# Psalm 79 📖: A Lament for Jerusalem [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Psalm Overview]] | [[Psalm 78]] | [[Psalm 80]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) #### A psalm of Asaph. [[#Verse 01.]] O God, foreigners have invaded your chosen land; they have polluted your holy temple and turned Jerusalem into a heap of ruins. [[#Verse 02.]] They have given the corpses of your servants to the birds of the sky, the flesh of your loyal followers to the beasts of the earth. [[#Verse 03.]] They have made their blood flow like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them. [[#Verse 04.]] We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. [[#Verse 05.]] How long will this go on, O Lord? Will you stay angry forever? How long will your rage burn like fire? [[#Verse 06.]] Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not pray to you. [[#Verse 07.]] For they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his home. [[#Verse 08.]] Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations. Quickly send your compassion our way, for we are in serious trouble. [[#Verse 09.]] Help us, O God, our deliverer! For the sake of your glorious reputation, rescue us. Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation. [[#Verse 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. [[#Verse 11.]] Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners. Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die. [[#Verse 12.]] Pay back our neighbors in full. May they be insulted the same way they insulted you, O Lord. [[#Verse 13.]] Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will continually thank you. We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Psalm 79 is a psalm of Asaph and a communal lament. 2. Most scholars link it to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. 3. Verses 6-7 are almost identical to Jeremiah 10:25. 4. The psalm says bodies were left as food for birds and beasts (79:2), one of the worst dishonors in the ancient world. 5. Psalm 74 is a close companion psalm that also laments the temple's destruction. 6. The question "How long, O Lord?" (79:5) is a common cry in the laments of the Psalms. 7. The plea to not hold the sins of past generations against them (79:8) shows a people who knew they shared in their ancestors' guilt. 8. "Sevenfold" (79:12) is an idiom for full or complete repayment. 9. The psalm uses the image of God's people as sheep (79:13), which leads into Psalm 80's "Shepherd of Israel." 10. Jewish tradition reads Psalm 79 on Tisha B'Av, the day of mourning for the temple's destruction. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the One whose blood answers the cry of God's people. The psalm asks God to avenge the blood of His servants (79:10), and the martyrs in Revelation cry "How long?" until Christ brings justice (Revelation 6:9-11). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. The psalmist describes a ruined Jerusalem and a defiled temple (79:1). How do you pray when everything familiar has been torn down? 2. He asks God to help "for the sake of Your name" (79:9). Why is God's reputation a strong basis for prayer? 3. The psalm ends with a promise to give thanks to every generation (79:13). How can grief and praise exist together? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 1: The nations have invaded God's land, defiled His temple, and ruined Jerusalem. - 📖 verse 9: Help us, O God, for the sake of Your glorious name; deliver us and forgive our sins. - 📖 verse 13: We are the sheep of His pasture and will thank Him through every generation. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Psalm 74#Verse 01.|Psalm 74:1-8]] - A lament over the ruined sanctuary. - 🔗 [[Jeremiah 10#Verse 25.|Jeremiah 10:25]] - Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You. - 🔗 [[Lamentations 01#Verse 10.|Lamentations 1:10]] - The nations entered the sanctuary. - 🔗 [[Daniel 09#Verse 18.|Daniel 9:18-19]] - Act for Your own sake, O Lord. - 🔗 [[Revelation 06#Verse 09.|Revelation 6:9-10]] - The martyrs ask how long until justice. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Psalm 79 - SOAP|Generational Praise]] ## 📂 Internal Notes