Log inSign up

Favor · the best way to learn the Bible

Psalm 79 Bible study: Help us, God of our salvation

Psalm 79 has one Hebrew verb, shafakh, three times: the nations shed blood (79:3), the psalm asks God to pour out his wrath (79:6), and to let vengeance for that blood be poured out (79:10). No other psalm has it more than once. Its reasons turn to God's own name (79:9), and it ends not with the trouble over but with thanks "forever" (79:13).

Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekWhat is Favor?

First week free, then $10 a month per person

“Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name. Deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.”
Psalm 79:9 · World English Bible

Try it · Did you catch it?

“Psalm 79 says the neighbors' reproach was aimed at the Lord.”

Is that in Psalm 79, or not? Make your call.

What's really going on

Poured out, three times

In the text

The title is "A Psalm by Asaph" (79:1), and it names no occasion. Then the psalm tells God what has happened: "God, the nations have come into your inheritance. They have defiled your holy temple. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps" (79:1) (tap nations, inheritance). Here is what almost everyone misses: one Hebrew verb, shafakh, carries the psalm, three times (tap Pour). First the nations did it: "They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem" (79:3). Then the psalm asks God to do it: "Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you" (79:6). Then it asks that it be known among the nations "that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out" (79:10). The WEB has shed, Pour out and poured out; the Hebrew has the one verb. The Psalms have it 12 times in Hebrew, and no other psalm has it more than once.

Honest questions

Questions people ask about Psalm 79

That was a taste

The rest of Psalm 79 is waiting in Favor

  • "How long, LORD?"
  • For the glory of your name
  • Your people, and sheep of your pasture
  • The same prayer in Jeremiah
  • "Why should the nations say?"
  • The prisoner, and those sentenced to death
  • 8 questions as you read
  • 11 more Hebrew words
  • A short check at the end
  • Your notes, saved as you go
Start your free week

Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 79 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.

The Hebrew word behind it

שָׁפַךְshafakhsay sha-FAKH

Brown-Driver-Briggs: "pour out, pour". Strong's: "to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e. to mound up)". Psalm 79 has it three times: "They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem" (79:3), "Pour out your wrath on the nations" (79:6), and "that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out" (79:10). The Psalms have it 12 times in Hebrew, and no other psalm more than once. The chapter on Psalm 62 follows it in "Pour out your heart before him" (Psalm 62:8). The prayer at the end of Jeremiah 10 has it too: "Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you" (Jeremiah 10:25).

For your group

Psalm 79 Bible study questions

  1. 1The psalm tells God plainly what has happened (79:1-4) before it asks him for anything. When something in your life has been broken, how honestly have you told God about it?
  2. 2"Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of your name" (79:9). What changes when you ask for help for the sake of God's name, and not only your own?
  3. 3The psalm ends, "We will praise you forever, to all generations" (79:13), without saying its trouble is over. What would it look like for you, or your group, to give thanks in the middle of something unfinished?

Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 79 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.

Start a Bible study
Free quizTake the Psalm 79 quizQuestions with the answers explained, for your group or your familyFree printablePrint this Bible studyOne page: the chapter, the verse, and the questions with room to write

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions

What is Favor?

Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.

How much does it cost?

Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.

Can I read Psalm 79 straight away?

Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 79 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.

Do I need a group?

No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.

I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?

Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.

Which Bible does Favor use?

The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.

Is Favor tied to a church?

No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.

Start with Psalm 79

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

All Bible study guides

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home