Psalms 74

KJV · Chapter 74/150

1O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

2Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.

3Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.

4Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

5A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.

6But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

7They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.

8They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.

9We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

10O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

11Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.

12For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

13Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

14Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

15Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.

16The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

17Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

18Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.

19O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

20Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

21O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.

22Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

23Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A communal lament after the destruction of the temple by enemies, who defiled the sanctuary with fire, while the people ask how long God will allow such blasphemy, recalling His mighty deeds in creation and the Exodus.

Explanation

This psalm, attributed to Asaph, likely reflects the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Babylonians in 586 BC, one of the most traumatic events in Israel's history, since the temple was considered the very dwelling place of God's presence on earth. The anguished question 'how long, O God, shall the adversary reproach?' expresses the despair of a people who see their religious and national center in ruins. Interestingly, the psalmist seeks comfort by recalling God's past deeds in creation (dividing the sea, breaking the heads of the dragons — most likely poetic references to creation and the Exodus) as grounds for trusting that He will act again. Today's application: in moments of destruction or loss that deeply shake a community's faith, remembering God's historical faithfulness can be an anchor for continuing to trust.

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