Psalms 74:1

King James Version

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version

A Maskil of Asaph.

O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

Geneva Bible (1587)
A Psalme to giue instruction, committed to Asaph. O God, why hast thou put vs away for euer? why is thy wrath kindled against the sheepe of thy pasture?

Christian Standard Bible®
Why have you rejected us forever, God?Why does your anger burnagainst the sheep of your pasture?

Hebrew Names Version
<> God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

Easy-to-Read Version

A maskil of Asaph.

God, why have you turned away from us for so long? Why are you still angry with us, your own flock?

Amplified Bible
O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

American Standard Version

Maschil of Asaph.

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Contemporary English Version

(A special psalm by Asaph.)

Our God, why have you completely rejected us? Why are you so angry with the ones you care for?

Complete Jewish Bible
A maskil of Asaf: Why have you rejected us forever, God, with your anger smoking against the sheep you once pastured?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Maschil of Asaph.

King James Version (1611)
[Maschil of Asaph.] O God, why hast thou cast vs off for euer? why doeth thine anger smoke against the sheepe of thy pasture?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Wherefore hast thou rejected us, O God, for ever? wherefore is thy wrath kindled against the sheep of thy pasture?

English Revised Version
Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Berean Standard Bible
A Maskil of Asaph. Why have You rejected us forever, O God? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture?

Lexham English Bible

A maskil of Asaph.

Why, O God, have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

Literal Translation
A Lesson, of Asaph. O God, have You cast us off forever; will Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

New Century Version

A maskil of Asaph.

God, why have you rejected us for so long? Why are you angry with us, the sheep of your pasture?

New English Translation

A well-written song by Asaph.

Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?

New King James Version
A Contemplation [fn] of Asaph. O God, why have You cast us off forever?Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

New Living Translation

A psalm of Asaph.

O God, why have you rejected us so long? Why is your anger so intense against the sheep of your own pasture?

New Life Bible
O God, why have You turned away from us forever? Why does Your anger burn against the sheep in Your fields?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Wherefore, O God, hast thou cast off utterly? Shall thine anger smoke against the flock of thine own pasturing?

Douay-Rheims Bible
(73-1) <Understanding for Asaph.> O God, why hast thou cast us off unto the end: why is thy wrath enkindled against the sheep of thy pasture?

George Lamsa Translation
O GOD, why hast thou cast us off for ever? Why hath thine anger become inflamed against the sheep of thy flock?

Good News Translation
Why have you abandoned us like this, O God? Will you be angry with your own people forever?

New American Standard Bible
God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
O Lorde wherfore dost thou forsake vs altogether? wherfore breaketh foorth thy anger agaynst the sheepe of thy pasture.

New Revised Standard

A Maskil of Asaph.

O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

Darby Translation

An instruction: of Asaph.

Why, O God, hast thou cast off for ever? [why] doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The title of the thre and seuentithe salm. The lernyng of Asaph. God, whi hast thou put awei in to the ende; thi strong veniaunce is wrooth on the scheep of thi leesewe?

Young's Literal Translation
An Instruction of Asaph. Why, O God, hast Thou cast off for ever? Thine anger smoketh against the flock of Thy pasture.

World English Bible
<> God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

Revised Standard Version
A Maskil of Asaph. O God, why dost thou cast us off for ever? Why does thy anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Update Bible Version
Maschil of Asaph. O God, why have you cast [us] off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

Webster's Bible Translation
Maschil of Asaph. O God, why hast thou cast [us] off for ever? [why] doth thy anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?

Bible in Basic English
Of God, why have you put us away from you for ever? why is the fire of your wrath smoking against the sheep who are your care?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O God, wherfore doest thou cast vs so cleane awaye? why is yi wrath so hote agaynst ye shepe of yi pasture?

THE MESSAGE

An Asaph Psalm

You walked off and left us, and never looked back. God, how could you do that? We're your very own sheep; how can you stomp off in anger?

New American Standard Bible (1995)

A Maskil of Asaph.

O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

Legacy Standard Bible
Why, O God? Have You rejected us forever?Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?

Contextual Overview

¹ O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? ² Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt. ³ Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. ⁴ Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs. ⁵ A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees. ⁶ But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. ⁷ They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. ⁸ They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. ⁹ We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long. ¹⁰ O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

O God: Psalms 10:1, Psalms 42:9, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 44:9, Psalms 60:1, Psalms 60:10, Psalms 77:7, Jeremiah 31:37, Jeremiah 33:24-26, Romans 11:1, Romans 11:2

smoke: Psalms 79:5, Deuteronomy 29:20

the sheep: Psalms 79:13, Psalms 95:7, Psalms 100:3, Jeremiah 23:1, Ezekiel 34:8, Ezekiel 34:31, Luke 12:32, John 10:26-30

Reciprocal: Exodus 32:11 - why doth Deuteronomy 9:26 - which thou hast redeemed Judges 10:7 - was hot Judges 21:3 - why is 1 Samuel 4:3 - Wherefore 2 Samuel 22:16 - nostrils 2 Samuel 24:17 - these sheep 1 Chronicles 6:39 - Asaph 1 Chronicles 25:2 - Asaph 2 Chronicles 36:16 - the wrath Esther 1:12 - burned Psalms 13:1 - How Psalms 18:8 - went Psalms 44:23 - cast Psalms 68:10 - Thy congregation Psalms 80:4 - be angry Psalms 85:5 - angry Psalms 106:40 - his own Isaiah 5:5 - I will take Isaiah 63:17 - Return Isaiah 64:9 - wroth Jeremiah 14:22 - vanities Lamentations 5:20 - dost

Gill's Notes on the Bible

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?..... This the church supposed because of the prevalence, oppression, and triumph of the enemy, because of the hardships and afflictions she laboured under, and because of the hidings of the face of God from her, which unbelief interpreted of a casting off; see Psalms 77:7 when in reality it was not so, only in appearance, and according to a wrong judgment made of things; for God never did nor never will cast off, nor cast away, his people whom he foreknew, Romans 11:1,

why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? the people of God are called "sheep", because subject to go astray, not only before conversion, but after; and because harmless and inoffensive in their lives and conversations; and because, though exposed to the insults and persecutions of men, and their butcheries and barbarities, and therefore called "the flock of slaughter", Zechariah 11:4, yet bear all patiently, as the sheep before her shearers is dumb; and because like sheep they are weak and timorous, unable to defend themselves; are clean, and so distinguished from dogs and swine; and are profitable, though not to God, yet to men, and one another; and like sheep are sociable, and love to be together: and they are called the sheep of the Lord's pasture; because he provides good pasture for them, leads them into it, and feeds them himself with Christ, the bread of life, the tree of life, and hidden manna; with covenant grace and promises, even the sure mercies of David; with discoveries of his love and grace, and with his word and ordinances; and yet these, when under afflictions and desertions, are ready to conclude that God is angry with them, yea, is very angry; that his anger burns against them, and his fierce wrath goes over them, signified by smoking; see Deuteronomy 19:20, alluding to men, who, when they are angry, become hot, as Kimchi observes, and their breath like smoke comes out of their nostrils.

k Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 3. c. 29. col. 984. l Vid. T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 56. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? - Thou seemest to have cast us off forever, or finally. Compare Psalms 44:9, note; Psalms 13:1, note. “Why doth thine anger smoke.” See Deuteronomy 29:20. The presence of smoke indicates fire, and the language here is such as often occurs in the Scriptures, when anger or wrath is compared with fire. See Deuteronomy 32:22; Jeremiah 15:14.

Against the sheep of thy pasture - Thy people, represented as a flock. See Psalms 79:13; Psalms 95:7. This increases the tenderness of the appeal. The wrath of God seemed to be enkindled against his own people, helpless and defenseless, who needed his care, and who might naturally look for it - as a flock needs the care of a shepherd, and as the care of the shepherd might be expected. He seemed to be angry with his people, and to have cast them off, when they had every reason to anticipate his protection.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

PSALM LXXIV

The psalmist complains of the desolations of the sanctuary,

and pleads with God, 1-3;

shows the insolence and wickedness of their enemies, 4-8;

prays to God to act for them as he had done for their fathers,

whom, by his miraculous power, he had saved, 9-17;

begs God to arise, and vindicate his own honour against his

enemies, and the enemies of his people, 18-23.

NOTES ON PSALM LXXIV

The title is, Maschil of Asaph, or, "A Psalm of Asaph, to give instruction." That this Psalm was written at a time when the temple was ruined, Jerusalem burnt, and the prophets scattered or destroyed, is evident. But it is not so clear whether the desolations here refer to the days of Nebuchadnezzar, or to the desolation that took place under the Romans about the seventieth year of the Christian era. Calmet inclines to the former opinion; and supposes the Psalm to be a lamentation over the temple destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.

Verse Psalms 74:1. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? — Hast thou determined that we shall never more be thy people? Are we never to see an end to our calamities?