Psalms 89:40
Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.
Original Language Analysis
פָּרַ֥צְתָּ
Thou hast broken down
H6555
פָּרַ֥צְתָּ
Thou hast broken down
Strong's:
H6555
Word #:
1 of 6
to break out (in many applications, direct and indirect, literal and figurative)
כָל
H3605
כָל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
2 of 6
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
שַׂ֖מְתָּ
thou hast brought
H7760
שַׂ֖מְתָּ
thou hast brought
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
4 of 6
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
Cross References
Psalms 80:12Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?Lamentations 2:2The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.Job 1:10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.Lamentations 2:5The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.
Historical Context
The Babylonian siege of 586 BC systematically destroyed Judah's fortifications. Lamentations 2:2 confirms: "The Lord hath...thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah." Archaeology reveals massive destruction layers at this period. The psalmist doesn't blame Babylon—he recognizes God's sovereign hand behind enemy action.
Questions for Reflection
- What protective "hedges" (relationships, structures, securities) has God allowed to be broken in your life? What did it expose?
- How does recognizing God's sovereignty in allowing protective structures to fall differ from blaming Him bitterly?
- How does Ephesians 2:14 (Christ breaking "the middle wall of partition") reinterpret this imagery redemptively?
Analysis & Commentary
Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin—vivid agricultural and military imagery depicts comprehensive devastation. Geder (hedge/wall) protected vineyards from wild animals and invaders; mivtzar (stronghold/fortress) provided military defense. Both are broken down (פָּרַצְתָּ paratzta, breached) and brought to ruin (מְחִתָּה mechittah, terror, destruction).
Isaiah 5:5 uses identical vineyard language for judgment: "I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up." The removed hedge exposes Israel to plunder. Yet this judgment isn't arbitrary—it fulfills covenant curses for unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 28:52: "He shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down"). God's faithfulness includes keeping promises of both blessing and cursing. The broken hedges paradoxically prove God hasn't abandoned the covenant—He's administering its terms. Only after the "wall of partition" was broken (Ephesians 2:14) could Gentiles enter God's vineyard.