Genesis 17:7-8(v20)I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to…
Psalms 106:45(v20)He remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
Song of Solomon 2:14(v19)My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountainside, let me see your face. let me hear your voice; for your voice…
Psalms 39:8(v18)Deliver me from all my transgressions. Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish.
Psalms 74:18(v22)Remember this, that the enemy has mocked you, Yahweh. Foolish people have blasphemed your name.
Show all 55 cross-references
Hebrews 8:10(v20)“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,” says the Lord; “I will put my laws into their mind,…
James 2:5-6(v19)Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he…
Psalms 9:18(vv19, 21)For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
Psalms 12:5(v21)“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety…
Psalms 53:1(v22)The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity. There is no one who does good.
Psalms 89:28(v20)I will keep my loving kindness for him forever more. My covenant will stand firm with him.
Psalms 89:34-36(v20)I will not break my covenant, nor alter what my lips have uttered. Once I have sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David. His offspring…
Psalms 105:8(v20)He has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations,
Isaiah 52:5(v22)“Now therefore, what do I do here,” says Yahweh, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock,” says…
Jeremiah 33:20-26(v20)“Yahweh says: ‘If you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night, so that there will not be day and night in their time;…
Matthew 10:16(v19)“Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Deuteronomy 12:31(v20)You shall not do so to Yahweh your God; for every abomination to Yahweh, which he hates, they have done to their gods; for they even burn…
Deuteronomy 32:6(v18)Is this the way you repay Yahweh, foolish and unwise people? Isn’t he your father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.
Ezra 3:11(v21)They sang to one another in praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, “For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel.”…
Psalms 9:19-20(v22)Arise, Yahweh! Don’t let man prevail. Let the nations be judged in your sight. Put them in fear, Yahweh. Let the nations know that they are…
Psalms 35:10(v21)All my bones shall say, “Yahweh, who is like you, who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy…
Psalms 68:10(v19)Your congregation lived therein. You, God, prepared your goodness for the poor.
Psalms 68:13(v19)while you sleep among the camp fires, the wings of a dove sheathed with silver, her feathers with shining gold.
Psalms 72:2(v19)He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
Psalms 75:4-5(v22)I said to the arrogant, “Don’t boast!” I said to the wicked, “Don’t lift up the horn. Don’t lift up your horn on high. Don’t speak with a…
Psalms 79:9-10(v22)Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake. Why should the nations…
Psalms 103:6(v21)Yahweh executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed.
Song of Solomon 4:1(v19)Behold, you are beautiful, my love. Behold, you are beautiful. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair is as a flock of goats,…
Isaiah 60:8(v19)“Who are these who fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows?
Zephaniah 3:12(v19)But I will leave among you an afflicted and poor people, and they will take refuge in Yahweh’s name.
Ephesians 4:17-18(v20)This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their…
Revelation 16:19(v18)The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to…
Psalms 89:50-51(vv18, 22)Remember, Lord, the reproach of your servants, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the mighty peoples, With which your enemies have…
Genesis 49:5-7(v20)“Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords are weapons of violence. My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to…
Exodus 24:6-8(v20)Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. He took the book of the covenant and…
Leviticus 26:40-45(v20)“ ‘If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, in their trespass which they trespassed against me; and also that…
Deuteronomy 9:27(v20)Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don’t look at the stubbornness of this people, nor at their wickedness, nor at their sin,
Deuteronomy 32:27(v18)were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, lest their adversaries should judge wrongly, lest they should say, ‘Our hand is…
2 Samuel 23:5(v20)Isn’t my house so with God? Yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, for it is all my salvation,…
Psalms 5:8(v20)Lead me, Yahweh, in your righteousness because of my enemies. Make your way straight before my face.
Psalms 41:1(v18)Blessed is he who considers the poor. Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.
Psalms 74:22(v18)Arise, God! Plead your own cause. Remember how the foolish man mocks you all day.
Psalms 89:39(v20)You have renounced the covenant of your servant. You have defiled his crown in the dust.
Psalms 94:2-8(v18)Rise up, you judge of the earth. Pay back the proud what they deserve. Yahweh, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?…
Psalms 102:19-21(v21)For he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven, Yahweh saw the earth; to hear the groans of the prisoner; to free…
Psalms 109:22(v21)for I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me.
Psalms 137:7(v18)Remember, Yahweh, against the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!”
Isaiah 37:23-24(v18)Whom have you defied and blasphemed? Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of…
Isaiah 45:17(v21)Israel will be saved by Yahweh with an everlasting salvation. You will not be disappointed nor confounded to ages everlasting.
Isaiah 62:6-7(v18)I have set watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem. They will never be silent day nor night. You who call on Yahweh, take no rest, and give him…
Jeremiah 33:11(v21)the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, ‘Give…
Ezekiel 20:14(v18)But I worked for my name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
Luke 1:72-75(v20)to show mercy toward our fathers, to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, to grant to us that we,…
Romans 1:29-31(v20)being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil…
Song of Solomon 6:9(v19)My dove, my perfect one, is unique. She is her mother’s only daughter. She is the favorite one of her who bore her. The daughters saw her,…
55 distinct cross-references across this passage (57 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (18 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Calvin1540 · Public DomainOn vv18–2218. Remember this. The prophet having encouraged the hearts…
18. Remember this. The prophet having encouraged the hearts of the godly by magnifying the divine power and goodness, now returns to the prosecution of his prayer. He first complains that the enemies of his people revile God, and yet continue unpunished. When he says, Remember this, the manner of expression is emphatic; and the occasion demanded it, for it is not a crime of small magnitude to treat with contumely the sacred name of God. For the sake of contrast, he states that it was a worthless or foolish people who thus presumed insolently to pour forth their reproaches against God. The Hebrew word נבל, nabal, denotes not only a foolish man, but also a wicked and infamous person. The prophet, therefore, justly describes the despisers of God as people who are vile and worthless.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv19, 20, 22He meaneth the Church of God, which is exposed…
He meaneth the Church of God, which is exposed as a prey to the wicked.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv18–22Psa 74:18 Remember this, [that] the enemy hath reproached,…
Psa 74:18 Remember this, [that] the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and [that] the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
Ver. 18. Remember this] Forgetfulness befalleth not the Lord; nevertheless he giveth us leave to be his remembrancers, and not to keep silence when he is concerned, Isa 62:6.
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That the enemy] See Psa 74:10.
And that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name] This irketh the saints worse than their own particular sufferings. The Egyptians, out of their respect to their Mercurius Trismegistus , would not rashly pronounce his name; no more would the Grecians their god Jupiter, no, not when they sware by him. Should not we be much more tender and respective of the holy and reverend name of our God, taking it ill when by any it is blasphemed?
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv18–22Though we deserve to be forgotten and destroyed, yet…
Though we deserve to be forgotten and destroyed, yet remember thyself, and do not suffer thine and our enemies to reproach and blaspheme the name of that great and glorious God, the Creator and sovereign Lord of the whole world, whom they ought always to reverence and adore.
The foolish people; who, though they think themselves and are thought by others to be wise, yet in truth are fools, and herein show their stupendous folly, that they vilify and provoke that God whose powerful anger they can neither resist, nor escape, nor endure.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry1710 · Public DomainOn v18The psalmist here, in the name of the church,…
The psalmist here, in the name of the church, most earnestly begs that God would appear fro them against their enemies, and put an end to their present troubles. To encourage his own faith, he interests God in this matter (Psa 74:22): Arise, O God! plead thy own cause. This we may be sure he will do, for he is jealous for his own honour; whatever is his own cause he will plead it with a strong hand, will appear against those that oppose it and with and for those that cordially espouse it. He will arise and plead it, though for a time he seems to neglect it; he will stir up himself, will manifest himself, will do his own work in his own time. Note, The cause of religion is God's own cause and he will certainly plead it. Now, to make it out that the cause is God's, he pleads,
I. That the persecutors are God's sworn enemies: "Lord, they have not only abused us, but they have been, and are, abusive to thee; what is done against us, for thy sake, does, by consequence, reflect upon thee. But that is not all; they have directly and immediately reproached thee, and blasphemed thy name," Psa 74:18. This was that which they roared in the sanctuary; they triumphed as if they had now got the mastery of the God is Israel, of whom they had heard such great things. As nothing grieves the saints more than to hear God's name blasphemed, so nothing encourages them more to hope that God will appear against their enemies than when they have arrived at such a pitch of wickedness as to reproach God himself; this fills the measure of their sins apace and hastens their ruin. The psalmist insists much upon this: "We dare not answer their reproaches; Lord, do thou answer them. Remember that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name (Psa 74:18) and that still the foolish man reproaches thee daily." Observe the character of those that reproach God; they are foolish. As atheism is folly (Psa 14:1), profaneness and blasphemy are no less so. Perhaps those are cried up as the wits of the age that ridicule religion and sacred things; but really they are the greatest fools, and will shortly be made to appear so before all the world. And yet see their malice - They reproach God daily, as constantly as his faithful worshippers pray to him and praise him; see their impudence - They do not hide their blasphemous thoughts in their own bosoms, but proclaim them with a loud voice (forget not the voice of thy enemies, Psa 74:23), and this with a daring defiance of divine justice; they rise up against thee, and by their blasphemies even wage war with heaven and take up arms against the Almighty. Their noise and tumult ascend continually (so some), as the cry of Sodom came up before God, calling for vengeance, Gen 18:21. It increases continually (so we read it); they grow worse and worse, and are hardened in their impieties by their successes. Now, Lord, remember this; do not forget it. God needs not to be put in remembrance by us of what he has to do, but thus we must show our concern for his honour and believe that he will vindicate us.
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II. That the persecuted are his covenant-people. 1. See what distress they are in. They have fallen into the hands of the multitude of the wicked, Psa 74:19. How are those increased that trouble them! There is no standing before an enraged multitude, especially like these, armed with power; and, as they are numerous, so they are barbarous: The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. The land of the Chaldeans, where there was none of the light of the knowledge of the true God (though otherwise it was famed for learning and arts), was indeed a dark place; the inhabitants of it were alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was in them, and therefore they were cruel: where there was no true divinity there was scarcely to be found common humanity. They were especially cruel to the people of God; certainly those have no knowledge who eat them up, Psa 14:4. They are oppressed (Psa 74:21) because they are poor and unable to help themselves; they are oppressed, and so impoverished and made poor. 2. See what reason they had to hope that God would appear for their relief and not suffer them to be always thus trampled upon. Observe how the psalmist pleads with God for them. (1.) "It is thy turtle-dove that is ready to be swallowed up by the multitude of the wicked," Psa 74:19. The church is a dove for harmlessness and mildness, innocency and inoffensiveness, purity and fruitfulness, a dove for mournfulness in a day of distress, a turtle-dove for fidelity and the constancy of love: turtle-doves and pigeons were the only fowls that were offered in sacrifice to God. "Shall thy turtle-dove, that is true to thee and devoted to thy honour, be delivered, its life and soul and all, into the hand of the multitude of the wicked, to whom it will soon become an easy and acceptable prey? Lord, it will be thy honour to help the weak, especially to help thy own." (2.) "It is the congregation of thy poor, and they are not the less thine for their being poor (for God has chosen the poor of this world, Jam 2:5), but they have the more reason to expect thou wilt appear for them because they are many: it is the congregation of thy poor; let them not be abandoned and forgotten for ever." (3.) "They are in covenant with thee; and wilt thou not have respect unto the covenant? Psa 74:20. Wilt thou not perform the promises thou hast, in thy covenant, made to them? Wilt thou not own those whom thou hast brought into the bond of the covenant?" When God delivers his people it is in remembrance of his covenant, Lev 26:42. "Lord, though we are unworthy to be respected, yet have respect to the covenant." (4.) "They trust in thee, and boast of their relation to thee and expectations from thee. O let not them return ashamed of their hope (Psa 74:21), as they will be if they be disappointed." (5.) "If thou deliver them, they will praise thy name and give thee the glory of their deliverance. Appear, Lord, for those that will praise thy name, against those that blaspheme it."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv18–22O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove,.... By…
O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove,.... By which is meant the church, see Sol 2:14, which is comparable to this creature for its cleanness and purity, for its amiableness and beauty, for its harmlessness and innocence, for its modesty and meekness, for its affection and chastity to its mate, for its mournful and bemoaning voice for the loss of it, for its being a timorous and fearful creature, a weak one, and exposed to the prey of others; all which is true of the church, and may be applied to it: the Targum is,
"do not deliver the souls of them that teach thy law;''
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the word having some affinity with "torah", the law; but Jarchi says, that Jonathan, in his Targum (which is not now extant) interprets it a turtle; the Syriac version, by the change of a letter, renders it, "the soul that confesseth thee": and the Arabic version, by a like change, and the addition of a letter, "the soul that knows thee"; all which, indeed, is applicable to the church of God; but our version expresses the true sense of the word, with which agree Jarchi, Kimchi, Ben Melech, and others: and it is a prayer of the church for herself; that the life of her members, their corporeal life (for not the soul, the better part, and its eternal concerns, are meant, which are safe in Christ's hands), might not be delivered
unto the multitude of the wicked, or "to the beast" (g); to persecutors comparable to lions and bears, and particularly the Romish antichrist, often called the beast in Rev 11:8, do not deliver
"to the people, who are like to the beasts of the field, the souls of, &c.:''
forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever; the church of God is a congregation of men gathered out of the world by effectual grace, and consists chiefly of such who are literally poor, and all of them are spiritually so, and are sensible of it; for the most part they are a poor and "afflicted" (h) people, as the word may be also rendered, which the church is made up of; and may seem by themselves and others to be forgotten of God, when under divine desertions, or under afflictions, and immediate help is not given; but they are not forgotten, and still less for ever; see Isa 49:14.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv18–21Remember - Though we deserve to be forgotten, yet…
Remember - Though we deserve to be forgotten, yet do not suffer our enemies to reproach the name of the great and glorious God.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv18–22Verse 18. Remember this] The heathen not only deny…
Verse 18. Remember this] The heathen not only deny these things, but give the honour of them to their false gods, and thus blaspheme thy name.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv18–21Psa 74:18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached…
Psa 74:18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached thee — Though we deserve to be forgotten and destroyed, yet remember thyself, and do not suffer thine and our enemies to reproach and blaspheme the name of that great and glorious Being, the Creator and sovereign Lord of the whole world, whom they ought always to reverence and adore; and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name — Who, though they think themselves, and are thought by others, to be wise, yet in truth are fools, and herein show their stupendous folly, that they vilify and provoke that God whose powerful anger they can neither resist, nor escape, nor endure.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv18–22Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached - Has…
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached - Has used opprobrious and abusive words in regard to thee, and to thy people. The idea is, that religion - the true religion - had been reproached by the foe. They had treated that religion as if it were false; they had reproached God as if he were a false God, and as if he were unable to defend his people. Compare Isa 36:4-10, Isa 36:13-20; Isa 37:10-13, Isa 37:23. The prayer here is, that God would remember that these words of reproach were against himself, and that he would regard them as such.
And that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name - Have blasphemed thee - the name often being put for the person himself. The word “foolish” here may refer to them as “wicked” as well as foolish. Wickedness and folly are so connected - they are so commonly combined, that the word may be used to describe the enemies of God in either sense - characterising their conduct as either the one or the other. Compare the notes at Psa 14:1.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv18, 19, 20, 2218. Remember this—The issue is between thee and these…
18. Remember this—The issue is between thee and these idolaters. They have reproached and blasphemed thy name. O consider this!
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv18–2218. the foolish people] R.V. a foolish people. The…
18. the foolish people] R.V. a foolish people. The epithet denotes the moral perversity of opposition to God. Cp. Psa_14:1, note. It is applied to the heathen in Deu_32:21.
18–23. Emboldened by his contemplation of the power of God in history and in nature the Psalmist returns to prayer.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv18–22(18) Remember this.—Emphatical; the object of the enemy’s reproach…
(18) Remember this.—Emphatical; the object of the enemy’s reproach is the Being who has done all these mighty works, and is the author of all this wonderful world.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv18–22Vers. 18-23. In conclusion, the psalmist prays earnestly that…
Vers. 18-23. In conclusion, the psalmist prays earnestly that God will deliver his people from their wicked oppressors (vers. 18, 19), that he will remember his covenant (ver. 20), cause the oppressed ones to praise him (ver. 21), and assert himself against those who insult and oppose him (vers. 22, 23).
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy Name. (comp. Lam_1:7 Lam_2:7, 15 16) Every nation of idolaters is a "foolish people" to the sacred writers, whatever cleverness or intellectual capacity it may possess. Nabal, the word translated "foolish," designates a folly that is closely akin to wickedness.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon1885 · Public DomainOn vv18–22Ver. 18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached,…
Ver. 18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord. Against thee, the ever glorious Maker of all things, have they spoken, thine honour have they assailed, and defied even thee. This is forcible pleading indeed, and reminds us of Moses and Hezekiah in their intercessions: "What wilt thou do unto thy great name?" "It may be that the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, who hath reproached the living God." Jehovah is a jealous God, and will surely glorify his own name; here our hope finds foothold.
And that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. The meanness of the enemy is here pleaded. Sinners are fools, and shall fools be allowed to insult the Lord and oppress his people; shall the abjects curse the Lord and defy him to his face. When error grows too bold its day is near, and its fall certain. Arrogance foreshadows ripeness of evil, and the next step is rottenness. Instead of being alarmed when bad men grow worse and more audacious, we may reasonably take heart, for the hour of their judgment is evidently near.
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None.
None.
Psalms 74:19*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv20–21Have respect unto the covenant.
Psa_74:20
Have respect unto the covenant.
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The covenant pleaded
It is the covenant of grace, not of works, that we are to plead.
I. What is meant by this plea.
1. Fulfil thy covenant: let it not be a dead letter.
2. Fulfil all its promises.
3. Let nothing hinder or turn them aside.
II. Whence this plea derives its force.
1. From the veracity of God.
2. His jealousy for His honour.
3. The venerable character of She covenant.
4. Its solemn endorsement, Gods Word.
5. Its seal--the blood of Christ.
6. Nothing in it has ever failed.
7. The testimony of Gods dying people.
III. How and when this covenant may be pleaded.
1. Under a sense of sin.
2. Labouring after holiness.
3. When under strong temptation.
4. Or in great distress.
IV. Practical inferences.
1. Have a grateful respect for the covenant to which you pray the Lord to have respect.
2. Have joy in it.
3. Be jealous for it.
4. Practically respect it. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Divine covenant steadfast and sure
Rutherford says that unbelief may tear the copies of the covenant of grace given us, but Christ keeps the original in heaven with Himself. Though we believe not, yet He remaineth faithful. He cannot deny Himself.
The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.
The Churchs duty to the heathen
The world wants the Gospel; the Gospel alone meets the worlds necessities.
I. The worlds need of God. The dark places, etc.
1. How dark a system is idolatry: see its sin, and misery, and cruelty.
II. Gods provision for the world. The covenant tells of the Gospel with all its abundant provisions. It brings light; it implants love. Christ is offered as food for the hungry, pardon for the guilty, consolation for the mourner, life for the dead.
III. How is this remedy to be applied?
1. God Himself must apply it. But--
2. We must pray for the heathen; pray in public and at home.
3. And we must send messengers to the heathen who shall tell them of Christ. (John Hambleton, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv18, 20, 22General Information:
General Information:
Asaph is pleading for God's help.
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Call to mind
"Pay attention to." See how this is translated in Psalms 74:2. (See: Idiom)
the enemy hurled insults at you
Asaph speaks of insulting words as if they were physical objects, like stones, which the enemy was throwing at Yahweh. AT: "the enemy insulted you many times" (See: Metaphor)
the life of your dove
Asaph speaks of himself as if he were a dove, a defenseless bird. This phrase may also be a metaphor for the people of Israel. AT: "me, your dove" (See: Metaphor)
dove
A small, defenseless bird often kept as a pet.
a wild animal
This phrase may be a metaphor for the enemies of Israel. AT: "a savage enemy that is like a wild animal" (See: Metaphor)
Do not forget forever the life of your oppressed people
"Do not continue forever to do nothing to help your oppressed people." This can be stated in positive form. AT: "Come soon to help your oppressed people" (See: Litotes)
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv18–22 18. Remember this. The prophet having encouraged the hearts…
18. Remember this. The prophet having encouraged the hearts of the godly by magnifying the divine power and goodness, now returns to the prosecution of his prayer. He first complains that the enemies of his people revile God, and yet continue unpunished. When he says, Remember this, the manner of expression is emphatic; and the occasion demanded it, for it is not a crime of small magnitude to treat with contumely the sacred name of God. For the sake of contrast, he states that it was a worthless or foolish people who thus presumed insolently to pour forth their reproaches against God. The Hebrew word נבל, nabal, denotes not only a foolish man, but also a wicked and infamous person. The prophet, therefore, justly describes the despisers of God as people who are vile and worthless.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv19, 20, 22 He meaneth the Church of God, which is exposed…
He meaneth the Church of God, which is exposed as a prey to the wicked.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv18–22 Psa 74:18 Remember this, [that] the enemy hath reproached,…
Psa 74:18 Remember this, [that] the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and [that] the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
Ver. 18. Remember this] Forgetfulness befalleth not the Lord; nevertheless he giveth us leave to be his remembrancers, and not to keep silence when he is concerned, Isa 62:6.
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That the enemy] See Psa 74:10.
And that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name] This irketh the saints worse than their own particular sufferings. The Egyptians, out of their respect to their Mercurius Trismegistus , would not rashly pronounce his name; no more would the Grecians their god Jupiter, no, not when they sware by him. Should not we be much more tender and respective of the holy and reverend name of our God, taking it ill when by any it is blasphemed?
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv18–22 Though we deserve to be forgotten and destroyed, yet…
Though we deserve to be forgotten and destroyed, yet remember thyself, and do not suffer thine and our enemies to reproach and blaspheme the name of that great and glorious God, the Creator and sovereign Lord of the whole world, whom they ought always to reverence and adore.
The foolish people; who, though they think themselves and are thought by others to be wise, yet in truth are fools, and herein show their stupendous folly, that they vilify and provoke that God whose powerful anger they can neither resist, nor escape, nor endure.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v18 The psalmist here, in the name of the church,…
The psalmist here, in the name of the church, most earnestly begs that God would appear fro them against their enemies, and put an end to their present troubles. To encourage his own faith, he interests God in this matter (Psa 74:22): Arise, O God! plead thy own cause. This we may be sure he will do, for he is jealous for his own honour; whatever is his own cause he will plead it with a strong hand, will appear against those that oppose it and with and for those that cordially espouse it. He will arise and plead it, though for a time he seems to neglect it; he will stir up himself, will manifest himself, will do his own work in his own time. Note, The cause of religion is God's own cause and he will certainly plead it. Now, to make it out that the cause is God's, he pleads,
I. That the persecutors are God's sworn enemies: "Lord, they have not only abused us, but they have been, and are, abusive to thee; what is done against us, for thy sake, does, by consequence, reflect upon thee. But that is not all; they have directly and immediately reproached thee, and blasphemed thy name," Psa 74:18. This was that which they roared in the sanctuary; they triumphed as if they had now got the mastery of the God is Israel, of whom they had heard such great things. As nothing grieves the saints more than to hear God's name blasphemed, so nothing encourages them more to hope that God will appear against their enemies than when they have arrived at such a pitch of wickedness as to reproach God himself; this fills the measure of their sins apace and hastens their ruin. The psalmist insists much upon this: "We dare not answer their reproaches; Lord, do thou answer them. Remember that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name (Psa 74:18) and that still the foolish man reproaches thee daily." Observe the character of those that reproach God; they are foolish. As atheism is folly (Psa 14:1), profaneness and blasphemy are no less so. Perhaps those are cried up as the wits of the age that ridicule religion and sacred things; but really they are the greatest fools, and will shortly be made to appear so before all the world. And yet see their malice - They reproach God daily, as constantly as his faithful worshippers pray to him and praise him; see their impudence - They do not hide their blasphemous thoughts in their own bosoms, but proclaim them with a loud voice (forget not the voice of thy enemies, Psa 74:23), and this with a daring defiance of divine justice; they rise up against thee, and by their blasphemies even wage war with heaven and take up arms against the Almighty. Their noise and tumult ascend continually (so some), as the cry of Sodom came up before God, calling for vengeance, Gen 18:21. It increases continually (so we read it); they grow worse and worse, and are hardened in their impieties by their successes. Now, Lord, remember this; do not forget it. God needs not to be put in remembrance by us of what he has to do, but thus we must show our concern for his honour and believe that he will vindicate us.
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II. That the persecuted are his covenant-people. 1. See what distress they are in. They have fallen into the hands of the multitude of the wicked, Psa 74:19. How are those increased that trouble them! There is no standing before an enraged multitude, especially like these, armed with power; and, as they are numerous, so they are barbarous: The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty. The land of the Chaldeans, where there was none of the light of the knowledge of the true God (though otherwise it was famed for learning and arts), was indeed a dark place; the inhabitants of it were alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was in them, and therefore they were cruel: where there was no true divinity there was scarcely to be found common humanity. They were especially cruel to the people of God; certainly those have no knowledge who eat them up, Psa 14:4. They are oppressed (Psa 74:21) because they are poor and unable to help themselves; they are oppressed, and so impoverished and made poor. 2. See what reason they had to hope that God would appear for their relief and not suffer them to be always thus trampled upon. Observe how the psalmist pleads with God for them. (1.) "It is thy turtle-dove that is ready to be swallowed up by the multitude of the wicked," Psa 74:19. The church is a dove for harmlessness and mildness, innocency and inoffensiveness, purity and fruitfulness, a dove for mournfulness in a day of distress, a turtle-dove for fidelity and the constancy of love: turtle-doves and pigeons were the only fowls that were offered in sacrifice to God. "Shall thy turtle-dove, that is true to thee and devoted to thy honour, be delivered, its life and soul and all, into the hand of the multitude of the wicked, to whom it will soon become an easy and acceptable prey? Lord, it will be thy honour to help the weak, especially to help thy own." (2.) "It is the congregation of thy poor, and they are not the less thine for their being poor (for God has chosen the poor of this world, Jam 2:5), but they have the more reason to expect thou wilt appear for them because they are many: it is the congregation of thy poor; let them not be abandoned and forgotten for ever." (3.) "They are in covenant with thee; and wilt thou not have respect unto the covenant? Psa 74:20. Wilt thou not perform the promises thou hast, in thy covenant, made to them? Wilt thou not own those whom thou hast brought into the bond of the covenant?" When God delivers his people it is in remembrance of his covenant, Lev 26:42. "Lord, though we are unworthy to be respected, yet have respect to the covenant." (4.) "They trust in thee, and boast of their relation to thee and expectations from thee. O let not them return ashamed of their hope (Psa 74:21), as they will be if they be disappointed." (5.) "If thou deliver them, they will praise thy name and give thee the glory of their deliverance. Appear, Lord, for those that will praise thy name, against those that blaspheme it."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv18–22 O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove,.... By…
O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove,.... By which is meant the church, see Sol 2:14, which is comparable to this creature for its cleanness and purity, for its amiableness and beauty, for its harmlessness and innocence, for its modesty and meekness, for its affection and chastity to its mate, for its mournful and bemoaning voice for the loss of it, for its being a timorous and fearful creature, a weak one, and exposed to the prey of others; all which is true of the church, and may be applied to it: the Targum is,
"do not deliver the souls of them that teach thy law;''
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the word having some affinity with "torah", the law; but Jarchi says, that Jonathan, in his Targum (which is not now extant) interprets it a turtle; the Syriac version, by the change of a letter, renders it, "the soul that confesseth thee": and the Arabic version, by a like change, and the addition of a letter, "the soul that knows thee"; all which, indeed, is applicable to the church of God; but our version expresses the true sense of the word, with which agree Jarchi, Kimchi, Ben Melech, and others: and it is a prayer of the church for herself; that the life of her members, their corporeal life (for not the soul, the better part, and its eternal concerns, are meant, which are safe in Christ's hands), might not be delivered
unto the multitude of the wicked, or "to the beast" (g); to persecutors comparable to lions and bears, and particularly the Romish antichrist, often called the beast in Rev 11:8, do not deliver
"to the people, who are like to the beasts of the field, the souls of, &c.:''
forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever; the church of God is a congregation of men gathered out of the world by effectual grace, and consists chiefly of such who are literally poor, and all of them are spiritually so, and are sensible of it; for the most part they are a poor and "afflicted" (h) people, as the word may be also rendered, which the church is made up of; and may seem by themselves and others to be forgotten of God, when under divine desertions, or under afflictions, and immediate help is not given; but they are not forgotten, and still less for ever; see Isa 49:14.
(g) "ferae", Montanus, Piscator; "bestiae", Musculus, Vatablus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis; "bestiis", V. L. (h) "afflictorum tuorum", Montanus, Vatablus, Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, &c.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv18–21 Remember - Though we deserve to be forgotten, yet…
Remember - Though we deserve to be forgotten, yet do not suffer our enemies to reproach the name of the great and glorious God.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv18–22 Verse 18. Remember this] The heathen not only deny…
Verse 18. Remember this] The heathen not only deny these things, but give the honour of them to their false gods, and thus blaspheme thy name.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv18–21 Psa 74:18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached…
Psa 74:18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached thee — Though we deserve to be forgotten and destroyed, yet remember thyself, and do not suffer thine and our enemies to reproach and blaspheme the name of that great and glorious Being, the Creator and sovereign Lord of the whole world, whom they ought always to reverence and adore; and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name — Who, though they think themselves, and are thought by others, to be wise, yet in truth are fools, and herein show their stupendous folly, that they vilify and provoke that God whose powerful anger they can neither resist, nor escape, nor endure.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv18–22 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached - Has…
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached - Has used opprobrious and abusive words in regard to thee, and to thy people. The idea is, that religion - the true religion - had been reproached by the foe. They had treated that religion as if it were false; they had reproached God as if he were a false God, and as if he were unable to defend his people. Compare Isa 36:4-10, Isa 36:13-20; Isa 37:10-13, Isa 37:23. The prayer here is, that God would remember that these words of reproach were against himself, and that he would regard them as such.
And that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name - Have blasphemed thee - the name often being put for the person himself. The word “foolish” here may refer to them as “wicked” as well as foolish. Wickedness and folly are so connected - they are so commonly combined, that the word may be used to describe the enemies of God in either sense - characterising their conduct as either the one or the other. Compare the notes at Psa 14:1.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv18, 19, 20, 22 18. Remember this—The issue is between thee and these…
18. Remember this—The issue is between thee and these idolaters. They have reproached and blasphemed thy name. O consider this!
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv18–22 18. the foolish people] R.V. a foolish people. The…
18. the foolish people] R.V. a foolish people. The epithet denotes the moral perversity of opposition to God. Cp. Psa_14:1, note. It is applied to the heathen in Deu_32:21.
18–23. Emboldened by his contemplation of the power of God in history and in nature the Psalmist returns to prayer.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv18–22 (18) Remember this.—Emphatical; the object of the enemy’s reproach…
(18) Remember this.—Emphatical; the object of the enemy’s reproach is the Being who has done all these mighty works, and is the author of all this wonderful world.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv18–22 Vers. 18-23. In conclusion, the psalmist prays earnestly that…
Vers. 18-23. In conclusion, the psalmist prays earnestly that God will deliver his people from their wicked oppressors (vers. 18, 19), that he will remember his covenant (ver. 20), cause the oppressed ones to praise him (ver. 21), and assert himself against those who insult and oppose him (vers. 22, 23).
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy Name. (comp. Lam_1:7 Lam_2:7, 15 16) Every nation of idolaters is a "foolish people" to the sacred writers, whatever cleverness or intellectual capacity it may possess. Nabal, the word translated "foolish," designates a folly that is closely akin to wickedness.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv18–22 Ver. 18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached,…
Ver. 18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord. Against thee, the ever glorious Maker of all things, have they spoken, thine honour have they assailed, and defied even thee. This is forcible pleading indeed, and reminds us of Moses and Hezekiah in their intercessions: "What wilt thou do unto thy great name?" "It may be that the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, who hath reproached the living God." Jehovah is a jealous God, and will surely glorify his own name; here our hope finds foothold.
And that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. The meanness of the enemy is here pleaded. Sinners are fools, and shall fools be allowed to insult the Lord and oppress his people; shall the abjects curse the Lord and defy him to his face. When error grows too bold its day is near, and its fall certain. Arrogance foreshadows ripeness of evil, and the next step is rottenness. Instead of being alarmed when bad men grow worse and more audacious, we may reasonably take heart, for the hour of their judgment is evidently near.
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None.
None.
Psalms 74:19*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv20–21 Have respect unto the covenant.
Psa_74:20
Have respect unto the covenant.
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The covenant pleaded
It is the covenant of grace, not of works, that we are to plead.
I. What is meant by this plea.
1. Fulfil thy covenant: let it not be a dead letter.
2. Fulfil all its promises.
3. Let nothing hinder or turn them aside.
II. Whence this plea derives its force.
1. From the veracity of God.
2. His jealousy for His honour.
3. The venerable character of She covenant.
4. Its solemn endorsement, Gods Word.
5. Its seal--the blood of Christ.
6. Nothing in it has ever failed.
7. The testimony of Gods dying people.
III. How and when this covenant may be pleaded.
1. Under a sense of sin.
2. Labouring after holiness.
3. When under strong temptation.
4. Or in great distress.
IV. Practical inferences.
1. Have a grateful respect for the covenant to which you pray the Lord to have respect.
2. Have joy in it.
3. Be jealous for it.
4. Practically respect it. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Divine covenant steadfast and sure
Rutherford says that unbelief may tear the copies of the covenant of grace given us, but Christ keeps the original in heaven with Himself. Though we believe not, yet He remaineth faithful. He cannot deny Himself.
The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.
The Churchs duty to the heathen
The world wants the Gospel; the Gospel alone meets the worlds necessities.
I. The worlds need of God. The dark places, etc.
1. How dark a system is idolatry: see its sin, and misery, and cruelty.
II. Gods provision for the world. The covenant tells of the Gospel with all its abundant provisions. It brings light; it implants love. Christ is offered as food for the hungry, pardon for the guilty, consolation for the mourner, life for the dead.
III. How is this remedy to be applied?
1. God Himself must apply it. But--
2. We must pray for the heathen; pray in public and at home.
3. And we must send messengers to the heathen who shall tell them of Christ. (John Hambleton, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv18, 20, 22 General Information:
General Information:
Asaph is pleading for God's help.
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Call to mind
"Pay attention to." See how this is translated in Psalms 74:2. (See: Idiom)
the enemy hurled insults at you
Asaph speaks of insulting words as if they were physical objects, like stones, which the enemy was throwing at Yahweh. AT: "the enemy insulted you many times" (See: Metaphor)
the life of your dove
Asaph speaks of himself as if he were a dove, a defenseless bird. This phrase may also be a metaphor for the people of Israel. AT: "me, your dove" (See: Metaphor)
dove
A small, defenseless bird often kept as a pet.
a wild animal
This phrase may be a metaphor for the enemies of Israel. AT: "a savage enemy that is like a wild animal" (See: Metaphor)
Do not forget forever the life of your oppressed people
"Do not continue forever to do nothing to help your oppressed people." This can be stated in positive form. AT: "Come soon to help your oppressed people" (See: Litotes)
translationWords
call
mind
Yahweh
fool
people group
blasphemy
dove
oppress
eternity
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v19 74:19-23 The poet urges God to act.
74:19-23 The poet urges God to act.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.