“And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 79:12 Mean?
The psalmist asks God to return the reproach — the shame, the insult, the mockery — sevenfold into the neighbors' bosom. The number seven means complete, full, comprehensive. Not partial payback. Full recompense. And the target is the bosom — the fold of the garment where you carry things against your chest. The reproach they dished out should be pressed back into them.
"Wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord" — the prayer reframes the offense: the insult wasn't just against Israel. It was against God. The neighbors didn't just mock God's people. They reproached God Himself. The prayer asks for vindication of God's honor, not just Israel's comfort.
The imprecatory nature of the prayer (asking God to punish enemies) reflects the Psalms' honest emotional range. The psalmist doesn't sanitize his feelings. He brings the raw desire for justice directly to God — the only one authorized to execute it.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you honest with God about your desire for justice — or do you pretend you don't want it?
- 2.How does reframing the offense (they reproached God, not just you) change the prayer from personal revenge to divine vindication?
- 3.Does placing the desire for justice before God (instead of acting on it yourself) feel like surrender or frustration?
- 4.How do you hold imprecatory prayers (asking God to judge enemies) alongside Jesus' command to love your enemies?
Devotional
Return it sevenfold. Into their chest. The same reproach they aimed at You.
The psalmist isn't being polite. He's asking God to press the enemies' own mockery back into their laps — sevenfold. Complete. Comprehensive. The same shame they dished out, returned in full, multiplied, and delivered to the place closest to their heart: the bosom.
The reframing is the key: "wherewith they have reproached THEE, O Lord." The prayer isn't about personal revenge. It's about God's honor. The neighbors didn't just mock Israel. They mocked God. Every insult aimed at God's people landed on God's reputation. And the prayer asks God to defend His own name by returning the reproach to its source.
Sevenfold — the number of completeness. Not a slap for a slap. A comprehensive, full-measure, nothing-left-out recompense. The same measure they used against God, pressed back into them seven times over. The prayer isn't requesting excess. It's requesting completion.
The imprecatory psalms make modern readers uncomfortable — and they should. They're honest. Brutally, unflinchingly honest. The psalmist doesn't pretend he doesn't want justice. He doesn't perform forgiveness he doesn't feel. He brings the raw, unprocessed desire for vindication to the only person authorized to execute it: God.
The prayer moves the vengeance from the psalmist's hands to God's. The desire for justice doesn't disappear. It's redirected. Instead of acting on it (which would produce more injustice), the psalmist places it before God (who administers justice perfectly). The imprecation is actually surrender: I want this so badly — but I'm giving it to You.
Bring your desire for justice to God. He can handle your honesty. And He's the only one who can handle the vengeance.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And render unto our neighbours seven fold into their bosom, Not seven fold for one, as the Targum paraphrases it, or a…
And render unto our neighbors - That is, the neighbors who had reproached them; the surrounding people who had seen…
The petitions here put up to God are very suitable to the present distresses of the church, and they have pleas to…
our neighbours Cp. Psa 79:79: the nations around, such as the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, which instead of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture