The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.

PSALMS 79:2KJV
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Psalms 79:2 (KJV)

What does Psalms 79:2 mean?

Psalms 79:2 describes a scene where the bodies of God’s servants and faithful people are left unburied, becoming food for birds and wild animals. This verse expresses the deep shame and sorrow of seeing those who served God treated with such dishonor after their deaths.

The psalm is spoken by Asaph, addressing God during a time of national disaster, likely after Jerusalem was attacked and many Israelites were killed. The verse paints a vivid picture of defeat and humiliation, showing how the people’s enemies have not only killed God’s followers but have also left their bodies exposed, denying them a proper burial, which was a serious disgrace in ancient Israel.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 79:2

  • "Servants" (עֲבָדֶיךָ, ʿăvādêkha) refers to those who serve or are loyal to God, emphasizing their relationship and faithfulness to Him.
  • "Saints" (חֲסִידֶיךָ, ḥăsîdêkha) means God’s devoted or faithful ones, highlighting their special status as people who lived according to God’s ways.
  • "Meat" (מַאֲכָל, maʾăkāl) is the word for food, making the image of the dead being eaten by animals even more graphic and distressing.
  • "Fowls of the heaven" (עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, ʿôf haššāmayim) and "beasts of the earth" (חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ, ḥayyat hāʾāreṣ) refer to birds and wild animals, stressing the total lack of respect shown to the dead.

Why Psalms 79:2 matters

  • Psalms 79:2 highlights the depth of suffering and disgrace experienced by the people, showing that their defeat was not just military but also deeply personal and spiritual.
  • The verse helps readers understand the seriousness of being denied a proper burial in ancient Israel, which was seen as a terrible humiliation and a sign of utter defeat.
  • This verse sets the emotional tone for the rest of the psalm, showing why the community is crying out to God for help and justice.

Where else these words appear

“meat” Hebrew H3978 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.
  • Isaiah 62:8 The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

“saints” Hebrew H2623 · used in 32 verses

  • Deuteronomy 33:8 And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
  • Psalms 32:6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
  • Psalms 132:9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

“bodies” Hebrew H5038 · used in 41 verses

  • Leviticus 5:2 Or if a soul touch any unclean thing, whether it be a carcase of an unclean beast, or a carcase of unclean cattle, or the carcase of unclean creeping things, and if it be hidden from him; he also shall be unclean, and guilty.
  • Leviticus 11:40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
  • 1 Kings 13:30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

“fowls” Hebrew H5775 · used in 70 verses

  • Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
  • Leviticus 7:26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
  • Psalms 104:12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.