Psalm 79:8 kjv
O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.
Psalm 79:8 nkjv
Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low.
Psalm 79:8 niv
Do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.
Psalm 79:8 esv
Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
Psalm 79:8 nlt
Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors!
Let your compassion quickly meet our needs,
for we are on the brink of despair.
Psalm 79 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 25:7 | Do not remember the sins... according to your steadfast love remember me... | Plea for God not to remember past sins but His mercy. |
| Neh 1:6 | let your ear be attentive... confessing the sins of the people... which we have committed... | Corporate confession of national and ancestral sins. |
| Dan 9:8-9 | To us, O Lord, belongs confusion... because we have sinned against you... compassion and forgiveness. | Confession of sin alongside an appeal to God's mercy. |
| Jer 14:7 | Though our iniquities testify against us... for your name's sake, O Lord, act! | Acknowledging guilt but appealing to God's honor for help. |
| Lam 5:21 | Restore us to yourself, O Lord... renew our days as of old. | Plea for restoration after national disaster due to sin. |
| Isa 43:25 | I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. | God's promise not to remember sins when He forgives. |
| Jer 31:34 | For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. | Prophecy of new covenant forgiveness and forgetting of sin. |
| Ezek 18:22 | None of the transgressions... shall be remembered against him. | Individual repentance leads to sins not being remembered. |
| Mic 7:18 | Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity... He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love. | God's nature to forgive and not hold on to wrath. |
| Exod 34:6-7 | The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious... forgiving iniquity... | Declaration of God's compassionate nature. |
| Num 14:18 | The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity... | God's character as forgiving, shown to Moses. |
| Ps 103:8-12 | The Lord is merciful and gracious... He does not deal with us according to our sins... | God's abundant mercy removing sins far away. |
| Isa 59:2 | Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. | Sins are the cause of divine judgment and separation. |
| Joel 2:13 | Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful... | Call to repentance appealing to God's compassionate character. |
| Ps 74:10 | How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? | Similar plea in a communal lament about humiliation. |
| Isa 63:15 | Look down from heaven and see... Where is your zealous love and your might? | Urgent plea for God's attention and intervention. |
| Ps 44:26 | Arise for our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love! | Cry for swift deliverance based on God's character. |
| Deut 28:43-44 | The sojourner who is among you... will rise higher and higher above you... | Prophecy of national humiliation for disobedience. |
| Luke 23:42 | Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. | Individual plea for remembrance in mercy by Jesus. |
| Rom 5:20 | but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. | New Covenant understanding of grace overcoming sin. |
| Heb 8:12 | For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. | Fulfilment of the New Covenant promise of complete forgiveness. |
| Eph 2:4-5 | But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us... | God's mercy as the basis for salvation despite sin. |
| 1 John 1:9 | If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us... | The promise of forgiveness upon confession. |
| Acts 2:38 | Repent and be baptized... for the forgiveness of your sins... | Call to repentance and forgiveness offered in the New Testament. |
| Matt 6:12 | and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. | The model prayer includes asking for forgiveness of "debts" (sins). |
Psalm 79 verses
Psalm 79 8 Meaning
Psalm 79:8 is a fervent plea from a community in deep distress, acknowledging past transgressions (referred to as "former iniquities") which likely led to their current calamity. The people implore God not to remember these sins for the purpose of judgment, but instead to let His deep, compassionate mercy swiftly encompass them. Their plea is rooted in their extreme debilitation and humiliation, recognizing their utterly helpless state as a compelling reason for God's urgent intervention and salvation.
Psalm 79 8 Context
Psalm 79 is a communal lament (a lament of the community, usually associated with national crisis) likely written after a devastating event, specifically the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the defilement of the Holy City (as mentioned in verse 1). The psalm recounts the horrific acts of their enemies, the bloodshed, desecration of sacred places, and the subsequent scorn they endured from surrounding nations. Verse 8 forms a critical part of the plea for divine intervention. Before appealing for judgment on their enemies or for national restoration, the community acknowledges their own guilt. This confession positions their plea within the framework of God's righteous judgment against their covenant unfaithfulness, yet still appealing to His character of compassion and mercy rather than a demand based on their own righteousness. This humble stance is essential for God's redemptive work.
Psalm 79 8 Word analysis
- Do not remember (אַל־תִּזְכָּר, ʾal-tizkar): This is a strong negative imperative, "Do not cause to be remembered" or "Do not keep remembering." The Hebrew root zakhar (זָכַר) for "remember" signifies not merely recalling facts, but active consideration or acting in accordance with remembrance. Here, they pray for God not to act upon His remembrance of their sins in a punitive way. It is a plea for clemency and suspension of deserved judgment.
- against us (לָנוּ, lanu): Expresses direct opposition or consequence directed towards the community. The negative remembrance of sins would lead to continued divine judgment upon them.
- former iniquities (עֲוֺנֹת רִאשֹׁנִים, ‘avonot rishonim):
- Iniquities (עֲוֺנֹת, ‘avonot): This term signifies not just a misstep or transgression, but inherent moral twistedness, perversity, guilt, and the penalty for such wrongdoings. It emphasizes the deep moral failure and its resultant culpability.
- Former (רִאשֹׁנִים, rishonim): Means "first, original, prior, ancient." It can refer to sins of previous generations (corporate guilt/inheritance) or earlier sins in their own national history that led them to the current calamitous state. It points to a deep, ingrained pattern of disobedience stretching back in time.
- Let your tender mercies (רַחֲמֶיךָ מַהֵר, rachameycha maher):
- Tender mercies (רַחֲמֶיךָ, rachameycha): Derived from the Hebrew root racham (רָחַם), associated with the "womb" (רֶחֶם, rechem), signifying a deep, gut-level, compassionate love, like a parent for their child. It's an expression of profound, sympathetic care, far beyond mere pity, an attribute often ascribed to God (Exod 34:6).
- Swiftly/Speedily (מַהֵר, maher): An adverb expressing urgency and haste. The community is in such dire straits that they cannot wait; they need immediate, rapid divine intervention.
- come speedily to meet us (יְקַדְּמֻנוּ, yqaddemunu): Literally, "let it come before us" or "anticipate us." It conveys the idea of God's mercy being proactively manifested, going out to encounter and deliver them before they are utterly destroyed or can do anything to earn it. It underlines the desperate urgency.
- for we are brought very low (כִּי דַלּוֹנוּ מְאֹד, ki dallonu me’od):
- For (כִּי, ki): Introduces the reason or justification for their plea.Brought low (דַּלּוֹנוּ, dallonu): From the verb dalal (דָּלַל), meaning to be weak, languish, become faint, be emptied, be brought down, humbled, or impoverished. It paints a picture of extreme weakness, humiliation, and desolation. They are utterly destitute, physically, politically, and spiritually.
- Very (מְאֹד, me’od): An intensifier meaning "greatly, exceedingly, very much." It emphasizes the absolute depth of their distress and humiliation. This profound lowliness becomes their primary argument for God's swift mercy; they are at the end of their own resources.
Psalm 79 8 Bonus section
The appeal "Do not remember former iniquities" implicitly acknowledges the concept of a covenant. Israel's history was defined by their covenant with Yahweh, which contained blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. The present devastation indicated that the curses for their ‘avonot rishonim (former iniquities) had been enacted. However, the covenant also contained provisions for repentance and restoration based on God's enduring hesed (loyal love/mercy), to which the psalmist now appeals. The juxtaposition of God's "remembering" (active judgment) and "not remembering" (active forgiveness and mercy) reveals the divine prerogative in handling human sin and a hope in His divine turning away from wrath. This plea is not for ignorance on God's part, but for a sovereign act of blotting out, not holding sin against them, thereby re-establishing relationship.
Psalm 79 8 Commentary
Psalm 79:8 presents a classic example of corporate confession and desperate plea rooted in God's character. The community doesn't hide from its guilt or pretend innocence, acknowledging that the catastrophe they face is, at some level, a consequence of past "iniquities"—possibly a generational accumulation of unfaithfulness that violated the covenant with God. Their prayer to "not remember" these sins is an anthropomorphic expression, appealing to God's attribute of forgiveness, not that He literally forgets, but that He chooses not to act in judgment based on past offenses. This profound request is juxtaposed with an urgent cry for His "tender mercies," referring to His deepest, compassionate love that overcomes wrath. The urgency ("swiftly," "speedily") reflects their immediate suffering and utter degradation, expressed by "brought very low." This lament underscores that genuine repentance leads to an appeal not to merit but to God's undeserved, sovereign grace. It highlights a core biblical truth: even in deserved judgment, God's character of mercy remains the ultimate hope, and extreme destitution can serve as a potent catalyst for God's compassionate intervention. This verse offers a pattern for those in despair to confess, rely on God's nature, and earnestly pray for His swift and gracious restoration.