Psalms 74:7

7 They ¹set your sanctuary on fire; they ²profaned ³the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground.

Psalms 74:7 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 74:7

They have cast fire into thy sanctuary
Or, "thy sanctuary into the fire" ^F15; which denotes the utter destruction of it by fire, which was done both by the Chaldean and Roman armies; see ( 2 Kings 25:9 ) ( Matthew 22:7 ) ,

they have defiled, by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to
the ground,
or "to the earth they have defiled the habitation of thy name" ^F16; that is, to the last and lowest degree; this Antiochus did when he set up an idol in the temple, and Titus when he laid it level with the ground, not leaving one stone upon another, as our Lord predicted, ( Matthew 24:1 Matthew 24:2 ) the aggravation of which was, that it was the place where the Lord had put his name, where his name was called upon, and where was the symbol of his presence.

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FOOTNOTES:

F15 (Kvdqm vab) "in ignem sanctuaria tua", Pagninus, Vatablus; so Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.
F16 (Kmv Nkvm wllx Ural) "ad terram usque prophanarunt tabernaculum, vel habitationem nominis tui", Musculus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Cocceius.

Psalms 74:7 In-Context

5 They were like those who swing axes in a forest of trees.

6 And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers.

7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground.

8 They said to themselves, "We will utterly subdue them"; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

9 We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.

Cross References

• 1. 2 Kings 25:9; [Psalms 79:1]
• 2. Psalms 89:39; [Lamentations 2:2]
• 3. [Psalms 26:8]