Bible/Psalms/79

Psalms 79:2

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. of: or, for
The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

KJV

Save image

They have given the dead bodies of your servants to be food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of your saints to the animals of the earth.

The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

The dead bodies of your servants have they given to be meat to the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.

79:3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.

What does Psalms 79:2 mean?

Psalms 79:2 is a verse in the book of Psalms, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include נְבֵלָה (nᵉbêlâh), עֶבֶד (ʻebed), נָתַן (nâthan).

Hebrew interlinear

Full chapter interlinear →
The
dead
bodiesנְבֵלָהnᵉbêlâh/neb-ay-law'/H5038a flabby thing, i.e. a carcase or carrion (human or bestial, often collectively); figuratively, an idol
of
thy
servantsעֶבֶדʻebed/eh'-bed/H5650a servant
have
they
givenנָתַןnâthan/naw-than'/H5414to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
to
be
meatמַאֲכָלmaʼăkâl/mah-ak-awl'/H3978an eatable (includ. provender, flesh and fruit)
unto
the
fowlsעוֹףʻôwph/ofe/H5775a bird (as covered with feathers, or rather as covering with wings), often collectively
of
the
heaven,שָׁמַיִםshâmayim/shaw-mah'-yim/H8064the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve)
the
fleshבָּשָׂרbâsâr/baw-sawr'/H1320flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of aman
of
thy
saintsחָסִידchâçîyd/khaw-seed'/H2623properly, kind, i.e. (religiously) pious (a saint)
unto
the
beastsחַיchay/khah'-ee/H2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively
of
the
earth.אֶרֶץʼerets/eh'-rets/H776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)

Topics

Jews, theWar

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Psalms 79:2.

Deuteronomy 28:26

And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

Jeremiah 7:33

And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.

Genesis 40:19

Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. lift: or, reckon thee, and take thy office from thee

Genesis 7:21

And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:

Genesis 8:17

Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.

Jeremiah 16:4

They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

Jeremiah 19:7

And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

Jeremiah 34:20

I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.

Frequently asked questions

What does Psalms 79:2 say?

Psalms 79:2 (King James Version) reads: "The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth."

Is Psalms 79:2 in the Old or New Testament?

Psalms 79:2 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Psalms.

Reflect

As you read Psalms 79:2, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

Plan a sermon or study on Psalms 79:2 →
← 79:1Read all of Psalms 7979:3 →