Psalms 79:3 · Bible study
Psalms 79:3 Commentary: Blood Like Water, No One to Bury, Meaning & Lament
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 79:3 laments the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem: blood poured out like water, no one to bury. Study the history, lament, and hope in this psalm.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The verse describes a massacre so complete that the dead lie unburied; it is a raw complaint to God.
- Key words: “poured out” (שָׁפְכוּ) stresses uncontrolled violence; “like water” (כַּמַּיִם) stresses abundance and cheapness; “no one to bury” (וְאֵין קוֹבֵר) stresses total social collapse.
- Main debate: Which historical event is in view, the Babylonian invasion (586 BC) or the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes (167 BC)? Both are supported by commentators.
- Theological theme: Lament as honest speech to God in the face of national tragedy, with unburied bodies as evidence of injustice and a cry for divine intervention.
- Best use: This verse is ideal for teaching on lament, for grieving communities, and for those who need permission to bring their anger and pain to God without pretense.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead.
WEB World English Bible 2000
They have shed their blood like water around Jerusalem. There was no one to bury them.
KJV King James Version 1769
Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; And there was none to bury them.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
They have shed their blood As water round about Jerusalem, And there is none burying.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury [them].
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses. Stir up thy might, and come to save us.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Derramaron su sangre como agua en los alrededores de Jerusalem; y no hubo quien los enterrase.
Derramaram o sangue deles como água ao redor de Jerusalém, e não havia quem os enterrasse.
Elles ont versé leur sang comme de l’ eau
Sie haben Blut vergossen um Jerusalem her wie Wasser; und war niemand, der begrub.
Zij hebben hun bloed rondom Jeruzalem als water vergoten; en er was niemand, die hen begroef.
Hanno sparso il loro sangue come acqua intorno a Gerusalemme, e non v’è stato alcuno che li seppellisse.
Wylali krew ich jako wodę około Jeruzalemu, a nie był, ktoby ich pochował.
Пред Ефремом и Вениамином и Манассиею воздвигни силу Твою, и приди спасти нас.
在耶路撒冷 周圍 流 他們的血 如水，無人 葬埋。
Their blood has been flowing like water round about Jerusalem; there was no one to put them in their last resting-place.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 79:3
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse depicts a historical disaster so severe that blood poured out openly and bodies lay unburied. The image of blood flowing “like water” captures both the quantity of slaughter and the cheapness of life in the eyes of the attackers. Most commentators connect the verse to the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC (Clarke, Barnes). Calvin allows also the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes two centuries later. The Cambridge Bible notes that the verse is quoted in 1 Maccabees 7:16, 17 concerning the murder of the Assideans, but the original setting remains the earlier catastrophe. Keil and Delitzsch link the verse to the Chaldean destruction and to Deuteronomy 28:26, reinforcing that unburied bodies were a sign of divine curse. Whether the immediate reference is 586 or 167 BC, the verse functions as a raw complaint laid before God, inviting readers to bring their own national agonies into prayer.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse describes a historical massacre around Jerusalem in which the dead were left unburied, and it functions as a complaint to God, setting the stage for the prayer for deliverance that follows.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Historical event behind the verse | The verse describes a real, devastating massacre around Jerusalem where bodies went unburied. | Most commentators (Clarke, Barnes, Keil-Delitzsch) point to the Babylonian invasion of 586 BC. Calvin and others also allow the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes (c. 167 BC) as a possible later reference. The Cambridge Bible notes the verse is quoted in 1 Maccabees but was not written for that event. |
| The phrase 'like water' | It signifies abundance and the attackers' disregard for human life. | Some (Cambridge, Keil-Delitzsch) emphasize the cheapness of blood; others (Barnes) focus on the quantity. Gill extends the image to the shedding of saints' blood by the antichristian beast of Rome. |
| Significance of unburied bodies | Unburied bodies represent the ultimate dishonor and curse, as in Deuteronomy 28:26 and Jeremiah 14:16. | Clarke and Barnes attribute the situation to the cruelty of the invaders preventing burial. Gill also sees it as a result of the great number of slain. The theological implication, whether it is primarily human cruelty or divine judgment, is not settled in the commentaries. |
| Date and authorship | The psalm is attributed to Asaph but was likely composed after the destruction, not during David's time. | Calvin argues the psalm is exilic or post-exilic; Delitzsch connects it to the Chaldean catastrophe. Some older traditions held it was prophetic, but that view is not widely accepted. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 79 is a communal lament attributed to Asaph, though Calvin recognized that its content points to events after David’s time, likely the sixth century BC. The opening verses describe the desecration of the temple and the reduction of Jerusalem to rubble. Verse 3 homes in on the bloodshed: the verb shafakh (pour out, shed) suggests an uncontrolled flood of violence, while the preposition k- before “water” compares human blood to something cheap and abundant, as Barnes notes: “poured out in such quantities that it seems to flow like water.”
The horror deepens with “there was no one to bury them.” In the ancient Near East, proper burial was a sacred duty and a mark of human dignity. To be left unburied was considered a curse (Deuteronomy 28:26; Jeremiah 14:16). Clarke and Barnes both note that the Chaldeans would not bury the dead and prevented the remaining Jews from doing so. The same pattern repeated under Antiochus, and later under Rome. The poet is not merely describing a scene; he is presenting evidence to God. The unburied bodies cry out for justice. The cross-references in Jeremiah confirm that this fate was prophesied as judgment for covenant unfaithfulness. Yet the psalmist does not argue that God is absent, he argues that God’s own honour is bound up in what has happened to His inheritance and His servants. The verse thus functions as a point of tension: the disaster is real, the silence is terrifying, but the complaint itself is an act of faith.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources do not mention any textual variants for Psalm 79:3. The verse is stable across the Masoretic Text and the ancient versions, including the Septuagint (used in 1 Maccabees 7:16, 17). No significant textual disputes are noted by the consulted commentators.
Reception History
This verse entered Jewish and Christian memory through its quotation in 1 Maccabees 7:16, 17, applied to the murder of the Assideans by the high priest Alcimus. Early Christian writers saw in the unburied bodies a type of the martyrs who die without earthly honor. In Reformation-era commentaries, the verse was read as a complaint against the enemies of the true church, whether the Babylonians of old or the persecuting powers of the day (Calvin, Gill). The image of blood poured out “like water” has been used in hymns and prayers lamenting war and persecution. In modern contexts, the verse gives language to communities that have suffered genocide, ethnic cleansing, or state violence, especially where the dead remain unnamed and unburied. Across traditions, it remains a touchstone for the belief that God sees the blood of His servants and will not overlook it forever.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Measure of Violence (v. 3a): “They have shed their blood like water.” Blood is sacred in Scripture (Genesis 9:6). To pour it out “like water” is to treat life as worthless. This forces us to see violence as it is, evil, not an abstract problem. The tragedy is not just political; it is moral and spiritual.
- The Silence of Death (v. 3b): “There was no one to bury them.” Burial is a work of mercy (Tobit 1:17, 19; Matthew 25:35, 36). When the dead lie unburied, a community has collapsed. The verse confronts us with the loneliness of catastrophe, people die and no one is left to honour them.
- The Language of Lament (whole psalm): The psalmist does not explain the suffering; he brings it to God. Lament is not doubt. It is the currency of relationship with a God who is present even when silent. This verse teaches us that we can tell God exactly how bad it is, and He can bear it.
Five-Point Outline
- Lament names the pain concretely (blood, no burial).
- Lament holds God’s character against God’s silence.
- Lament refuses to spiritualize tragedy.
- Lament appeals to God’s honour (“your inheritance,” “your servants”).
- Lament opens the door to hope (v. 13: “we will give you thanks forever”).
Illustration Hooks
- War photography: Images of bodies in streets from modern conflicts show the same horror. The psalmist does not turn away; neither do we.
- A funeral without mourners: During a pandemic or disaster, when families cannot bury their dead, this verse gives language to that particular grief.
- The cheapening of life: When news cycles treat mass casualties as statistics, the psalmist’s “like water” names the disgust we feel when life is devalued.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Where is God when innocent people are slaughtered and no one even buries them?
- Is it okay to be angry with God after a national tragedy?
- Does this psalm apply only to ancient Israel, or can we use it for today’s massacres?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 79:3 drops us into the middle of a catastrophe. The poet does not explain, he cries out. This small group guide helps participants sit with the raw truth of the verse and then move toward hope.
Discussion Questions
- Observation: What specific details does the psalmist include about the attack? Why do you think he chooses these images?
- Interpretation: The psalm compares blood to water. What does that comparison communicate about the attackers’ attitude? About the victims’ worth?
- Interpretation: In ancient Israel, not being buried was a deep dishonor (Jeremiah 16:4). Why does the poet mention this specifically? What does it add to the weight of the lament?
- Context: How does this verse fit within the larger structure of Psalm 79 (verses 1, 4 set the scene; verses 5, 12 ask God to act; verse 13 is a vow of praise)?
- Application: What situations in the world today make you feel like the psalmist, overwhelmed and crying out to God? Bring one to mind.
- Application: Is there a difference between complaining to God and trusting God? How does this verse help you practice honest faith?
- Application: The psalm ends with a promise of thanks (v. 13). Why is it important to end a lament with hope, even when the situation hasn’t changed?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 79:10 | Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes, that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out. |
| Psalms 141:7 | “As when one plows and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.” |
| Jeremiah 8:1 | “At that time,” says Yahweh, “they will bring the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of his princes, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves. |
| Jeremiah 8:2 | They will spread them before the sun, the moon, and all the army of the sky, which they have loved, which they have served, after which they have walked, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or be buried. They will be like dung on the surface of the earth. |
| Jeremiah 14:16 | The people to whom they prophesy will be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword. They will have no one to bury them—them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters, for I will pour their wickedness on them. |
| Jeremiah 15:3 | “I will appoint over them four kinds,” says Yahweh: “the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, the birds of the sky, and the animals of the earth, to devour and to destroy. |
| Jeremiah 16:4 | “They will die grievous deaths. They will not be lamented, neither will they be buried. They will be as dung on the surface of the ground. They will be consumed by the sword and by famine. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.” |
| Jeremiah 25:33 | The slain of Yahweh will be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They won’t be lamented. They won’t be gathered or buried. They will be dung on the surface of the ground. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke explains that the dead lay unburied because no one was left to perform that duty. The Chaldean conquerors refused to bury them, and the surviving Jews had all been taken away into captivity.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the image of blood shed like water best fits the Babylonian invasion, not later Roman destruction. He notes that the Chaldeans left the slain unburied and prevented the Hebrews from burying their own dead, making the scene a specific, concrete wartime atrocity rather than a general metaphor.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights that the faithful in this psalm hold two truths together: they accept their suffering as just discipline from God, yet they also see it as undeserved cruelty from enemies. Their plea for mercy rests on God's honor being attacked when the ungodly blasp
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that this verse was not originally written about the later Maccabean massacre, despite being quoted in 1 Maccabees. The psalm describes a far larger slaughter by heathen enemies, while the Maccabean event was a smaller betrayal by a fellow Israelite. The phrase "like water" means poured out freely and as if of little worth.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize the horrifying scale of the slaughter outside Jerusalem. Blood was spilled as freely as water, and no one remained to give the dead proper burial, which in Hebrew culture was a profound disgrace. The image conveys total ruin and contempt.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws a direct parallel between the Maccabean massacres around Jerusalem and the future shedding of saints' blood by the antichristian beast of Rome. He notes that the blood was poured out like water with no one left to bury the dead, either because the slaughter was so great or because burial was forbidden.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch read this psalm as a direct complaint to God, echoing Lamentations and Micah's prophecy that Zion would become a plowed field. They highlighted that calling the slain "Your servants" confers the honor of martyrdom, and noted the psalm was quoted from memory in 1 Maccabees.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that the psalmist's grief centers on the desecration of what belongs to God himself - the land, temple, and city that are God's own inheritance. The complaint is brought directly to heaven because God is both King over the nations who permits this and King of his people who can protect them.