, cutting through a thicket of trees.
6Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers.
7They have burned your sanctuary to the ground. They have profaned the dwelling place of your Name.
8They said in their heart, “We will crush them completely.” They have burned up all the places in the land where God was worshiped.
9We see no miraculous signs. There is no longer any prophet, neither is there among us anyone who knows how long.
10How long, God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
11Why do you draw back your hand, even your right hand? Take it from your chest and consume them!
12Yet God is my King of old, working salvation throughout the earth.
13You divided the sea by your strength. You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.
14You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces. You gave him as food to people and desert creatures.
15You opened up spring and stream. You dried up mighty rivers.
16The day is yours, the night is also yours. You have prepared the light and the sun.
17You have set all the boundaries of the earth. You have made summer and winter.
18Remember this, that the enemy has mocked you, Yahweh. Foolish people have blasphemed your name.
19Don’t deliver the soul of your dove to wild beasts. Don’t forget the life of your poor forever.
20Honor your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the earth.
21Don’t let the oppressed return ashamed. Let the poor and needy praise your name.
22Arise, God! Plead your own cause. Remember how the foolish man mocks you all day.
23Don’t forget the voice of your adversaries. The tumult of those who rise up against you ascends continually.
Key verses
God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
The psalm opens with a cry: why? The people feel rejected by their shepherd. The Bible allows us to tell God that we do not understand his silence.
How long, God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme your name forever?
How long is a prayer found in many psalms. It asks God to act, not to answer a whim.
Yet God is my King of old, working salvation throughout the earth.
In the middle of the lament, a cry of faith: God is my king from of old. The memory of his deliverances feeds hope.
Don’t deliver the soul of your dove to wild beasts. Don’t forget the life of your poor forever. Honor your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the earth. Don’t let the oppressed return ashamed. Let the poor and needy praise your name.
The psalmist asks God not to hand over his dove, to remember his covenant and not to let the oppressed return in shame. The prayer rests on God's promise.
Arise, God! Plead your own cause. Remember how the foolish man mocks you all day.
The psalm ends with a call: rise up, O God, plead your cause. The one praying places the defense of God and of his people in God's hands.
Test your knowledge
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 74
What does Psalm 74 mean?
Psalm 74 is the lament of a people whose temple is destroyed. It asks God why, recalls his past power, and prays that he will remember his covenant and rise up. It teaches that we can cry out to God in hardship while keeping our faith.
What event does Psalm 74 describe?
The psalm speaks of the destruction of the sanctuary by enemies. It is often linked to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, but other readers think of an earlier event. The text does not specify the event.
How can I pray Psalm 74 in hardship?
Tell God your why with the words of verses 1 and 10, hiding nothing. Then remember what he does for you, as the psalmist does in verses 12 to 17. Finish with verse 22, placing the situation in his hands.
World English Bible translation — public domain.