Psalms 79:3

Authorized King James Version

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Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.

Original Language Analysis

שָׁפְכ֬וּ have they shed H8210
שָׁפְכ֬וּ have they shed
Strong's: H8210
Word #: 1 of 7
to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e., to mound up); also (figuratively) to expend (life, soul, complaint, money, etc
דָמָ֨ם׀ Their blood H1818
דָמָ֨ם׀ Their blood
Strong's: H1818
Word #: 2 of 7
blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshe
כַּמַּ֗יִם like water H4325
כַּמַּ֗יִם like water
Strong's: H4325
Word #: 3 of 7
water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen
סְֽבִ֘יב֤וֹת round about H5439
סְֽבִ֘יב֤וֹת round about
Strong's: H5439
Word #: 4 of 7
(as noun) a circle, neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with or without preposition) around
יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם Jerusalem H3389
יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם Jerusalem
Strong's: H3389
Word #: 5 of 7
jerushalaim or jerushalem, the capital city of palestine
וְאֵ֣ין H369
וְאֵ֣ין
Strong's: H369
Word #: 6 of 7
a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle
קוֹבֵֽר׃ and there was none to bury H6912
קוֹבֵֽר׃ and there was none to bury
Strong's: H6912
Word #: 7 of 7
to inter

Analysis & Commentary

Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. The simile "like water" (כַּמַּיִם, kamayim) indicates blood poured out abundantly, carelessly, without value—as common and cheap as water. The Hebrew verb shaphak (שָׁפַךְ, "shed/poured out") appears frequently in contexts of violence and murder, especially innocent bloodshed that cries to God for vengeance (Genesis 9:6; Ezekiel 22:3-4).

"Round about Jerusalem" emphasizes the geographic scope—the holy city itself surrounded by carnage. Jerusalem, the city of shalom (peace), becomes encircled by bloodshed. The irony is devastating: the place where God's presence dwelt, where sacrificial blood was carefully regulated according to Levitical law, now witnesses unregulated slaughter of God's people. Their blood mingles with dust rather than being properly handled as sacred.

"There was none to bury them" (ein qover, אֵין קוֹבֵר) compounds the tragedy. Normal burial required family members performing ritual acts of love and duty. The phrase suggests complete social breakdown—either the living were too few, too traumatized, or themselves threatened with death. This recalls Jeremiah 14:16 and anticipates the mass graves and abandoned bodies following ancient sieges. To die without burial meant being cut off from ancestral rest and communal memory.

Historical Context

The Babylonian siege of Jerusalem lasted approximately 18 months (2 Kings 25:1-3). Ancient siege warfare was brutal—starvation, disease, and ultimately massacre when walls were breached. Babylonian records and biblical accounts confirm mass executions. The phrase "none to bury them" reflects the demographic catastrophe: Jerusalem's population was killed, enslaved, or fled, leaving insufficient survivors to perform burial rites for the dead.

Questions for Reflection