Psalms 79:3

"They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem. There was no one to bury them."

Key Reflection

This verse paints a vivid picture of the violent death and abandonment experienced by those killed during a siege on Jerusalem, emphasizing both the scale of the tragedy and the lack of care for the dead, highlighting themes of divine wrath and the city’s desolation. The imagery of blood flowing like water conveys the enormity of the violence, underscoring the need for divine intervention and justice.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem -They have poured it out in such quantities that it seems to flow like water - not an uncommon occurrence in war. There was no event in the history of the Hebrews to which this description would be more applicable than to the Babylonian invasion. The language might indeed be applicable to the desolation of the city by Antiochus Epiphanes, and also to its destruction by the Romans; but, of course, it cannot refer to the latter, and there is no necessity for supposing that it refers to the former. All the conditions of a proper interpretation are fulfilled by supposing that it refers to the time of the Chaldean invasion.

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