They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "like water" doesn't just emphasize the quantity of blood shed, but also how carelessly and contemptuously it was treated, as if it held no more value than mere water. This detail highlights the utter dehumanization and disregard for life by the attackers.
They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by invading enemies, describing the horrific bloodshed and desecration. This verse follows the confession that God has given them over to their enemies, emphasizing the immense scale of the slaughter and the utter lack of care or respect shown to the fallen. The immediate aftermath, as depicted here, is a city strewn with unburied corpses, a stark testament to the enemy's brutality and the people's devastation.
Imagine a river of blood flowing through the streets, a horrifying testament to violence. What does this vivid imagery tell us about the depth of the devastation?
The phrase 'poured out their blood like water' is a powerful metaphor for immense bloodshed. It's not just about the quantity, but also the disregard for life. Water is common, easily spilled, and often wasted. By comparing the shed blood to water, the psalmist emphasizes how cheaply the lives of God's people were valued by their enemies.
This wasn't a surgical strike or a battle with honorable terms; it was a brutal massacre. The enemies acted with extreme violence and contempt, seeing the people of Jerusalem as less valuable than a mere drink of water. This image speaks to a complete breakdown of humanity and respect for life in the face of conquest and cruelty.
In many cultures, burial is a sacred act of dignity and remembrance. What does it mean when there is 'no one to bury them,' and why is this considered a further depth of suffering?
The lack of burial is presented as a profound additional layer of horror and desecration. In ancient Israel, proper burial was crucial for both the physical and spiritual well-being of the deceased and their family. It signified respect, the hope of resurrection, and the protection of the body from desecration.
When there was 'no one to bury them,' it meant:
Ask a follow-up
This lack of burial amplifies the psalm's cry of anguish, highlighting a state of total abandonment and despair.
Understand the original words
dam · Hebrew Noun
The life force of a living being; in the Old Testament, it is sacred because it belongs to God. Its shedding often signifies death, judgment, or the price of sin.
The brutal destruction of Jerusalem and its inhabitants by the Babylonians in 587/586 BC is the direct historical context for this psalm, emphasizing the horrific scale of bloodshed and the profound disregard for human life shown by the conquerors.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians conquer Judah, deporting some of the elite, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's decline and Babylonian dominance.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Jerusalem's population, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, further weakening the kingdom.
587/586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
After a prolonged siege, Nebuchadnezzar's forces breach Jerusalem's walls, destroy the Temple, kill many inhabitants, and deport the remaining populace to Babylon. This devastating event is the backdrop for Psalm 79.
c. 586 BC
Massacre and Unburied Dead
The brutal conquest of Jerusalem results in a horrific slaughter, leaving countless bodies unburied in and around the city due to the overwhelming number of dead and the depopulation of the survivors.
539 BC
Fall of Babylon
The Persian king Cyrus the Great conquers the Babylonian Empire. This event eventually leads to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus allows the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, marking the end of the Babylonian exile.
This passage directly echoes the lament of Psalm 79:3, describing a similar horrifying scenario where a lack of burial signifies God's judgment and the complete devastation of His people.
Ezekiel 39:11-16This prophecy speaks of a future burial ground in Israel for fallen enemies, highlighting the profound disgrace of unburied bodies and God's eventual restoration and cleansing of the land from death.
This passage from the Apocrypha directly quotes Psalm 79:3, showing how this verse was understood as a description of horrific violence and desecration, even in later historical accounts.
Jesus refers to the 'blood of all the righteous men' shed from Abel to Zechariah, connecting the idea of widespread, unavenged bloodshed to divine retribution, similar to the desolation lamented in the psalm.
pulpitPsalms 79:3: "Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them."
Verse 3. - Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem. During the long siege (eighteen months) the number slain in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem would be very large. And there was none to bury them (compare the prophecy of Jeremiah, Jeremiah 14:16). The population being for the most part carried into captivity, and but few left in the land (Jeremiah 52:15, 16), the bodi…
clarkePsalms 79:3: "Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them."
There was none to bury them - The Chaldeans would not; and the Jews who were not slain were carried into captivity.
The phrase "like water" doesn't just emphasize the quantity of blood shed, but also how carelessly and contemptuously it was treated, as if it held no more value than mere water. This detail highlights the utter dehumanization and disregard for life by the attackers.
The psalmist is lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by invading enemies, describing the horrific bloodshed and desecration. This verse follows the confession that God has given them over to their enemies, emphasizing the immense scale of the slaughter and the utter lack of care or respect shown to the fallen. The immediate aftermath, as depicted here, is a city strewn with unburied corpses, a stark testament to the enemy's brutality and the people's devastation.
The psalmist is lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by invading enemies, describing the horrific bloodshed and desecration. This verse follows the confession that God has given them over to their enemies, emphasizing the immense scale of the slaughter and the utter lack of care or respect shown to the fallen. The immediate aftermath, as depicted here, is a city strewn with unburied corpses, a stark testament to the enemy's brutality and the people's devastation.
"They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them." — The phrase "like water" doesn't just emphasize the quantity of blood shed, but also how carelessly and contemptuously it was treated, as if it held no more value than mere water. This detail highligh…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026