Psalm 74:5 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 74:1-11

This psalm is entitled Maschil?a psalm to give instruction, for it was penned in a day of affliction, which is intended for instruction; and this instruction in general it gives us, That when we are, upon any account, in distress, it is our wisdom and duty to apply to God by faithful and fervent prayer, and we shall not find it in vain to do so. Three things the people of God here complain of:? I. The displeasure of God against them, as that which was the cause and bitterness of all their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 74:5

A man was famous ,.... Or, "it was", or "is known" F13 יודע "cognitus erat", Munster; "noscitur", Cocceius; "cognoscitur, innotescit", Gejerus. ; the desolations the enemy made, the wickedness they committed, the terror they spread, and the signs they set in the sanctuary of the Lord: according as he had lifted up , or "as one that lifts up" axes upon the thick trees F14 כמביא "velut adducens", Montanus, Gejerus; "tanquam sursum tollens et desuper inducens", Michaelis. ... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 74:5

Verse 5 5.He who lifted up the axe upon the thick trees was renowned. The prophet again aggravates still more the barbarous and brutal cruelty of the enemies of his countrymen, from the circumstance, that they savagely demolished an edifice which had been built at such vast expense, which was embellished with such beauty and magnificence, and finished with so great labor and art. There is some obscurity in the words; but the sense in which they are almost universally understood is, that when... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 74:1-23

In favour of the first is the ascription of the psalm in the "title" to Asaph. But all other considerations are against it. There is no evidence that Shishak ever entered Jerusalem. He certainly did not break down the carved work of the temple, or set the temple on fire, much less "cast it down to the ground." His invasion was a mere raid, and Rehoboam seems to have bought his retreat by the sacrifice of the temple treasury ( 2 Kings 14:25-28 ; 2 Chronicles 12:2-12 ). The circumstances... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 74:3-8

Hell's carnival. This is what is portrayed to us in these lamentations over the desecrations and destructions wreaked upon the temple at Jerusalem, probably at the time of Nebuchadnezzar's invasion (see 2 Chronicles 36:17 , etc.). As the destroyer acted then, so he acts now when the like work is on hand of profaning God's sanctuary. What the ancient temple was, the Church of God is—the sanctuary of God. And it has once and again come under the destroyer's power. I. THE TEMPLE IS... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 74:5

A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees; rather, they seemed as men that plied aloft hatchets in a thicket of trees (so Kay, Canon Cook, Professor Cheyne, and the Revised Version); i.e. they plied their hatchets with as little reverence as if they had been hewing timber in a copse of wood. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 74:5

A man was famous - literally, “He is known;” or, shall be known. That is, he was or shall be celebrated.According as he had lifted up axes - literally, “As one raising on high axes;” that is, as one lifts up his axe high in the air in order to strike an effectual stroke.Upon the thick trees - The clumps of trees; the trees standing thick together. That is, As he showed skill and ability in cutting these down, and laying them low. His celebrity was founded on the rapidity with which the strokes... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 74:5-6

Psalms 74:5-6. A man was famous, &c. The meaning, according to this translation, is this: The temple was so noble a structure, that it was a great honour to any man to be employed in the meanest part of the work, though it were but in cutting down the trees of Lebanon. And this interpretation is favoured by the opposition in the next verse. But now, &c. Some learned expositors, however, translate the first words of this verse, יודע , not, He was famous, but, as is more literal, ... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Psalms 74:1-23

Psalms 74:0 Israel in captivityThis psalm belongs to the time that followed the destruction of the nation Israel. Assyria conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC, and Babylon the southern kingdom during the years 605-587 BC. The people were taken captive into foreign lands and the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed (2 Kings 25:8-12). Now, with the centre of their religious life gone, the people feel cut off from God. Worse than that, the bitter years in captivity lead them to doubt God’s... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Psalms 74:5

was = used to be [considered]. The contrast is with "now" in the next line. Axes. Compare Jeremiah 46:22 , Jeremiah 46:23 . read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 74:1-11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 74:5

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 74:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 74:1-23

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 74:3-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 74:5

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 74:5

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 74:5-6

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Psalms 74:1-23

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Psalms 74:5

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