Psalm 79:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!

NIV: Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name;

NASB: Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, And upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name.

CSB: Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name,

NLT: Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you — on kingdoms that do not call upon your name.

KJV: Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

NKJV: Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.

Psalm 79:5–8 depicts a struggle to understand an outrageous tragedy. Jerusalem has been razed and the temple destroyed. The psalmist asks God's forgiveness, and that He would turn His anger towards the pagan invaders.

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 12/21/2024 8:27:57 PM