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1The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2They have given the corpses of Your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
3They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
4We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those around us.
5How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
6Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that refuse to call on Your name,
7for they have devoured Jacob and devastated his homeland.
8Do not hold past sins against us; let Your compassion come quickly, for we are brought low.
9Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for the sake of Your name.
10Why should the nations ask, “Where is their God?” Before our eyes, make known among the nations Your vengeance for the bloodshed of Your servants.
11May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.
12Pay back into the laps of our neighbors sevenfold the reproach they hurled at You, O Lord.
13Then we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture, will thank You forever; from generation to generation we will declare Your praise.
Understand This
Psalm 79, explained
What Psalm 79 is saying
A communal lament of raw grief, Psalm 79 describes the desecration of Jerusalem's temple by invading nations, the slaughter of God's servants, and the shame of becoming a mockery to surrounding peoples. The psalmist appeals for divine intervention on the basis of God's own reputation—'Why should the nations say, Where is their God?' The prayer for vengeance is specifically directed at nations that have not acknowledged God.
The background behind it
The psalm's vivid description of temple destruction, unburied bodies, and blood flowing like water strongly suggests the Babylonian conquest of 586 BC. It became a liturgical text for commemorating national catastrophe, and Jewish tradition associates it with the Ninth of Av.
Themes running underneath
The psalm's theology of appeal centers on God's own honor—the destruction of His people reflects on His name. The request for sevenfold vengeance on the nations employs covenant curse language. The interplay between confession of sin and appeal for compassion reflects a community that accepts responsibility while still crying out for mercy.
Why it still matters
Psalm 79 models communal lament that holds together honest acknowledgment of sin, appeal to divine compassion, and concern for God's reputation among the nations. It legitimizes corporate grief as a vital spiritual practice.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.