Have respect unto the covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

PSALMS 74:20KJV
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Psalms 74:20 (KJV)

What does Psalms 74:20 mean?

Psalms 74:20 is a plea asking God to remember and honor His covenant, because the world is filled with places where violence and cruelty rule. The verse highlights a sense of desperation, calling on God to intervene because evil seems to have taken over many parts of the earth.

The psalm is spoken by someone representing the people of Israel, likely during a time when their land and temple had been devastated by enemies. The speaker appeals to God’s promise (the covenant) as a reason for God to act, pointing out that “the dark places of the earth” are now full of “habitations of cruelty,” meaning places where injustice and oppression are common. This verse expresses both the pain of the people and their hope that God will remember His commitment to them.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 74:20

  • “Respect” (נָבַט, nāvat): This word means to look at or pay attention to. Here, it is a direct request for God to notice and care about His covenant, not to ignore it.
  • “Covenant” (בְּרִית, bĕrit): This refers to the formal agreement or promise God made with His people. Mentioning the covenant reminds God (and the reader) of His special relationship and obligations to Israel.
  • “Dark” (אֲפֵלָה, aphelah): This word often means darkness or gloom, and here it paints a picture of places that are spiritually or morally dark, not just physically shadowy.
  • “Habitations” (נָוֶה, naveh): This word means a dwelling or home. The phrase “habitations of cruelty” suggests that violence and injustice are not just present, but have settled in and made themselves at home.

Why Psalms 74:20 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the psalmist’s hope is grounded in God’s promises, not in their own strength or goodness.
  • The mention of “dark places” and “habitations of cruelty” shows the depth of suffering and injustice the people are experiencing, making the plea for God’s intervention urgent and heartfelt.
  • By focusing on the covenant, the verse connects the immediate crisis to the larger story of God’s relationship with His people, emphasizing faith in God’s faithfulness even in desperate times.

Where else these words appear

“dark” Hebrew H4285 · used in 7 verses

  • Psalms 88:6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
  • Psalms 143:3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
  • Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

“habitations” Hebrew H4999 · used in 12 verses

  • Psalms 23:2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
  • Jeremiah 9:10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
  • Joel 1:19 O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.

“cruelty” Hebrew H2555 · used in 59 verses

  • Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
  • Psalms 58:2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
  • Jeremiah 51:46 And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.

“respect” Hebrew H5027 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
  • Psalms 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
  • Isaiah 38:11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.