Psalm 79:1-80:19 ESV

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 79:1

Psalms 79:1. O God, the heathen are come As invaders and conquerors; into thine inheritance Into Canaan and Judea, which thou didst choose for thine inheritance. Thy holy temple have they defiled By entering into it, and touching and carrying away its holy vessels, and shedding blood in it, and burning of it; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps Made of the ruins of those goodly houses which they have burned and thrown down. Thus, in this verse, the psalmist enumerates three deplorable... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Psalms 79:1-13

Psalms 79-80 Cries from a conquered peopleLike a previous psalm of Asaph, Psalms 79:0 is from the time of Jerusalem’s destruction and the taking of the people into captivity. (For an outline of events see introductory notes to Psalms 74:0.) The historical setting for Psalms 80:0 is not clear. Both psalms, 79 and 80, are cries to God for salvation after Israel has suffered defeat and desolation.The scene around Jerusalem is one of horror. The temple has been destroyed, the city is in ruins, and... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Psalms 79:1

Title. A Psalm. Hebrew mizmor. See App-65 . of Asaph. The eighth of the twelve Asaph Psalms. Compare Psalms 74:0 , the second of the third book. See App-10 . The Psalm is said to have "hardly any regular strophical divisions". But see the Structure above. God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 . heathen = nations. holy. See note on Exodus 3:5 . temple. See 1 Kings 14:25 , 1Ki 14:26 ; 2 Chronicles 12:2-10 . Pillaged, but not destroyed. on heaps = in ruins. Compare the prophecy in Micah 3:12 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Psalms 79:1

PSALM 79A LAMENT OVER THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM;AND A PRAYER FOR VENGEANCEGeorge DeHoff called this psalm, "The Funeral Anthem of a Nation."[1]Charles M. Miller's analysis of this psalm points out that it exhibits several elements found in other psalms: (1) Psalms 79:5,7,10a are lamentation; (2) Psalms 79:6,10b,12 are imprecations; (3) Psalms 79:8-9 are pleas for forgiveness; (4) Psalms 79:11 pleads for deliverance; and (5) Psalms 79:13 carries a pledge of praise and thanksgiving following... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Psalms 79:1

Psalms 79:0. The Psalmist complaineth of the desolation of Jerusalem: he prayeth for deliverance, and promiseth thankfulness. A Psalm of Asaph. Title. ףּלאס מזמור mizmor leasaph.— This psalm was probably occasioned by the destruction of the Jewish nation by Nebuchadnezzar. The author describes in it the calamities of the times, and prays God to put an end to them at length. As the prophet Jeremiah lived at this time, and as more than one whole verse of it (see Psalms 79:6-7.) is found in Jer... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Psalms 79:1

1. (Compare :-). read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 79:1-4

1. A lament over Jerusalem’s destruction 79:1-4Enemies had invaded Israel, defiled the temple, destroyed Jerusalem, and left the bodies of Israel’s soldiers unburied. To lie unburied, like an animal for which no one cared, was the final humiliation. Consequently, God’s inheritance had become an object of derision for her neighbors."The issue here is not God’s justice in judging his people but the means used by the Lord [cf. Habakkuk 1-2]. The pagans must be held accountable for their... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Psalms 79:1-13

Psalms 79In this national (communal) lament psalm: Asaph mourned Jerusalem’s destruction and pleaded with God to have mercy on His people, despite their sins, for His name’s sake (cf. Psalms 74). This Asaph may have lived after the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. The writer’s viewpoint seems to be that of the survivors left in Jerusalem, rather than that of the deportees, which Psalms 137 reflects."This psalm repeats the themes of Psalms 74, but seemingly with more venom. The situation is... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 79:1-13

For the occasion and date of this Ps. see intro. to Psalms 74. It gives a pathetic picture of the calamities that have fallen upon God’s people (Psalms 79:1-4), entreats God to withdraw His anger from them, to forgive their sins, and to avenge them on the heathen (Psalms 79:5-12), that they may give Him perpetual praise (Psalms 79:13).1. Jerusalem on heaps] This is truer of the Babylonian captivity than of the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. 6. Quoted from Jeremiah 10:25. 8. Former iniquities] RV... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Psalms 79:1

(1) Inheritance.—Probably intended to embrace both land and people. (Exodus 15:17; Psalms 74:2, &c.)Heaps—i.e., ruins. (Comp. Micah 3:12; Jeremiah 26:18; and in singular, Micah 1:6.) read more