New International VersionTurn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
New Living TranslationWalk through the awful ruins of the city; see how the enemy has destroyed your sanctuary.
English Standard VersionDirect your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
Berean Standard BibleTurn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
King James BibleLift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
New King James VersionLift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
New American Standard BibleStep toward the irreparable ruins; The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
NASB 1995Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
NASB 1977Turn Thy footsteps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
Legacy Standard BibleLift up Your steps toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
Amplified BibleTurn your footsteps [quickly] toward the perpetual ruins; The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
Christian Standard BibleMake your way to the perpetual ruins, to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.
Holman Christian Standard BibleMake Your way to the everlasting ruins, to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.
American Standard VersionLift up thy feet unto the perpetual ruins, All the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.
Contemporary English Versionwalk over to the temple left in ruins forever by those who hate us.
English Revised VersionLift up thy feet unto the perpetual ruins, all the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.
GOD'S WORD® TranslationTurn your steps toward these pathetic ruins. The enemy has destroyed everything in the holy temple.
Good News TranslationWalk over these total ruins; our enemies have destroyed everything in the Temple.
International Standard VersionHurry! Look at the permanent ruins— every calamity the enemy brought upon the Holy Place.
NET BibleHurry and look at the permanent ruins, and all the damage the enemy has done to the temple!
New Heart English BibleLift up your feet to the perpetual ruins, all the evil that the enemy has done in the sanctuary.
Webster's Bible TranslationLift up thy feet to the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleTurn Your steps to the everlasting ruins, to everything in the sanctuary the enemy has destroyed.
World English BibleLift up your feet to the perpetual ruins, all the evil that the enemy has done in the sanctuary. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionLift up Your steps to the continuous desolations, "" Everything the enemy did wickedly in the sanctuary.
Young's Literal Translation Lift up Thy steps to the perpetual desolations, Everything the enemy did wickedly in the sanctuary.
Smith's Literal TranslationLift up thy steps to desolations forever; all the evil of the enemy in the holy place. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleLift up thy hands against their pride unto the end; see what things the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
Catholic Public Domain VersionLift up your hands against their arrogance in the end. How great the malice of the enemy has been in the sanctuary!
New American Bible
Direct your steps toward the utter destruction, everything the enemy laid waste in the sanctuary.
New Revised Standard Version
Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.Translations from Aramaic Lamsa Bible
Exalt thy servants over those who are carried away by power; all those who oppress are enemies of thy sanctuary.
Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Lift your Servants above those who are taken by your might: everyone who oppresses is the enemy of your Holiness.OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917
Lift up Thy steps because of the perpetual ruins, Even all the evil that the enemy hath done in the sanctuary.
Brenton Septuagint Translation
Lift up thine hands against their pride continually;because of all that the enemy has done wickedly in thy holy places.
Additional Translations ... Audio Bible
Context Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?… 2Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance—Mount Zion where You dwell. 3TurnYour stepsto the everlastingruins,to everythingin the sanctuarythe enemyhas destroyed.4Your foes have roared within Your meeting place; they have unfurled their banners as signs,…
Cross References Lamentations 2:7The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.
2 Kings 25:9He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
Jeremiah 52:13He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.
2 Chronicles 36:19Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.
Isaiah 64:10-11Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wasteland and Jerusalem a desolation. / Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.
Nehemiah 2:3and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
Ezekiel 7:20-22His beautiful ornaments they transformed into pride and used them to fashion their vile images and detestable idols. Therefore I will make these into something unclean for them. / And I will hand these things over as plunder to foreigners and loot to the wicked of the earth, who will defile them. / I will turn My face away from them, and they will defile My treasured place. Violent men will enter it, and they will defile it.
Micah 3:12Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.
Daniel 9:17So now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary.
Joel 1:9-10Grain and drink offerings have been cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD. / The field is ruined; the land mourns. For the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, and the oil fails.
Matthew 24:2“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Mark 13:2“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Luke 21:6“As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Acts 6:13-14where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. / For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
Hebrews 10:11Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
Treasury of Scripture Lift up your feet to the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy has done wickedly in the sanctuary. lift Psalm 44:23,26
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, castus not off for ever… Joshua 10:24
And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. 2 Samuel 22:39-43
And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet… the perpetual Psalm 102:13,14
Thou shalt arise,and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come… Nehemiah 1:3
And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the provinceare in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem alsois broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Nehemiah 2:3,13
And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres,lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? … all Psalm 79:1
A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. Jeremiah 52:13
And burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the greatmen, burned he with fire: Lamentations 1:10
The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seenthat the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst commandthat they should not enter into thy congregation. Jump to Previous DamagedDesolationsDestroyedDestructionDirectEnemyEverlastingEvilFeetFootstepsHatersHolyLiftPerpetualRuinsSanctuaryStepsTurnUnendingWickedlyWithinJump to Next DamagedDesolationsDestroyedDestructionDirectEnemyEverlastingEvilFeetFootstepsHatersHolyLiftPerpetualRuinsSanctuaryStepsTurnUnendingWickedlyWithinPsalm 74 1.The prophet complains of the desolation of the sanctuary10.He moves God to help in consideration of his power18.Of his reproachful enemies, or his children and of his covenant.Turn Your stepsThis phrase is a plea for God to direct His attention and presence towards the situation at hand. In biblical context, asking God to "turn" His steps implies a desire for divine intervention and guidance. The psalmist is invoking God's active involvement, reminiscent of other scriptures where God is asked to "turn" or "return" to His people, such as in Psalm 80:14. This reflects a deep yearning for God's presence and action in times of distress. to the everlasting ruins
The "everlasting ruins" refer to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, a central place of worship for the Israelites. Historically, this could be linked to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The term "everlasting" emphasizes the severity and perceived permanence of the devastation. Archaeological evidence supports the extensive destruction of Jerusalem during this period, highlighting the psalmist's lament over the loss of a sacred space that was meant to be eternal. to everything in the sanctuary
The sanctuary, or the holy place, was the heart of Israelite worship, housing sacred objects like the Ark of the Covenant. The destruction of the sanctuary signifies a profound spiritual and cultural loss. This phrase underscores the desecration of what was considered holy and set apart for God. The sanctuary's destruction is a recurring theme in lamentations and prophecies, such as inLamentations 2:7, where the defilement of sacred spaces is mourned. the enemy has destroyed
The "enemy" here is likely the Babylonians, who were instruments of God's judgment against Israel for their disobedience, as prophesied in books like Jeremiah. This destruction is not just a physical act but also a spiritual assault on the people of God. Theologically, it reflects the consequences of turning away from God's covenant. The destruction by enemies is a motif seen throughout the Old Testament, where foreign nations are often used to discipline Israel, yet there is always a promise of eventual restoration and hope, as seen in prophecies likeIsaiah 61:4. Persons / Places / Events 1. AsaphTraditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 74, Asaph was a Levite and one of King David's chief musicians. He is known for his role in temple worship and his contributions to the Psalms. 2. SanctuaryRefers to the holy place of worship, likely the Temple in Jerusalem, which was central to Israelite worship and the presence of God among His people. 3. EnemyRepresents the foreign invaders or oppressors who have desecrated the sanctuary, possibly the Babylonians during the destruction of Jerusalem. 4. Everlasting RuinsSymbolizes the profound and seemingly permanent destruction of the Temple, which was a devastating event for the Israelites. 5. GodThe psalmist is addressing God, pleading for His intervention and restoration of the sanctuary. Teaching Points God's Presence in DesolationEven in times of destruction and despair, God is present. The psalmist's plea for God to "turn Your steps" reminds us that God is attentive to our cries and aware of our circumstances. The Importance of the SanctuaryThe sanctuary was central to Israel's identity and worship. Its destruction was not just physical but spiritual. Today, we must value our places of worship and the community they foster. Trust in God's SovereigntyDespite the devastation, the psalmist trusts in God's ability to restore. We are called to trust in God's sovereignty and His power to bring restoration in our lives. Lament as a Form of WorshipLament is a valid and important form of worship. It allows us to express our grief and seek God's intervention, demonstrating our dependence on Him. Hope for RestorationThe psalmist's plea is rooted in hope for restoration. As believers, we hold onto the promise of God's ultimate restoration through Christ. Lists and Questions Top 10 Lessons from Psalm 74
In Psalm 74:3, how do we reconcile the psalm’s reference to the destruction of the sanctuary with uncertain dating that some scholars place centuries later than the temple’s fall in 586 BCE?
How do we reconcile Zophar's rigid cause-and-effect theology in Job 20 with other biblical passages (like Psalm 73) that acknowledge the prosperity of the wicked without immediate judgment?
In Psalm 74:9, the claim of having no prophet conflicts with other biblical texts that record active prophets around that era--how can both accounts be true?
Psalm 73:3 says the wicked prosper, yet other passages (e.g., Psalm 1:3) promise prosperity for the righteous--how do we reconcile this contradiction?(3) Lift up thy feet.--Better, Lift thy steps.A poetical expression. God is invoked to hasten to view the desolation of the Temple. A somewhat similar expression will be found in Genesis 29:1 (margin). Perpetual desolations.--The word rendered "desolations" occurs also inPsalm 73:18, where it is rendered "destruction." Here, perhaps, we should renderruins which must be ever ruins,orcomplete ruins,or possibly, taking the first meaning ofnetsach, ruins of splendour.Isaiah 11:4 does not offer a parallel, since the Hebrew is different, and plainly refers to the long time the places have been in ruins. Even all . . .--Better,the enemy hath devastated all in the holy place.1 Maccabees 1:38-40;1 Maccabees 3:45 ("Now Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness") give the best explanation of the verse, descriptive, as it is, of the condition of the whole of Zion. . . . Verse 3. - Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; or, the perpetual ruins. God is asked to visit and protect, or else to visit and inspect, the desolate ruins with which the Babylonians have covered Mount Zion. Even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. The Babylonians had plundered the temple of all its treasures, breaking the precious Phoenician bronze work into pieces, and carrying off everything of value that was portable ( 2 Kings 25:13-17). They had also "burnt the house of the Lord "(ver. 9), and "broken down the walls of Jerusalem" (ver. 10) and the walls of the temple to a large extent (see below, ver. 7). It is quite certain that neither Shishak nor the Syrians under Antiochus Epiphanes created any such devastation.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew Turnהָרִ֣ימָה(hā·rî·māh)Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7311:To be high actively, to rise, raiseYour stepsפְ֭עָמֶיךָ(p̄ə·‘ā·me·ḵā)Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6471:A beat, foot, anvil, occurrenceto the everlastingנֶ֑צַח(ne·ṣaḥ)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5331:Eminence, enduring, everlastingness, perpetuityruins,לְמַשֻּׁא֣וֹת(lə·maš·šu·’ō·wṯ)Preposition-l | Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 4876:Perhaps deceptionsto everythingכָּל־(kāl-)Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605:The whole, all, any, everyin the sanctuaryבַּקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃(baq·qō·ḏeš)Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6944:A sacred place, thing, sanctitythe enemyאוֹיֵ֣ב(’ō·w·yêḇ)Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 341:Hating, an adversaryhas destroyed.הֵרַ֖ע(hê·ra‘)Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7489:To spoil, to make, good for, nothing, bad
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OT Poetry: Psalm 74:3 Lift up your feet to the perpetual (Psalm Ps Psa.) |
