Tyndale Open Study NotesPsalms 79

This lament describes the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Israel’s early history of rebellion, described in Psalm 78, angered God. As a result, Zion was destroyed. The temple was defiled, and the bodies of the dead lay across the land.

The psalmist then prays for forgiveness and rescue (Psalm 79:8–9) and asks God to repay the nation's enemies (Psalm 79:12–13). Other psalms lamenting the exile include Psalms 42–44, 102, 107, 126, and 137.

The poet laments the defilement of the temple and the success of the enemy.

Your inheritance: This phrase might refer to the land, the temple (see Psalm 61:5), or the people (see 79:2; 78:71).

The intensity of God’s judgment surprises the people; they cry out in despair for compassion, forgiveness, and relief. Verse 6–7 are nearly identical to Jeremiah 10:25.

The repentant among God’s people ask him to vent his anger not on them but on their wicked and unrepentant enemies.

The people’s many sins in the past helped lead to the exile (2 Kings 17:7–23; 24:3–4). However, each person also suffered because of his or her own sin (Jeremiah 31:30; Ezekiel 18:20).

The people ask God to rescue them. Although Israel’s sins caused the tragedy, the pagan nations must also be held responsible for the bloodshed.

• The exile resulted in national suffering and in individual searching for the Lord.

• Pay back: See Psalm 1:6; 94:2; Jeremiah 32:18.

• The phrase sevenfold means something is complete.

• Israel's neighbors included Edom, Moab, and Ammon (see Psalm 137:7; 2 Kings 24:2; Obadiah 1).