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Psalm Seventy-nine
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT
A
Psalm of Asaph.
INTRODUCTION TO Psalm 79
A Psalm of Asaph. This psalm was not written by one Asaph,
who is supposed to live after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans,
or, according to some, even after the times of Antiochus, of whom there is no
account, nor any certainty that there ever was such a man in those times; but
by Asaph, the seer and prophet, that lived in the time of David, who, under a
prophetic spirit, foresaw and foretold things that should come to pass, spoken
of in this psalm: nor is it any objection that what is here said is delivered
as an history of facts, since many prophecies are delivered in this way,
especially those of the prophet Isaiah. The Targum is,
"a
song by the hands of Asaph, concerning the destruction of the house of the
sanctuary (or temple), which he said by a spirit of prophecy.'
The
title of the Syriac versions,
"said
by Asaph concerning the destruction of Jerusalem.'
The
argument of the psalm is of the same kind with the Seventy Fourth. Some refer
it to the times of Antiochus Epiphanes; so Theodoret; but though the temple was
then defiled, Jerusalem was not utterly destroyed; and others to the
destruction of the city and temple by Nebuchadnezzar; and why may it not refer
to both, and even to the after destruction of both by Titus Vespasian? and may
include the affliction and troubles of the Christians under Rome Pagan and
Papal, and especially the latter; for Jerusalem and the temple may be
understood in a mystical and spiritual sense; at least the troubles of the
Jews, in the times referred to, were typical of what should befall the people
of God under the New Testament, and in antichristian times.
Psalm 79:1 O
God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have
defiled; They have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
YLT
1O God, nations have come
into Thy inheritance, They have defiled Thy holy temple, They made Jerusalem
become heaps,
O God, the Heathen are come into thine inheritance,.... The land
of Canaan, divided among the children of Israel by lot and line for an
inheritance, out of which the Heathen were cast, to make room for them; but now
would come into it again; see Psalm 89:35, and this is called the Lord's
inheritance, because he gave it as such to the people of Israel, and dwelt in
it himself; and the rather this is observed as something marvellous, that he
should suffer Heathens to possess his own inheritance; or the city of
Jerusalem, which was the place the Lord chose to put his name in; or the
temple, where he had his residence, called the mountain of his inheritance, Exodus 15:17, and into which it was always
accounted a profanation for Heathens to enter; see Acts 21:28, into each of these places the
Heathen came; the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar; the Syrians under Antiochus,
as in the Apocrypha:
"Insomuch
that the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them: whereupon the city was
made an habitation of strangers, and became strange to those that were born in
her; and her own children left her.' (1 Maccabees 1:38)
"Now
Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in
or out: the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold;
the heathen had their habitation in that place; and joy was taken from Jacob,
and the pipe with the harp ceased.' (1 Maccabees 3:45)
the
Romans under Pompey, Vespasian, and Titus; and the Papists have since entered
among the people of God, who are his heritage or inheritance, and have lorded
it over them, and made havoc of them, and who are called Heathens and Gentiles,
Psalm 10:16,
thy holy temple have they defiled: this was done in the
times of Antiochus, by entering into it, taking away the holy vessels out of
it, shedding innocent blood in it, and setting up the abomination of desolation
on the altar, and sacrificing to it, as in the Apocrypha:
"Every
bridegroom took up lamentation, and she that sat in the marriage chamber was in
heaviness,' (1 Maccabees 1:27)
"Thus
they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled it:' (1 Maccabees 1:37)
"And
pollute the sanctuary and holy people:' (1 Maccabees 1:46)
"And
whosoever was found with any the book of the testament, or if any committed to
the law, the king's commandment was, that they should put him to death.' (1 Maccabees 1:57)
"For
thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness,
and brought low.' (1 Maccabees 3:51)
"And
they called upon the Lord, that he would look upon the people that was trodden
down of all; and also pity the temple profaned of ungodly men;' (2 Maccabees 8:2)
and
by burning it in the times of Nebuchadnezzar and Titus; see Psalm 74:7, and the church, which is the
holy temple of God, has been defiled by antichrist sitting in it, and showing
himself there as if he was God, by his dreadful blasphemies, idolatrous
worship, and false doctrines, 2 Thessalonians 2:4,
they have laid Jerusalem on heaps; the walls and buildings
being pulled down, and made a heap of stones and rubbish: in the times of
Antiochus and of the Maccabees, it was set on fire, and the houses and the
walls pulled down on every side, and was greatly defaced, and threatened to be
laid level with the ground, as in the Apocrypha:
"And
when he had taken the spoils of the city, he set it on fire, and pulled down
the houses and walls thereof on every side.' (1 Maccabees 1:31)
"And
that he would have compassion upon the city, sore defaced, and ready to be made
even with the ground; and hear the blood that cried unto him,' (2 Maccabees 8:3)
"That
the holy city (to the which he was going in haste to lay it even with the
ground, and to make it a common buryingplace,) he would set at liberty:' (2 Maccabees 9:14)
and
this was thoroughly done in the times of Nebuchadnezzar and Titus, when the
city was broke up and burnt with fire, and laid utterly desolate; so the Targum
renders the word for "desolation"; it sometimes signifies a grave;
see Job 30:24, and the sense may be here, that
the city of Jerusalem was made graves to many; and multitudes were buried under
the ruins of it. Aben Ezra interprets it, low places which were dug to find
hidden things; the Septuagint translate it "a watch", or cottage
"for apple orchards", and so the versions that follow it; signifying
to what a low condition the city was reduced. Jarchi and Kimchi interpret the
word as we do, "heaps": this, as it is true of Jerusalem, which has
been trodden under foot by the Gentiles, and remains so to this day, Luke 21:24, so likewise of mystical
Jerusalem, the holy city, given to the Gentiles or Papists, to be trodden down
for the space of forty and two months, the exact time of the reign of
antichrist, Revelation 11:2.
Psalm 79:2 2 The dead bodies of Your
servants They have given as food for the birds of the heavens, The flesh
of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.
YLT
2They gave the dead bodies
of Thy servants Food for the fowls of the heavens, The flesh of Thy saints For
the wild beast of the earth.
The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto
the fowls of the heaven,.... For such there were, both at the time of the Babylonish
captivity, and in the times of Antiochus, who were good men, and served the
Lord, and yet suffered in the common calamity. Nicanor, a general of Demetrius,
in the time of the Maccabees, seems to have been guilty of such a fact as this,
since, when he was slain, his tongue was given in pieces to the fowls, and the
reward of his madness was hung up before the temple, as in the Apocrypha:
"And
when he had cut out the tongue of that ungodly Nicanor, he commanded that they
should give it by pieces unto the fowls, and hang up the reward of his madness
before the temple.' (2 Maccabees 15:33)
the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth; this clause
and the following verse are applied to a case in the times of the Maccabees,
when sixty men of the Assideans were slain, religious, devout, and holy men, so
called from the very word here translated "saints";
"Now
the Assideans were the first among the children of Israel that sought peace of
them:' (1 Maccabees 7:13)
"The
flesh of thy saints have they cast out, and their blood have they shed round
about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them.' (1 Maccabees 7:17)
Psalm 79:3 3 Their blood they have shed
like water all around Jerusalem, And there was no one to bury them.
YLT
3They have shed their blood
As water round about Jerusalem, And there is none burying.
Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem,.... Without
any concern of mind, or remorse of conscience; without any fear of God or man;
as if it had been so much water only; and this they shed in great abundance:
from the Apocrypha:
"And
when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great
massacre, and spoken very proudly.' (1 Maccabees 1:24)
"And
spake peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit: for when they had given
him credence, he fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very sore, and
destroyed much people of Israel.' (1 Maccabees 1:30)
"Thus
they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled it:' (1 Maccabees 1:37)
"So
they rose up against them in battle on the sabbath, and they slew them, with
their wives and children and their cattle, to the number of a thousand people.'
(1 Maccabees 2:38)
in
like manner the blood of the saints has been shed by the antichristian beast of
Rome, for which he and his followers will be righteously retaliated, Revelation 17:6.
and there was none to bury them: either the number of the
slain was so great, that there were not left enough to bury the dead, or they
that did remain were not suffered to do it; this will be the case of the two
witnesses, when slain, Revelation 11:7.
Psalm 79:4 4 We have become a reproach
to our neighbors, A scorn and derision to those who are around us.
YLT
4We have been a reproach to
our neighbours, A scorn and a derision to our surrounders.
We are become a reproach to our neighbours,.... That is,
those that remained; so the Jews were to the Edomites, especially at the time
of the Babylonish captivity, Psalm 137:7,
a scorn and derision to them that are round about us; as the
Christians in all ages have been to the men of the world, and especially will
be insulted and triumphed over when the witnesses are slain, Revelation 11:10.
Psalm 79:5 5 How long, Lord? Will You be angry
forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
YLT
5Till when, O Jehovah? art
Thou angry for ever? Thy jealousy doth burn as fire.
How long, Lord, wilt thou be angry? for ever?.... That is,
how long wilt thou be angry? shall it be for ever? see Psalm 85:4, for though what was done, or to
be done, as before related, was or will be done by the enemies of the Lord's
people, yet by his permission, and as a token of his anger and displeasure
against them: at least it might be so understood, both by them and by their
enemies; and hence this expostulation,
shall thy jealousy burn like fire? so jealousy does; its
coals are coals of fire, Song of Solomon 8:6, there were, at the
times referred to, such among the people, who did evil things, and provoked the
Lord to jealousy and wrath: see the Apocrypha:
"And
there was very great wrath upon Israel.' (1 Maccabees 1:64)
"When
this was done, and they had made a common supplication, they besought the
merciful Lord to be reconciled with his servants for ever.' (2 Maccabees 8:29)
Psalm 79:6 6 Pour out Your wrath on the
nations that do not know You, And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your
name.
YLT
6Pour Thy fury on the
nations who have not known Thee, And on kingdoms that have not called in Thy
name.
Pour out thy wrath upon the Heathen that have not known thee,.... Who had
poured out the blood of the saints like water, and therefore it was a righteous
thing with God to pour out the cup of wrath in his hands, and cause them to
drink the dregs of it: these words, though they are in the form of an
imprecation, yet regard not private revenge, but public justice, and the honour
of God; and, besides, may be considered as a prophecy of what would be, and
particularly of God's pouring out the vials of his wrath on the antichristian
states; who, though they profess Christianity, are no other than Heathens, and
have no spiritual and serious knowledge of Christ:
and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name; but upon
their idols of gold, silver, brass, and stone, on the Virgin Mary, angels, and
saints departed; for these, besides the kingdoms of Babylon, Syria, and Rome
Pagan, are the kingdoms of the ten kings, that gave their kingdoms to the
beast, and committed fornication, i.e. idolatry, with the whore of Rome; see Revelation 17:2, these words are referred
to in Jeremiah 10:25 and also the following.
Psalm 79:7 7 For they have devoured
Jacob, And laid waste his dwelling place.
YLT
7For [one] hath devoured
Jacob, And his habitation they have made desolate.
For they have devoured Jacob,.... The posterity of
Jacob, the people of the Jews, typical of the church of God, made havoc of by
the Romish antichrist: and laid waste his dwelling place; both Jerusalem and
the temple, which was done both by the Chaldeans and the Romans, and also in
the times of Antiochus; see the Apocrypha:
"38
Insomuch that the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them: whereupon the
city was made an habitation of strangers, and became strange to those that were
born in her; and her own children left her. 39 Her sanctuary was laid waste
like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into
reproach her honour into contempt.' (1 Maccabees 1)
"4In
his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey. 5
For He pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that vexed
his people.' (1 Maccabees 3)
which
were types of the Gospel church made desolate by the Papists: the wordF4נוהו "caulam ejus", Michaelis. used signifies a
sheepcote, the dwelling place of those sheep that are troubled by the beast of
Rome.
Psalm 79:8 8 Oh, do not remember former
iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we
have been brought very low.
YLT
8Remember not for us the
iniquities of forefathers, Haste, let Thy mercies go before us, For we have
been very weak.
O remember not against us former iniquities,.... Or,
"our ancient iniquities", as the Septuagint; the most ancient sin of
all is that of our first parents, in which we are involved, and by which we are
made sinners; and for which judgment comes upon all men; and from thence flows
the corruption of nature, or that original sin of our nature in which we are
all conceived and born, and so are transgressors from the womb; or iniquities
of former times, of our youth, as Kimchi, sins done of old, committed long ago,
in the youthful age, see Psalm 25:7, or the sins of former persons,
of our fathers, as Aben Ezra, which the Lord visits sometimes upon the
children: some think reference is had to the sin of their forefathers in making
and worshipping the golden calf; the JewsF5T Hieros. Taanioth, fol.
68. 3. have a saying, that there is no punishment happens to Israel, but there
is an ounce in it for the sin of the calf; their meaning is, that this is
always remembered and visited, according to Exodus 32:34, the phrase may take in all
the sins of former persons, their ancestors, and of former times, from age to
age, they had continued in, which had brought ruin upon them; and all their own
sins, of nature and of youth, all past ones, to the present time: and it is
desired that God would not "remember these against them"; that is,
that he would not chastise or punish them for them, but that he would pardon
them; for forgiveness of sin is sometimes expressed by a non-remembrance of it,
Isaiah 43:25, or that he would not
"remember unto"F6אל תזכר לנו "ne memineris
nobis", Montanus, Michaelis; so Cocceius. them; that is, put them in mind
of them, lay them home and heavy upon their consciences, charge them with the
guilt of them, and demand satisfaction for them; which is causing them to possess
the sins of their youth, or former ones, Job 13:26,
let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us; the mercy of
God is rich, plenteous, and abundant; many are the acts, and manifold the
instances of it; and there is a heart of compassion, and a tenderness expressed
in it; and which is free, and comes before the merits of men, goes before them,
and is not caused by them; and the phrase denotes the early and timely application
of it, the case being desperate, and requiring haste, and the danger such that
nothing but mercy could prevent; and indeed it is mercy that prevents both our
temporal and eternal ruin. The reason given for this request is,
for we are brought very low; sin brings men into a
low estate, and only the grace and mercy of God can raise them up, and that
exalts to an high estate; or are become very "weak"F7דלונו "attenuati", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine
version, Vatablus, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. and helpless;
sin strips men of their strength, leaves them without any, and incapable of
helping themselves out of that estate into which it has brought them: or are
quite "exhausted"F8"Exhausti", Gejerus,
Michaelis. and dried up, no good thing in them, no comfort left them; but are
poor, and wretched, and miserable.
Psalm 79:9 9 Help us, O God of our
salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement
for our sins, For Your name’s sake!
YLT
9Help us, O God of our
salvation, Because of the honour of Thy name, And deliver us, and cover over
our sins, For Thy name's sake.
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name,.... Help us
out of the troubles in which we are; enable us to bear them with patience, and
without murmuring, while it is thy pleasure to continue them; assist us against
our powerful enemies, and strengthen us to do our duty; afford us more grace,
and fresh supplies of it in our time of need: the arguments enforcing these
petitions are, because God is "the God of salvation", to whom it
belongs, of whom it is, and of him only to be expected; he is the sole author
and giver of it; and because to help and save is for the glory of his name,
which is great in the salvation of his people:
and deliver us; out of the hands of all our enemies, and
out of all our afflictions, and out of this low estate in which we are:
and purge away our sins for thy name's sake; which were
the cause of all calamities and distress, and which can only be purged away by
the blood and sacrifice of Christ, Hebrews 1:3, the word signifies to
"expiate"F9כפר "expiationem
fac", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Michaelis. sin, or atone for it;
which was the work and business of Christ our High Priest, who has made
reconciliation for sin, finished, made an end of it, and put it away by the
oblation of himself, for the sake of which God is propitious; and so the words
may be rendered, "be propitious to our sins"F11"Propitiare",
Pagninus, Montanus; "propitius esto", V. L. Musculus; so Tigurine
version. : or merciful to our unrighteousnesses, for the sake of Christ the
great propitiation; or through the propitiatory sacrifice to be offered up by
him; or, in other words, "cover our sins"F12כפר metaph. "texit", Amama. ; which is also the
sense of the phrase, that they may be seen no more; pardon and forgive them for
Christ's sake; see Psalm 32:1.
Psalm 79:10 10 Why should the nations
say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known among the nations in our
sight The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
YLT
10Why do the nations say,
`Where [is] their God?' Let be known among the nations before our eyes, The
vengeance of the blood of Thy servants that is shed.
Wherefore should the Heathen say, where is their God?.... They
boast of, and put their confidence in, and expect salvation from? he does not
appear for them, he is not with them; he has forsaken them, and will not help
them; than which nothing can be more afflicting and distressing to the Lord's
people; see Psalm 42:3,
let him be known among the Heathen in our sight; in his
holiness and justice, as a God of power, and to whom vengeance belongs; let him
be known by his judgments executed upon the Heathen, openly and publicly in our
sight, and in the view of the whole world; see Psalm 9:16, so it follows,
by the revenging of the blood of thy servants, which is shed; as in Psalm 79:3, which blood God will revenge
according to the request of his people, and give them blood to drink by way of
retaliation; by which means his vindictive justice will be known, and it will
be seen where the God of his people is, that he is with them, and maintains
their cause; see Revelation 6:9. The words may be rendered
in connection with the preceding clause thus; "let it be known among the
Heathen in our sight, even the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is
shed"; though Kimchi supplies the words as we do, "by a
revenging", &c.
Psalm 79:11 11 Let the groaning of the
prisoner come before You; According to the greatness of Your power Preserve
those who are appointed to die;
YLT
11Let the groaning of the
prisoner come in before Thee, According to the greatness of Thine arm, Leave
Thou the sons of death.
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee,.... Such as
were so in a literal or spiritual sense; and the sighs and groans of such are
not hid from the Lord; they come up into his ears as did the sighing and
groaning of the children of Israel when in Egypt, Exodus 2:23,
according to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that
are appointed to die; not by the Lord, as all men are, but by men; who are under a
sentence of condemnation, who are ready to die, being appointed to destruction,
Proverbs 31:6, or are in danger of death,
as Jarchi observes; the phrase is used in Talmudic writings; whose lives are
exposed to danger, who are killed all the day long, and are accounted as sheep
for the slaughter, Psalm 44:22, these it is desired the Lord
would keep from dying, or cause them to remain in life; or not suffer their
lives to be taken away from them, which he was able to do through "the
greatness of his power"; though these words according to the accents
belong to the preceding clause. The Targum, and so Jarchi, and other Jewish
writers, render the words, "loose thou those", &c. mention being
made before of prisoners, or of persons bound.
Psalm 79:12 12 And return to our
neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach with which they have
reproached You, O Lord.
YLT
12And turn Thou back to our
neighbours, Sevenfold unto their bosom, their reproach, Wherewith they
reproached Thee, O Lord.
And render unto our neighbours seven fold into their bosom, Not seven
fold for one, as the Targum paraphrases it, or a seven fold punishment for one
sin; but that he would recompense their sins, or punish for them, and take
vengeance on them, largely, abundantly, though not beyond measure, or exceeding
the rules of justice; see Genesis 4:15,
the reproach with which they have reproached thee, O Lord; by denying
his being, or calling in question his perfections of power, truth, and
goodness, to help his people; speaking ill of his providence, despising his
word and ordinances, and even reproaching his people in reproaching him, Psalm 89:50, and this is what a righteous
recompence is desired for; see Lamentations 3:64.
Psalm 79:13 13 So we, Your people and
sheep of Your pasture, Will give You thanks forever; We will show forth Your
praise to all generations.
YLT
13And we, Thy people, and the
flock of Thy pasture, We give thanks to Thee to the age, To all generations we
recount Thy praise!
So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture,.... Who were
the people of God, not by creation and providence only, as all men are, being
his creatures, and provided for by him; but by special choice, and by covenant
grace: and "the sheep of his pasture"; whom he feeds as a shepherd
does his flock, provides good pasture for them, and leads them into it:
will give thee thanks for ever, we will show forth thy praise to
all generations: the above petitions being answered and fulfilled; the work of
praise is acceptable unto God, what he is well pleased with, being glorified
thereby; and is what becomes his people to do, and which they are formed for,
and that for evermore, as long as they live in this world, and to all eternity
in another; and who will and do take care that the wonders of divine grace and
providence be transmitted and told to their posterity in succeeding ages, that
so thanks may be given him, and his praise shown forth in one generation after
another.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》