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Psalms 79

Psalms 79 Summary, Context, and Full Chapter

Psalm 79 is a communal lament after severe devastation in Jerusalem. It brings grief, shame, and urgency before God, asking Him to act for the honor of His name. The psalm holds together honest sorrow over sin, a plea for mercy, and confidence that God can still rescue His people.

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What happens in Psalms 79?

The psalm describes a nation under attack: the holy temple is defiled, Jerusalem lies in ruins, and the dead are left unburied. The people are mocked by surrounding nations and cry out for God to notice their suffering. They ask how long His anger will last, and they also ask Him to judge the nations that have destroyed them. The prayer does not deny guilt; it asks God to forgive past sins, show compassion quickly, and save for the sake of His name. It ends with hope that God's people will give thanks and praise Him across generations.

Psalm 79 is another psalm of Asaph and stands among the laments that speak from Israel's suffering. It follows Psalm 78, which retold the nation's history and its repeated unfaithfulness. Here the focus shifts from remembrance to crisis, likely after a major invasion and the ruin of Jerusalem. The chapter voices the grief of a people who still look to God for mercy and justice.

Themes to notice

  • Lament after ruinThe psalm gives voice to public grief over destruction, death, and humiliation.
  • Mercy and forgivenessThe prayer asks God not to remember sins forever but to act in compassion.
  • God's honor among the nationsThe people ask God to defend His name so the nations will not mock Him.

Questions for Psalms 79

  • What details in this psalm show the depth of Jerusalem's distress?
  • How does the prayer balance confession of sin with a plea for mercy?
  • Why does the psalm connect God's rescue with the honor of His name?

Read the full text of Psalms 79 below, then open it in the reader to highlight, take notes, or ask follow-up Bible questions. No account is required to read.

Psalms 79

A Prayer for Deliverance

A Psalm of Asaph.

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.

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