Psalm 79

Psalm 79:8, 9, 11 and 13

#230 Weekday Years I & II Context (Monday of the 2nd Week of Lent)
R. (see 103:10a) Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.

#349 Weekday Year I Context (Wednesday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time)

#402 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 17th Week in Ordinary Time)
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

R. (Sirach 36:1b) Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.

Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.

Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
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Commentary on Ps 79:8, 9, 11 and 13

Psalm 79 is a lament over the destruction of the temple. In this part of the hymn the psalmist asks God for forgiveness of past offenses and compassion in their need. Their sins have resulted in their imprisonment and separated them from God. This hymn was offered after the destruction of the temple and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant. It is a plea for compassion and help while repenting from sins (“Deliver us and pardon our sins for your name’s sake”).

CCC: Ps 79:9  431
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Psalm 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9

#374 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 12th Week in Ordinary Time)

#459 Weekday Year I Context (Friday of the 26th Week in Ordinary Time)

R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of heaven,
the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
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Commentary on Ps 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9

Psalm 79 provides a penitential note similar to what is found in Baruch 1:15. It is a communal lament in which the assembly reflects upon the punishment endured because they have sinned against God, and disregarded his law. This lament is thought to reflect upon the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 587 BC. The singer asks God how long his anger at them will last, and pleads for pardon and deliverance. Following this admission, there is a plea for mercy and a promise of atonement.

CCC: Ps 79:9  431
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