Psalm 79:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.

NIV: Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.

NASB: Do not hold us responsible for the guilty deeds of our forefathers; Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, For we have become very low.

CSB: Do not hold past iniquities against us; let your compassion come to us quickly, for we have become very weak.

NLT: Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair.

KJV: O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.

NKJV: Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low.

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 11/21/2024 9:13:29 AM