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Psalm 80:13
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

Isaiah 9:12
The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his handis stretched out still.

Jeremiah 50:7
All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.

laid

2 Chronicles 36:21
To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths:for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

Isaiah 24:1-12
Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof…

Isaiah 64:10,11
Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation…

and devastated his homeland
The "homeland" refers to the land of Israel, specifically Jerusalem and the surrounding regions, which were left in ruins following the invasions. This devastation is not only physical but also spiritual, as the land was central to the Israelites' identity and covenant relationship with God. The destruction of the temple, the center of worship, would have been particularly devastating. This phrase echoes the lamentations found in other parts of the Old Testament, such asLamentations 1:1-4, where the desolation of Jerusalem is mourned. Theologically, this devastation serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, yet it also points to the hope of restoration and redemption, as seen in prophecies likeIsaiah 40:1-2, which promise comfort and renewal for the people of Israel.

• The psalmist protests that hostile nations have “devoured Jacob,” a vivid way of saying Israel has been swallowed up without mercy.

– Jeremiah echoes the same wording: “Pour out Your wrath on the nations… for they have devoured Jacob” (Jeremiah 10:25), confirming that this was a recognized description of foreign oppression.

–Psalm 14:4 andMicah 3:3 use the picture of enemies “eating” God’s people like bread, highlighting the brutality involved.

• The phrase also signals covenant violation by Israel’s enemies. When God promised the land to Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15), He bound Himself to protect that promise; devouring Jacob, therefore, attacks the faithfulness of God Himself (cf.Exodus 2:24).

• Yet the same Scripture affirms that nothing can ultimately erase Jacob’s identity.Isaiah 49:26 promises, “All flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior.” The psalmist laments, but underneath the grief lies confidence that Jacob remains God’s chosen people.

• The “homeland” (the land God deeded to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) has been “devastated,” pointing directly to the razing of Jerusalem and Judah—events vividly described in2 Kings 25:9 andLamentations 1:1.

–Psalm 74:7, also by Asaph, mourns, “They have set Your sanctuary on fire,” linking the ruin of the land with the desecration of the temple.

–Ezekiel 36:4-10 portrays the mountains of Israel as “devastated,” yet promises rebuilding, showing that devastation is never God’s last word.

• Desolation of the land is a covenant curse (Leviticus 26:31-33). The psalmist recognizes that sin has consequences, but still appeals to God’s mercy because the land is ultimately His possession (Jeremiah 2:7).

• By specifying “his homeland,” the verse stresses personal relationship: the land isn’t merely territory—it is Jacob’s inheritance, God’s gift (Deuteronomy 4:37-38). The sorrow is therefore both national and familial.

Psalm 79:7 laments two entwined tragedies: ruthless enemies have consumed God’s covenant people and ravaged the very land promised to them. The verse records agony, yet every phrase also testifies that Israel remains “Jacob,” still belonging to the Lord, and that the land, though desolated, is still His pledged inheritance—grounds for confident hope in future restoration (Jeremiah 30:18;Amos 9:14).

Former iniquities.--Better,iniquities of former ones, i.e., of ancestors.(Comp.Leviticus 26:45, "covenant of their ancestors," and for the thoughtExodus 20:5;Leviticus 26:39.) . . .