New English Translation

Psalms 74:1-8

1 1 2Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?

2Remember your people whom you acquired in ancient times, whom you rescued so they could be your very own nation, as well as Mount Zion, where you dwell!

3Hurry and look at the permanent ruins, and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple!

4Your enemies roar in the middle of your sanctuary; they set up their battle flags.

5They invade like lumberjacks swinging their axes in a thick forest.

6And now they are tearing down all its engravings with axes and crowbars.

7They set your sanctuary on fire; they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground.

8They say to themselves, “We will oppress all of them.” They burn down all the places where people worship God in the land.

Read all of Psalms 74

Notes

1. Psalms 74:1 Psalm 74. The psalmist, who has just experienced the devastation of the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., asks God to consider Israel’s sufferings and intervene on behalf of his people. He describes the ruined temple, recalls God’s mighty deeds in the past, begs for mercy, and calls for judgment upon God’s enemies. ↩
2. Psalms 74:1 The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7. ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Psalms 74