A psalm of Asaph.
79:1 O God, foreigners 2 have invaded your chosen land; 3
they have polluted your holy temple
and turned Jerusalem 4 into a heap of ruins.
106:38 They shed innocent blood –
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed. 5
1 sn Psalm 79. The author laments how the invading nations have destroyed the temple and city of Jerusalem. He asks God to forgive his people and to pour out his vengeance on those who have mistreated them.
2 tn Or “nations.”
3 tn Heb “have come into your inheritance.”
4 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
5 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.