Psalm 79:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!

NIV: May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.

NASB: Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power, let those who are doomed to die remain.

CSB: Let the groans of the prisoners reach you; according to your great power, preserve those condemned to die.

NLT: Listen to the moaning of the prisoners. Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die.

KJV: Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

NKJV: Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power Preserve those who are appointed to die;

Psalm 79:9–11 continues a prayer that God would turn His wrath on the godless empire which defeated Israel. Here the psalmist asks for salvation. Earlier passages noted that many Israelites were killed (Psalm 79:1–4). In this section, attention turns to those taken away as captives (Jeremiah 52:29). Israel is beaten down and humiliated, so the psalmist asks God to avenge His chosen people.

In 586 BC, the Babylonian Empire broke the defenses of Jerusalem. The city was burned and Solomon's temple was destroyed. Death and misery were everywhere. Many Israelites were taken captive. The psalmist struggles to grasp what has happened. He begs God for rescue and forgiveness. The song pleads for God to enact vengeance for Israel on the pagan nations that have humiliated His chosen people.

This psalm grieves over Jerusalem's ruin and the temple's destruction at the hands of Babylon in 586 BC. Similar emotions were also expressed in Psalm 74. Other psalms associated with Asaph (Psalm 73; 74; 77) tend to move from angst into assurance. This one, however, only barely includes a sense of confidence in God's eventual rescue.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 11/23/2024 5:19:48 AM