The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 79
In brief
Psalm 79 is Asaph's lament after a disaster: nations have defiled the temple and reduced Jerusalem to ruins. The psalmist describes the violence suffered, asks how long God's anger will last, then prays that God would not remember past sins but forgive, for the glory of his name. He ends with a promise of praise from generation to generation.
The chapter in 5 parts
1God, the nations have come into your inheritance. They have defiled your holy temple. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
2They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints to the animals of the earth.
3They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem. There was no one to bury them.
4We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and derision to those who are around us.
5How long, Yahweh? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you, on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name;
7for they have devoured Jacob, and destroyed his homeland.
8Don’t hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us. Let your tender mercies speedily meet us, for we are in desperate need.
9Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
10Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes, that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out.
11Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you. According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death.
12Pay back to our neighbors seven times into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached you, Lord.
13So we, your people and sheep of your pasture, will give you thanks forever. We will praise you forever, to all generations.
Key verses
God, the nations have come into your inheritance. They have defiled your holy temple. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
The psalm opens with the shock: the place of worship is defiled. The psalmist tells God what has happened to his inheritance, softening nothing.
How long, Yahweh? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?
The question how long is typical of laments. The text allows us to ask God why the suffering lasts, while remaining turned toward him.
Don’t hold the iniquities of our forefathers against us. Let your tender mercies speedily meet us, for we are in desperate need.
The people recognize that their past faults count in what is happening. They ask God to let his compassion act rather than recall their iniquities.
Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
The motive of the prayer is God's name more than the people's comfort: help, deliverance and forgiveness are asked for his sake.
So we, your people and sheep of your pasture, will give you thanks forever. We will praise you forever, to all generations.
The prayer ends with a promise of praise from generation to generation. The lament leads to trust, because the people recognize themselves as God's flock.
Bible verses to meditate on
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Frequently asked questions about Psalm 79
What does Psalm 79 mean?
Psalm 79 is a communal lament written after the destruction of Jerusalem. The people describe their distress, confess their faults and ask God to help them and to forgive for the honor of his name. It shows that we can cry out to God in the middle of catastrophe, and that honest prayer, mixed with repentance, has its place before him.
What should we think of the requests for vengeance in Psalm 79?
Verses 6 and 12 ask God to pour out his wrath on the aggressors. Christians understand them in several ways: a cry for justice handed over to God rather than to personal revenge, or a strong expression of pain. The New Testament asks us not to repay evil for evil and to leave justice to God (Romans 12:19).
How do you pray Psalm 79?
Pray it for peoples and churches going through destruction or persecution, or when you yourself are living through a collapse. Name your pain, acknowledge before God what needs to be acknowledged, then ask him for forgiveness and help for the glory of his name. End with the promise of verse 13: you will keep on praising him.
Articles quoting Psalm 79
World English Bible translation — public domain.