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Psalms

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Psalm 79

1 A psalm of Asaph. O God, foreigners have invaded your chosen land; they have polluted your holy temple and turned Jerusalem into a heap of ruins. 2 They have given the corpses of your servants to the birds of the sky, the flesh of your loyal followers to the beasts of the earth.⁠ 3 They have made their blood flow like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them. 4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors; those who live on our borders taunt and insult us. 5 How long will this go on, O Lord? Will you stay angry forever? How long will your rage burn like fire? 6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not pray to you.⁠ 7 For they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his home. 8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations. Quickly send your compassion our way, for we are in serious trouble. 9 Help us, O God, our deliverer! For the sake of your glorious reputation, rescue us. Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation.⁠ 10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”⁠ Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants be avenged among the nations. 11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners. Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die. 12 Pay back our neighbors in full. May they be insulted the same way they insulted you, O Lord. 13 Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture, will continually thank you. We will tell coming generations of your praiseworthy acts.

Texts in conversation

Compare Ezekiel 20:44 and Psalm 79:9

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Ezekiel 20 explains forgiveness being given to repair God’s own reputation rather than human merit, reflecting honor and shame values. Psalm 79 echoes this by asking for rescue and forgiveness so God’s name will not be dishonored.

Passages

Ezekiel 20:44

Hebrew Bible
42 Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there you will remember your conduct and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves because of all the evil deeds you have done. 44 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” 45 (21:1) The Lord’s message came to me: 46 “Son of man, turn toward the south, and speak out against the south. Prophesy against the open scrub land of the Negev,
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ezekiel

Psalm 79:9

Hebrew Bible
7 For they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his home. 8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations. Quickly send your compassion our way, for we are in serious trouble. 9 Help us, O God, our deliverer! For the sake of your glorious reputation, rescue us. Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation. 10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants be avenged among the nations. 11 Listen to the painful cries of the prisoners. Use your great strength to set free those condemned to die.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... Within the Psalter, numerous psalms reuse Exodus 34:6-7. For example, in Psalm 78, the psalmist recalls Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness and God’s merciful response: “Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; he often restrained his anger and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again” (Psalm 78:38-39). In addition to emphasizing God’s mercy over his judgment, the psalmist also explains God’s mercy as a response to ephemeral human nature. In a world governed by strict justice, humans, who are by nature incapable of avoiding sin (Genesis 8:21; 1 Kings 8:46; compare 2 Chronicles 6:36; Ezekiel 20:44; Psalms 51:3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Job 15:14), would quickly cease to exist (Psalms 130:3). The motif of divine mercy in response to human nature recurs in Psalm 103, which contrasts the impermanence of humanity (Psalms 103:14-16) with God’s eternally merciful nature ..."
Hilary Claire Kapfer, “Collective Accountability among the Sages of Ancient Israel” (diss., Harvard University, 2013), 205–206.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Ezekiel 20:44 and Psalm 79:9

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