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They said in their heart, “We will crush them completely.” They have burned up all the places in the land where God was worshiped.
Psalms 74:8 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
  • BSB They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land.
  • NKJV They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them altogether.” They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land.
  • NASB They said in their heart, “Let’s completely subdue them.” They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
  • NLT Then they thought, “Let’s destroy everything!” So they burned down all the places where God was worshiped.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The enemies resolved to crush God's people completely and burned every place of worship in the land.

Overview

Their aim was not merely conquest but the eradication of the worship of God throughout the land. This total assault on faith made the devastation feel final. Asaph's lament over silenced worship makes the prayer for restoration all the more urgent, trusting that God will not let his worship perish forever.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Ps 83:4“Come,” they say, “let’s destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
  • 2 Kgs 2:5The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from your head today?” He answered, “Yes, I know it. Hold your peace.”
  • Matt 4:23Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.
  • 2 Kgs 2:3The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from your head today?” He said, “Yes, I know it. Hold your peace.”
  • Esth 3:8–9Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different than other people’s. They don’t keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not for the king’s profit to allow them to remain.
  • 2 Kgs 4:23He said, “Why would you want go to him today? It is not a new moon or a Sabbath.” She said, “It’s alright.”
  • Ps 137:7Remember, Yahweh, against the children of Edom, the day of Jerusalem; who said, “Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!”
  • 2 Chr 17:9They taught in Judah, having the book of Yahweh’s law with them. They went about throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 74:8YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 74:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.