a people (as a congregated unit) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
sheep
וְצֹ֥אןve.Tzon
H6629
a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats) · conjunction + noun, common both genders singular construct
pasture
מַרְעִיתֶךָ֮mar.'i.te.Kha
H4830
pasturage · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
thanks
נ֤וֹדֶ֥הno.Deh
H3034
physically · verb, hiphil imperfect, 1st person common plural
ever
לְע֫וֹלָ֥םle.'o.Lam
H5769
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
forth
נְ֝סַפֵּ֗רne.sa.Per
H5608
properly · verb, piel imperfect, 1st person common plural
praise
תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָte.hi.la.Te.kha
H8416
laudation · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
all
לְדֹ֥רle.Dor
H1755
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
generations
וָדֹ֑רva.Dor
H1755
properly · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Psalms 95:7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
Isaiah 43:21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
Psalms 74:1 O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
Psalms 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Psalms 145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
Psalms 44:8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.
Psalms 45:17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
Psalms 74:18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O LORD, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Psalms 79:6–end
The petitions here put up to God are very suitable to the present distresses of the church, and they have pleas to enforce them, interwoven with them, taken mostly from God's honour.
I. They pray that God would so turn away his anger from them as to turn it upon those that persecuted and abused them (Psa 79:6): "Pour out thy wrath, the full vials of it, upon the heathen; let them wring out the dregs of it, and drink them." This prayer is in effect a prophecy, in which the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Observe here, 1. The character of those he prays against; they are such as have not known God, nor called upon his name. The reason wh…
So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture,.... Who were the people of God, not by creation and providence only, as all men are, being his creatures, and provided for by him; but by special choice, and by covenant grace: and "the sheep of his pasture"; whom he feeds as a shepherd does his flock, provides good pasture for them, and leads them into it:
will give thee thanks for ever, we will show forth thy praise to all generations: the above petitions being answered and fulfilled; the work of praise is acceptable unto God, what he is well pleased with, being glorified thereby; and is what becomes his people to do, and which they are formed for, and that for evermore, as long as they live in…
Psalm 79:10-13
10. Why should the heathen say, where is their God? Let the avenging of the blood of thy servants, which has been shed, be made known among the heathen in our sight. 11. Let the sighing [or groaning] of the prisoner [377] come before thee, [or into thy presence:] and, according to the greatness of thy arm, reserve the children of death: [378] 12. And recompense our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom [379] their reproach with which they have reproached thee, O Jehovah! 13. And we thy people, and the sheep of thy pasture, will confess to thee [380] for ever; declaring thy praise from generation to generation.
10. Why should the heathen say, Where is their God? Here the peopl…
The Church Fathers
But we your people and the sheep of your pasture. When he says "sheep," he signifies innocence. Sheep have nothing but a shepherd. We will give you thanks forever. We will confess: either we do penance, or, what is better, we glorify. From generation to generation; among the first people, and among the second people. Although according to the historical sense it is said otherwise in Ezekiel, nevertheless according to the spiritual understanding we say this, since these two peoples — that is, the two rods — are joined together in Ezekiel, and become one kingdom. From generation to generation we will proclaim your praise. It is the voice of the apostles: Peter among the people of the circumcision, and Paul and Barnabas among the nations.
"Render," he says, "to our neighbours seven times so much into their bosoms" [Psalm 79:13]. Not any evil things he is wishing, but things just he is foretelling and prophesying as to come. But in the number seven, that is, in sevenfold retribution, he would have the completeness of the punishment to be perceived, for with this number fullness is wont to be signified. Whence also there is this saying for the good, "He shall receive in this world seven times as much:" which has been put for all. "As if having nothing, and possessing all things." [2 Corinthians 6:10] Of neighbours he is speaking, because among them dwells the Church even unto the day of severing: for not now is made the corporal separation. "Into their bosoms," he says, as being now in secret, so that the vengeance which is now being executed in secret in this life, hereafter may be known among the nations before our eyes. For when a man is given over to a reprobate mind, in his inward bosom he is receiving what he deserves of future punishments. "Their reproach wherewith they have reproached You, O Lord." This do You render to them sevenfold into their bosoms, that is, in return for this reproach, most fully do You rebuke them in their secret places. For in this they have reproached Your Name, thinking to efface You from the earth in Your servants.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Sheep · Illustrative: Of the Jews — Illustrative: Of the Jews
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
If we have thus far correctly hit upon the parts of which the Psalm is composed (9. 9. 9), then the lamentation closes with this tristichic vow of thanksgiving.
Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 79:12
The Exile resulted in national suffering and in individual searching for the Lord. • pay back: See 1:6; 94:2; Jer 32:18. • The expression seven times signifies something complete. • Israel’s neighbors included Edom, Moab, and Ammon (see Ps 137:7; 2 Kgs 24:2; Obad 1).
Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 79:13
So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
"So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks far ever; we will shew forth thy praise to all generations." The gratitude of the church is lasting as well as deep. On her tablets are memorials of great deliverances, and, as long as she shall exist, her sons will rehearse them with delight. We have a history which will survive all other records, and it is bright in every line with the glory of the Lord. From the direst calamities God's glory springs, and the dark days of his people become the prelude to unusual displays of the Lord's love and power.
