Psalms 79 - Introduction

The occasion of this Psalm has already been discussed in the Introduction to Psalms 74. It consists of three stanzas.

i. The Psalmist tells God of the invasion of His land, the desecration of His Temple, the destruction of His city, the slaughter of His servants, the reproach of His people (Psalms 79:1-4).

ii. He entreats God to show mercy to Israel, and not to punish them any more for the sins of their forefathers, but to chastise their wanton oppressors (Psalms 79:5-8).

iii. Once more he pleads for help and pardon, urging that the honour of God's name is at stake, and that the outrages of the heathen should not go unpunished; and he concludes with a vow of perpetual praise from the restored nation (Psalms 79:9-13).

This Psalm, together with Psalms 137, is prescribed in the Talmudic treatise Sopherim(Psalms 18:3) for use on the 9th day of the month Ab, the day on which the destruction of both the first and the second Temple was commemorated. Cp. Zechariah 7:3.