Psalm 74 23

Psalm 74:23 kjv

Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.

Psalm 74:23 nkjv

Do not forget the voice of Your enemies; The tumult of those who rise up against You increases continually.

Psalm 74:23 niv

Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

Psalm 74:23 esv

Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

Psalm 74:23 nlt

Don't overlook what your enemies have said
or their growing uproar.

Psalm 74 verses

Psalm 74 23 Meaning

Psalm 74:23 is an urgent plea to God to take active notice of and respond to the relentless and defiant aggression of His adversaries. It highlights the continuous, rising tumult of their hostility, urging the Divine to intervene decisively. The psalmist appeals to God's attribute of remembrance, imploring Him to act on behalf of His covenant people and His own honor, which has been continually blasphemed and attacked by the enemies. It is a cry for divine justice and vindication in the face of persistent opposition and desecration.

Psalm 74 23 Context

Psalm 74 is a Maskil of Asaph, a communal lament. The psalm vividly portrays a time of profound national disaster, likely the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (701 BCE by Sennacherib, though more widely understood as 586 BCE by Babylon, or possibly during the Maccabean period by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which involved desecration). The enemies have thoroughly devastated the sanctuary, broken down its carved work, burned it down, and silenced all divine revelation within (vv. 3-9). This act is a direct affront to God's presence and honor. The psalm grapples with the theological crisis of God's apparent absence and inaction amidst such destruction and incessant mockery from the adversaries (vv. 10-11). Despite this despair, the psalmist recalls God's mighty acts of creation and salvation in the past (vv. 12-17), reaffirming God's ultimate sovereignty. The psalm concludes with an earnest petition for God to remember the enemy's blasphemy and His own covenant, and to rise up to defend His cause (vv. 18-23). Verse 23 serves as the concluding, urgent appeal, crystallizing the plea for God to address the unceasing clamor and rising audacity of the oppressors.

Psalm 74 23 Word analysis

• Forget not: אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (al-tishkaḥ). This is a strong negative imperative, "Do not forget!" While God is omniscient and does not literally "forget," this anthropomorphic expression is a deep human cry for God to act as if He remembers. It signifies a fervent petition for divine intervention based on active remembrance, a call for Him to stir from apparent inactivity and recall His covenantal obligations and the enemies' transgressions against His honor. It highlights the people's feeling of abandonment and their desire for God to re-engage with His powerful presence.
• the clamor: קוֹל (qol). This Hebrew word refers to a sound, voice, noise, or roar. In this context, it is not merely general noise but a loud, aggressive, boastful, and defiant sound of the foes. It embodies their taunts, threats, blasphemies, and the jubilant sounds of their conquest and desecration. It carries the weight of intentional insult and challenge against the divine.
• of your foes: צָרֶיךָ (tsareykha). Refers to adversaries, enemies, or oppressors. These are not just general opponents but specific agents actively inflicting distress and challenging God's authority and His people. The possessive "your" ("your foes") emphasizes that the hostility is ultimately directed against God Himself, not merely against Israel. This makes their actions an offense demanding divine retribution.
• the uproar: שְׁאוֹן (sh'on). This word means tumult, din, roaring, or commotion, often implying violent or turbulent noise. It describes an intensified, overwhelming, and potentially chaotic sound. Paired with qol ("clamor"), it strengthens the description of the enemies' boisterous, overbearing, and oppressive aggression, signaling a high level of unrestrained malice. It is more than just a sound; it is the attitude behind the sound, one of unbridled triumph and disrespect.
• of your adversaries: קָמֶיךָ (qameyka). Literally "those who rise up against you." This is an active and aggressive term, denoting those who militarily or morally take a stand in opposition. Like tsareykha, "your" ("your adversaries") reaffirms that their challenge is directly aimed at God, validating the psalmist's plea for God to take the offense personally.
• which goes up: עוֹלֶה (oleh). From the verb עָלָה (`alah), meaning to go up, ascend, rise. This image suggests the rising crescendo of their hostile actions and boasts. The clamor isn't fading; it's intensifying, ascending, perhaps even implying that their blasphemies are reaching God's heavenly court, serving as a constant testimony against them. It carries a legal or supplicatory sense, as if their clamor is presenting itself before God's throne.
• continually: תָּמִיד (tamid). This adverb denotes permanence, consistency, and ceaselessness. It underscores the unrelenting and persistent nature of the enemies' attack and mockery. This continuous onslaught justifies the urgency of the psalmist's petition and emphasizes the depth of the suffering, providing a compelling reason for God to intervene without delay. The constancy implies that this is not a one-off event but an ongoing siege of verbal and physical aggression.

Words-group analysis:

• "Forget not the clamor of your foes, the uproar of your adversaries": This parallelism effectively employs two distinct but related Hebrew terms for aggressive noise (qol and sh'on) and two for enemies (tsareykha and qameyka) to intensify the depiction of the enemy's persistent, blasphemous challenge. The "your" in "your foes" and "your adversaries" powerfully asserts that the true object of the enemies' contempt and aggression is God Himself, not merely His people or His sanctuary. This direct targeting of God's honor strengthens the imperative for divine intervention. It's a plea for God to personally witness and react to the affronts.
• "which goes up continually": This phrase portrays the enemies' insolence as an unending, ever-escalating force. The sound is not dying down; it is persistently ascending, reaching the very ears of God. This perpetual "rising" serves as a direct, unceasing affront to God's holy name and His perceived inactivity, making the need for His immediate response all the more critical and urgent. It emphasizes the weariness and sustained suffering of the people.

Psalm 74 23 Bonus section

The psalm, and especially this concluding verse, challenges the notion of divine impassibility (God's inability to suffer). While God is unchanging in His character, the lament language frequently uses anthropopathic terms (ascribing human feelings to God) to express the psalmist's yearning for God to display strong emotions—here, righteous indignation—and active response to evil. This specific verse, through its desperate appeal for God not to forget and its vivid description of the relentless and rising affronts, suggests that human suffering and divine honor are intrinsically linked, motivating God to act. It points to a deep theology where God's ultimate justice is not divorced from the cries of His people, especially when His name and holiness are reviled. The very existence of such a plea validates the spiritual struggles of believers who perceive God's silence in times of immense tribulation, inviting them to lay their full despair and trust before Him.

Psalm 74 23 Commentary

Psalm 74:23 is the fervent, concluding cry of a communal lament. The psalmist appeals to God with an anthropomorphic "Forget not," recognizing that God's remembrance is directly tied to His intervention and justice. The enemies' "clamor" (qol) and "uproar" (sh'on) signify not just noise, but boastful, blasphemous taunts and desecration directed specifically at God and His holy places. These sounds of triumph and contempt continually "go up" to God, representing an unceasing challenge to His sovereignty and an enduring assault on His divine honor. This constant offense, rising before God like an accusation, forms the basis of the psalmist's plea for an immediate, decisive divine response. The urgency expressed here echoes the collective desperation of God's people who felt abandoned and witnessed the very symbol of God's presence, His sanctuary, desecrated. The verse ultimately trusts in God's nature as the righteous Judge who will ultimately vindicate His own name and people against persistent opposition. It shifts the burden of the national crisis back to God, demanding that He rise up for His own cause.