1sn Psalm 79. The author laments how the invading nations have destroyed the temple and city of Jerusalem. He asks God to forgive his people and to pour out his vengeance on those who have mistreated them. 2tn Or “nations.” 3tn Heb “have come into your inheritance.” 4map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 5tn Heb “[as] food for the birds of the sky.” 6tn Heb “they have poured out their blood like water, all around Jerusalem, and there is no one burying.” 7tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13. 8tn Heb “How long, O Lord?” 9tn Or “jealous anger.” 10tn Heb “which do not know you.” Here the Hebrew term “know” means “acknowledge the authority of.” 11sn The kingdoms that do not pray to you. The people of these kingdoms pray to other gods, not the Lord, because they do not recognize his authority over them. 12tn Heb “do not remember against us sins, former.” Some understand “former” as an attributive adjective modifying sins, “former [i.e., chronologically prior] sins” (see BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן). The present translation assumes that ראשׁנים (“former”) here refers to those who lived formerly, that is, the people’s ancestors (see Lam 5:7). The word is used in this way in Lev 26:45; Deut 19:14 and Eccl 1:11. 13tn Heb “may your compassion quickly confront us.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating a tone of prayer. 14tn Heb “for we are very low.” 15tn Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation. 16tn Heb “your name.” 17tn Heb “may it be known among the nations, to our eyes, the vengeance of the shed blood of your servants.” 18tn Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.” 19tn Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר (hoter) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר (yatar, “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר (hatter), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר (natar, “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die. 20tn Heb “Return to our neighbors sevenfold into their lap.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of the Hebrew phrase שִׁבְעָתַיִם (shiv’atayim, “seven times”) see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 12:6; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26. 21tn Heb “their reproach with which they reproached you, O Lord.” 22tn Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.” 23tn Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.
1sn Psalm 79. The author laments how the invading nations have destroyed the temple and city of Jerusalem. He asks God to forgive his people and to pour out his vengeance on those who have mistreated them.
2tn Or “nations.”
3tn Heb “have come into your inheritance.”
4map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
5tn Heb “[as] food for the birds of the sky.”
6tn Heb “they have poured out their blood like water, all around Jerusalem, and there is no one burying.”
7tn Heb “an [object of] taunting and [of] mockery to those around us.” See Ps 44:13.
8tn Heb “How long, O Lord?”
9tn Or “jealous anger.”
10tn Heb “which do not know you.” Here the Hebrew term “know” means “acknowledge the authority of.”
11sn The kingdoms that do not pray to you. The people of these kingdoms pray to other gods, not the Lord, because they do not recognize his authority over them.
12tn Heb “do not remember against us sins, former.” Some understand “former” as an attributive adjective modifying sins, “former [i.e., chronologically prior] sins” (see BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן). The present translation assumes that ראשׁנים (“former”) here refers to those who lived formerly, that is, the people’s ancestors (see Lam 5:7). The word is used in this way in Lev 26:45; Deut 19:14 and Eccl 1:11.
13tn Heb “may your compassion quickly confront us.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating a tone of prayer.
14tn Heb “for we are very low.”
15tn Heb “the glory of your name.” Here and in the following line “name” stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
16tn Heb “your name.”
17tn Heb “may it be known among the nations, to our eyes, the vengeance of the shed blood of your servants.”
18tn Heb “may the painful cry of the prisoner come before you.”
19tn Heb “according to the greatness of your arm leave the sons of death.” God’s “arm” here symbolizes his strength to deliver. The verbal form הוֹתֵר (hoter) is a Hiphil imperative from יָתַר (yatar, “to remain; to be left over”). Here it must mean “to leave over; to preserve.” However, it is preferable to emend the form to הַתֵּר (hatter), a Hiphil imperative from נָתַר (natar, “be free”). The Hiphil form is used in Ps 105:20 of Pharaoh freeing Joseph from prison. The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 102:21) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
20tn Heb “Return to our neighbors sevenfold into their lap.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of the Hebrew phrase שִׁבְעָתַיִם (shiv’atayim, “seven times”) see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 12:6; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
21tn Heb “their reproach with which they reproached you, O Lord.”
22tn Or (hyperbolically) “will thank you forever.”
23tn Heb “to a generation and a generation we will report your praise.” Here “praise” stands by metonymy for the mighty acts that prompt worship. Cf. Ps 9:14.