Psalms 79:1
O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
The Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE was the greatest catastrophe in Israel's history before the Roman destruction in 70 CE. Nebuchadnezzar's armies besieged the city, broke through its walls, captured King Zedekiah, killed his sons, blinded him, and carried him to Babylon in chains. The temple—Solomon's magnificent structure that had stood for nearly 400 years—was stripped of its treasures and burned. The city walls were torn down, and the population was killed, scattered, or deported.
This destruction raised profound theological questions. God had promised David an eternal throne (2 Samuel 7:16). He had chosen Jerusalem as His dwelling place (Psalm 132:13-14). The temple was where His name dwelt (1 Kings 8:29). How could these promises stand if the city and temple lay in ruins?
The prophets had warned that covenant unfaithfulness would bring judgment (Jeremiah 7:1-15). Ezekiel had seen the glory of the LORD depart from the temple (Ezekiel 10-11). Yet even in judgment, hope remained. Jeremiah promised return after seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10). The exile was discipline, not final rejection.
Questions for Reflection
- What does framing the invasion as violation of God's 'inheritance' reveal about the nature of the land?
- How does the defilement of the temple represent spiritual as well as physical devastation?
- What theological questions does the destruction of God's chosen city and temple raise about His promises?
- How did Israel process this catastrophe theologically, and what can we learn from their approach?
Analysis & Commentary
O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. This communal lament opens with a description of devastating invasion. Like Psalm 74, it likely responds to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE, though the language is applicable to any catastrophic violation of the holy city.
"The heathen are come into thine inheritance" (ba'u goyim benachalatekha, בָּאוּ גוֹיִם בְּנַחֲלָתֶךָ) frames the invasion theologically. Goyim (nations, Gentiles) have entered God's nachalah (inheritance, possession). The land was not merely Israel's property but God's inheritance given to Israel. Foreign invasion violated divine ownership.
"Thy holy temple have they defiled" (tim'u et-heykhal qodshekha, טִמְּאוּ אֶת־הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ) intensifies the outrage. Tame means to defile, make unclean, pollute—the opposite of the holiness that should characterize God's dwelling. The temple was qodesh (holy, set apart); now it has been profaned by those who neither knew nor honored Yahweh.
"They have laid Jerusalem on heaps" (samu et-Yerushalayim le'iyim, שָׂמוּ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם לְעִיִּים) describes physical devastation. Iyim means ruins, heaps of rubble. The city of David, the joy of the whole earth (Psalm 48:2), has become a pile of stones. The threefold description—invasion, defilement, destruction—captures the comprehensiveness of the catastrophe.