Psalms 79
1O God, foreigners ▼▼ Or “nations.”
have invaded your chosen land; ▼▼ Heb “have come into your inheritance.”
they have polluted your holy temple
and turned Jerusalem ▼
▼ For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; Journey of Paul map 1-F4; Journey of Paul map 2-F4; Journey of Paul map 3-F4; Journey of Paul map 4-F4.
into a heap of ruins. 2 They have given the corpses of your servants
to the birds of the sky; ▼
▼ Heb “[as] food for the birds of the sky.”
the flesh of your loyal followers
to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have made their blood flow like water
all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them. ▼
▼ Heb “they have poured out their blood like water, all around Jerusalem, and there is no one burying.”
4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors;
those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. ▼
5 How long will this go on, O Lord? ▼
▼ Heb “How long, O Lord?”
Will you stay angry forever?
How long will your rage ▼
▼ Or “jealous anger.”
burn like fire? 6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you, ▼
▼ Heb “which do not know you.” Here the Hebrew term “know” means “acknowledge the authority of.”
on the kingdoms that do not pray to you! ▼
▼ The kingdoms that do not pray to you. The people of these kingdoms pray to other gods, not the Lord, because they do not recognize his authority over them.
7 For they have devoured Jacob
and destroyed his home.
8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations! ▼
▼ Heb “do not remember against us sins, former.” Some understand “former” as an attributive adjective modifying sins, “former [i.e., chronologically prior] sins” (see BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן). The present translation assumes that ראשׁנים (“former”) here refers to those who lived formerly, that is, the people’s ancestors (see Lam 5:7). The word is used in this way in Lev 26:45; Deut 19:14 and Eccl 1:11.
Quickly send your compassion our way, ▼
▼ Heb “may your compassion quickly confront us.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating a tone of prayer.
for we are in serious trouble! ▼
▼ Heb “for we are very low.”
9 Help us, O God, our deliverer!
For the sake of your glorious reputation, ▼
▼ Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
rescue us! Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation! ▼
▼ Heb “your name.”
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”
Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants
be avenged among the nations! ▼
▼ Heb “may it be known among the nations, to our eyes, the vengeance of the shed blood of your servants.”
11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners! ▼
▼ Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”
Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die! ▼
▼ Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר (hoter) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר (yatar, “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר (hatter), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר (natar, “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
12 Pay back our neighbors in full! ▼
May they be insulted the same way they insulted you, O Lord! ▼
▼ Heb “their reproach with which they reproached you, O Lord.”
Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will continually thank you. ▼
▼ Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.”
We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts. ▼
Psalm 80
▼▼ Psalm 80. The psalmist laments Israel’s demise and asks the Lord to show favor toward his people, as he did in earlier times.
For the music director; according to the shushan-eduth style; a psalm of Asaph.
13 ▼
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