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Psalm 74
Psalm 74
← Psalm 73 Psalm 75 →
Book	Book of Psalms
Hebrew Bible part	Ketuvim
Order in the Hebrew part	1
Category	Sifrei Emet
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	19

Psalm 74
Psalm 74
"O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?"
	Psalm 74:7 ("They have set Thy sanctuary on fire") on a memorial plaque at the Weener Synagogue
Other name	Psalmus 73; "Ut quid Deus reppulisti in finem iratus";
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 74 is the 74th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 73. In Latin, it is known as "Ut quid Deus reppulisti in finem iratus".^[1] Subheaded a maschil or contemplation,^[2] and a community lament, it expresses the pleas of the Jewish community in the Babylonian captivity. It is attributed to Asaph.

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music, notably in Bach's Gott ist mein König, BWV 71. Several composers set the psalm or verses from it in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text^[3]^[4] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse	Hebrew	English translation (JPS 1917)
1	מַשְׂכִּ֗יל לְאָ֫סָ֥ף לָמָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים זָנַ֣חְתָּ לָנֶ֑צַח יֶעְשַׁ֥ן אַ֝פְּךָ֗ בְּצֹ֣אן מַרְעִיתֶֽךָ׃‎	Maschil of Asaph. Why, O God, hast Thou cast us off for ever? Why doth Thine anger smoke against the flock of Thy pasture?
2	זְכֹ֤ר עֲדָֽתְךָ֨ ׀ קָ֘נִ֤יתָ קֶּ֗דֶם גָּ֭אַלְתָּ שֵׁ֣בֶט נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ הַר־צִ֝יּ֗וֹן זֶ֤ה ׀ שָׁכַ֬נְתָּ בּֽוֹ׃‎	Remember Thy congregation, which Thou hast gotten of old, Which Thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of Thine inheritance; And mount Zion, wherein Thou hast dwelt.
3	הָרִ֣ימָה פְ֭עָמֶיךָ לְמַשֻּׁא֣וֹת נֶ֑צַח כׇּל־הֵרַ֖ע אוֹיֵ֣ב בַּקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃‎	Lift up Thy steps because of the perpetual ruins, Even all the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.
4	שָׁאֲג֣וּ צֹ֭רְרֶיךָ בְּקֶ֣רֶב מוֹעֲדֶ֑ךָ שָׂ֖מוּ אוֹתֹתָ֣ם אֹתֽוֹת׃‎	Thine adversaries have roared in the midst of Thy meeting-place; They have set up their own signs for signs.
5	יִ֭וָּדַע כְּמֵבִ֣יא לְמָ֑עְלָה בִּסְבׇךְ־עֵ֝֗ץ קַרְדֻּמּֽוֹת׃‎	It seemed as when men wield upwards Axes in a thicket of trees.
6	(ועת) [וְ֭עַתָּה] פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ יָּ֑חַד בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל וְ֝כֵילַפּ֗וֹת יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃‎	And now all the carved work thereof together They strike down with hatchet and hammers.
7	שִׁלְח֣וּ בָ֭אֵשׁ מִקְדָּשֶׁ֑ךָ לָ֝אָ֗רֶץ חִלְּל֥וּ מִֽשְׁכַּן־שְׁמֶֽךָ׃‎	They have set Thy sanctuary on fire; They have profaned the dwelling-place of Thy name even to the ground.
8	אָמְר֣וּ בְ֭לִבָּם נִינָ֣ם יָ֑חַד שָׂרְפ֖וּ כׇל־מוֹעֲדֵי־אֵ֣ל בָּאָֽרֶץ׃‎	They said in their heart: 'Let us make havoc of them altogether'; They have burned up all the meeting-places of God in the land.
9	אוֹתֹתֵ֗ינוּ לֹ֥א רָ֫אִ֥ינוּ אֵֽין־ע֥וֹד נָבִ֑יא וְלֹֽא־אִ֝תָּ֗נוּ יֹדֵ֥עַ עַד־מָֽה׃‎	We see not our signs; There is no more any prophet; Neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
10	עַד־מָתַ֣י אֱ֭לֹהִים יְחָ֣רֶף צָ֑ר יְנָ֘אֵ֤ץ אוֹיֵ֖ב שִׁמְךָ֣ לָנֶֽצַח׃‎	How long, O God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme Thy name for ever?
11	לָ֤מָּה תָשִׁ֣יב יָ֭דְךָ וִימִינֶ֑ךָ מִקֶּ֖רֶב (חוקך) [חֵיקְךָ֣] כַלֵּֽה׃‎	Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand, even Thy right hand? Draw it out of Thy bosom and consume them.
12	וֵ֭אלֹהִים מַלְכִּ֣י מִקֶּ֑דֶם פֹּעֵ֥ל יְ֝שׁוּע֗וֹת בְּקֶ֣רֶב הָאָֽרֶץ׃‎	Yet God is my King of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13	אַתָּ֤ה פוֹרַ֣רְתָּ בְעׇזְּךָ֣ יָ֑ם שִׁבַּ֖רְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֥י תַ֝נִּינִ֗ים עַל־הַמָּֽיִם׃‎	Thou didst break the sea in pieces by Thy strength; Thou didst shatter the heads of the sea-monsters in the waters.
14	אַתָּ֣ה רִ֭צַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֣י לִוְיָתָ֑ן תִּתְּנֶ֥נּוּ מַ֝אֲכָ֗ל לְעָ֣ם לְצִיִּֽים׃‎	Thou didst crush the heads of leviathan, Thou gavest him to be food to the folk inhabiting the wilderness.
15	אַתָּ֣ה בָ֭קַעְתָּ מַעְיָ֣ן וָנָ֑חַל אַתָּ֥ה ה֝וֹבַ֗שְׁתָּ נַהֲר֥וֹת אֵיתָֽן׃‎	Thou didst cleave fountain and brook; Thou driedst up ever-flowing rivers.
16	לְךָ֣ י֭וֹם אַף־לְךָ֥ לָ֑יְלָה אַתָּ֥ה הֲ֝כִינ֗וֹתָ מָא֥וֹר וָשָֽׁמֶשׁ׃‎	Thine is the day, Thine also the night; Thou hast established luminary and sun.
17	אַתָּ֣ה הִ֭צַּבְתָּ כׇּל־גְּבוּל֣וֹת אָ֑רֶץ קַ֥יִץ וָ֝חֹ֗רֶף אַתָּ֥ה יְצַרְתָּֽם׃‎	Thou hast set all the borders of the earth; Thou hast made summer and winter.
18	זְכׇר־זֹ֗את א֭וֹיֵב חֵרֵ֣ף ׀ יְהֹוָ֑ה וְעַ֥ם נָ֝בָ֗ל נִאֲצ֥וּ שְׁמֶֽךָ׃‎	Remember this, how the enemy hath reproached the LORD, And how a base people have blasphemed Thy name.
19	אַל־תִּתֵּ֣ן לְ֭חַיַּת נֶ֣פֶשׁ תּוֹרֶ֑ךָ חַיַּ֥ת עֲ֝נִיֶּ֗יךָ אַל־תִּשְׁכַּ֥ח לָנֶֽצַח׃‎	O deliver not the soul of Thy turtle-dove unto the wild beast; Forget not the life of Thy poor for ever.
20	הַבֵּ֥ט לַבְּרִ֑ית כִּ֥י מָלְא֥וּ מַחֲשַׁכֵּי־אֶ֝֗רֶץ נְא֣וֹת חָמָֽס׃‎	Look upon the covenant; For the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21	אַל־יָשֹׁ֣ב דַּ֣ךְ נִכְלָ֑ם עָנִ֥י וְ֝אֶבְי֗וֹן יְֽהַלְל֥וּ שְׁמֶֽךָ׃‎	O let not the oppressed turn back in confusion; Let the poor and needy praise Thy name.
22	קוּמָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים רִיבָ֣ה רִיבֶ֑ךָ זְכֹ֥ר חֶרְפָּתְךָ֥ מִנִּי־נָ֝בָ֗ל כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃‎	Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause; Remember Thy reproach all the day at the hand of the base man.
23	אַל־תִּ֭שְׁכַּח ק֣וֹל צֹרְרֶ֑יךָ שְׁא֥וֹן קָ֝מֶ֗יךָ עֹלֶ֥ה תָמִֽיד׃‎	Forget not the voice of Thine adversaries, The tumult of those that rise up against Thee which ascendeth continually.

King James Version

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.
Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.
A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.
But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.
They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.
They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?
Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck it out of thy bosom.
For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.
Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.
O let not the oppressed return ashamed: let the poor and needy praise thy name.
Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.

Content

Verses 1–3 open this psalm by imploring God to "remember your people", and to "remember Mount Zion". The psalm continues in verses 3b to 11 by describing the destruction of the Temple by "the enemies of God".^[5] Verses 12–17 recall and praise the might of God, and the psalm ends (verses 18–23) by imploring the Lord (verse 18) to remember Israel and come to her aid.

The enemy is not named, but may refer to King Nebuchadnezzar. According to the Targum, the reference is to Antiochus Epiphanes.^[6]

Verse 1 portrays the image of the people of Israel as God's flock, "the sheep of your pasture".^[7]

Uses

Judaism

Psalm 74 is recited on the fast of the Tenth of Tevet in some traditions.^[8]
It is recited on the second day of Passover in some traditions.^[8]
Verses 2 and 12 are recited during the blessings before the Shema on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.^[9]

Christian churches

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month.^[10]

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 74 in a metred version in German, "Dennoch hat Israel zum Trost", SWV 171, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.

In his 1708 cantata Gott ist mein König, BWV 71, Bach used three verses from the psalm.

Pavel Chesnokov composed "Salvation is Created'" as a choral work in 1912, the fifth in his Ten Communion Hymns, scored for six voices (SATTBB), as a communion hymn based on verse 12 in Russian and on a synodal Kievan chant melody.

Max Drischner composed a setting of verse 16, added to Psalm 4: 7, 9, as the final movement of his Tübinger Psalmen for voice, violin and organ, or choir, melody instrument and keyboard instrument, in 1948. Stefans Grové set the psalm for mezzo-soprano, flute and harp in 1974.

Ernani Aguiar composed a choral setting in Latin, Salmo 74, in 2001.^[11]