Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 74:7
They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled [by casting down] the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.
7. They have set thy sanctuary on fire;
They have profaned the dwelling place of thy name even to the ground. (R.V.)
The verse appears to speak of a complete destruction of the Temple by fire. This was done by Nebuzaradan (2Ki 25:9-10) but not by the emissaries of Antiochus, for Judas found the main building standing, though the gates had been burned and the priests’ chambers pulled down ( 1Ma 4:38 ). Comp. the stress which Ezekiel lays on the desecration of the sanctuary (Eze 7:21-22; Eze 7:24). See also Lam 2:2.
For the dwelling place of thy name cp. Deu 12:11; Deu 16:2; Deu 16:6; Deu 16:11, &c.; Jer 7:12; Psa 26:8.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
They have cast fire into thy sanctuary – Into the temple to destroy it. Literally, They have cast thy sanctuary into the fire. The meaning is, that they had burned it down. This was actually done by the Chaldeans, 2Ki 25:9; 2Ch 36:19.
They have defiled by casting down the dwelling-place of thy name to the ground – The place where thy name dwelt or was recorded Exo 20:24; that is, the place where Gods name was known, or where he was worshipped. The literal meaning is, To the earth they have defiled the dwelling of thy name? The idea is, that they had defiled or polluted the temple by throwing it to the ground; by making it a heap of ruins; by making it undistinguishable from common earth.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
First they polluted it, and then they burnt it, and broke it in pieces.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. defiledor, “profaned,”as in Ps 89:39.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
They have cast fire into thy sanctuary,…. Or, “thy sanctuary into the fire” o; which denotes the utter destruction of it by fire, which was done both by the Chaldean and Roman armies; see
2Ki 25:9,
they have defiled, by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground, or “to the earth they have defiled the habitation of thy name” p; that is, to the last and lowest degree; this Antiochus did when he set up an idol in the temple, and Titus when he laid it level with the ground, not leaving one stone upon another, as our Lord predicted, Mt 24:1 the aggravation of which was, that it was the place where the Lord had put his name, where his name was called upon, and where was the symbol of his presence.
o “in ignem sanctuaria tua”, Pagninus, Vatablus; so Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis. p “ad terram usque prophanarunt tabernaculum, vel habitationem nominis tui”, Musculus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
7. They have set fire to thy sanctuaries. The Psalmist now complains that the temple was burned, and thus completely razed and destroyed, whereas it was only half demolished by the instruments of war. Many have supposed that the order of the words has been here inverted, (224) not being able to perceive how a suitable meaning could be elicited from them, and therefore would resolve them thus, They have put fire into thy sanctuaries. I have, however, no doubt that the sense which I have given, although the accent is against it, is the true and natural one, That the temple was levelled with the ground by being burned. This verse corroborates more fully the statement which I have made, that the temple is called sanctuaries in the plural number, because it consisted of three parts, — the innermost sanctuary, the middle sanctuary, and the outer court; for there immediately follows the expression, The dwelling-place of thy name. The name of God is here employed to teach us that his essence was not confined to or shut up in the temple, but that he dwelt in it by his power and operation, that the people might there call upon him with the greater confidence.
(224) The order of the words is this, שלחו באש מקדשך shilchu baesh mikdashecha, literally, “They have sent into fire thy sanctuary.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) They have cast fire into.Literally, They have cast into fire thy sanctuary. Probably a hyperbolic expression, and purporting to express the vastness of the conflagration. Others compare with the English set on fire, and French mettre feu.
We learn from 1Ma. 4:38, and Josephus, Antt. xii., 7:6, that Judas Maccabus, in coming to restore the Temple, found that the gates had been burnt.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary The temple was fired one month after it was taken. Jer 52:12-13. This fearful month witnessed, before the eyes of the now captive nation, the horrible work of demolishing and despoiling by the enemy.
The dwellingplace of thy name Another title of sanctity and endearment for the temple, or sanctuary.
Psa 74:7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled [by casting down] the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.
Ver. 7. They have cast fire inlo thy sanctuary ] Heb. They have sent thy sanctuary into the fire. So the French Papists, under the conduct of the Guises, dealt by the public meeting houses of the Protestants there, and particularly by that church at Lyons which was called Paradise, Hoc apud Ethnicos erat horrendum. The heathens observed of such as destroyed temples that they commonly came to some fearful end, by thunderbolts or otherwise.
cast fire into, &c. = cast Thy holy place into the fire.
sanctuary. Some codices, with three early printed editions, read “holy places” (plural)
dwelling place. Hebrew. mishkan. App-40(2).
Psa 74:7-8
Psa 74:7-8
“They have set thy sanctuary on fire;
They have profaned the dwelling place of thy Name by casting it to the ground.
They said in their hearts,
Let us make havoc of them altogether:
They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.”
“Thy sanctuary on fire… God’s dwelling place cast to the ground” (Psa 74:7). The total destruction of the temple is indicated in these lines, a disaster that came only once, namely, in 586 B.C. at the end of the reign of Zedekiah.
“They … burned up all the synagogues” (Psa 74:8). There is hardly any doubt that this is a mistranslation. It is the only place in the Old Testament that synagogues are mentioned, synagogues usually being associated with the times after Antiochus Epiphanes had profaned the temple and forbade the reading of the Torah, cutting off the Temple worship. This verse is “the big reason” why some scholars refer this psalm to the times of that era.
“The RSV renders the word here translated `synagogues’ as `holy places.’ Jamieson suggested that such places as “the schools of the prophets may be meant. “The key word may also mean `appointed feasts,’ but would require another verb for that meaning. One thing is certain, “Synagogues” is not the correct rendition. As Kidner suggested, “Perhaps the Septuagint (LXX) has the key to the problem. That rendition is, “Come, let us abolish the feasts of the Lord from the earth. One thing that definitely favors the Septuagint (LXX) rendition is the fact that the abolition of the Jewish feast days was indeed accomplished by the Babylonians. They were not observed at all during the captivity!
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 74:7. This language may be considered in the light of both history and prophecy. Historically it meant the mistreatment the enemies were according the buildings of the people. And it was an omen of what was finally to come upon the temple in the Babylonian Captivity that took place many years later.
Psa 74:8. In a poetical composition, such as the psalms, we should make allowances for strong statements as an accommodative description of something very striking. The language of this verse is justified by the terrible havoc caused by the foes.
cast fire into thy sanctuary: Heb. sent thy sanctuary into the fire, 2Ki 25:9, Isa 64:11, Mat 22:7
defiled: Psa 89:39, Eze 24:21
dwelling: Exo 20:24, Deu 12:5, 1Ki 8:20
Reciprocal: Psa 79:1 – holy Psa 83:12 – General Jer 19:13 – defiled Hag 1:4 – and
Psa 74:7-8. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, &c. The Chaldeans first polluted, and then set fire to Solomons temple, and burned that stately and costly fabric down to the ground. And Antiochus set fire to the gates of the second temple, (1Ma 4:28,) and afterward the Romans razed it from the foundation, and left not one stone upon another. They said, Let us destroy them together Root and branch, one as well as another, or all at once. So they desired, and so, it seems, many of them intended, although afterward they changed their counsel, and carried some away captive, and left others to cultivate the ground. They have burned up all the synagogues All the public places wherein the Jews used to meet together to worship God every sabbath day, as is mentioned Act 13:27, and upon other occasions. That the Jews had such synagogues is manifest, both from these and other places of Scripture, and from the testimony of the Hebrew doctors, and other ancient and learned writers, who affirm it, and particularly of Jerusalem, in which they say there were above four hundred; and from the necessity of such places: for seeing it is undeniable that they did worship God publicly on every sabbath, and at other holy times, even when they could not go up to Jerusalem, both conscience and prudence must needs have directed them to appoint convenient places for that purpose.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments