Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name! For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This isn't just a plea for vengeance, but a divine accounting. The psalmist isn't asking for God's wrath on just anyone, but specifically on those who, having been exposed to God's truth, still refuse to acknowledge or call upon Him. This highlights that a knowing rejection of God invites a different level of divine response than an unacquainted ignorance.
Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name! For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm expresses the deep anguish of Israel after their land has been invaded and their temple desecrated by foreign nations. The psalmist acknowledges their sins have brought on this devastation, but cries out to God for deliverance, contrasting their plight with the wicked enemies who know nothing of God's name or power. This verse is a plea for God's justice to fall upon those who have oppressed His people and live in ignorance of Him.
It might seem harsh to ask for God's wrath to be poured out. But what does this prayer reveal about God's character and justice?
This verse is a prayer for divine justice, not personal revenge. The psalmist isn't asking for random destruction but for God's righteous judgment to fall on those who actively reject Him.
A Plea for Justice, Not Vengeance
The nations and kingdoms mentioned here are characterized by their ignorance of God ('do not know you') and their refusal to worship Him ('do not call upon your name'). This isn't about people who have never heard; it's about those who have heard, or whose actions show a clear contempt for God's name and authority, and who have actively harmed God's people.
God's Honor at Stake
The prayer is rooted in the belief that God's honor is at stake when His people are afflicted by those who do not know Him. The nations' actions dishonor God, and the psalmist appeals to God to vindicate His own name by bringing judgment.
Why does the psalm contrast the 'nations' with God's own people? What does it mean to 'know' and 'call upon' God's name?
This psalm highlights the unique relationship between God and His people, and the consequences of that relationship.
Knowing God
To 'know' God, in the biblical sense, goes beyond intellectual awareness. It implies an intimate relationship, trust, and obedience. The nations 'do not know' God in this profound way. They may be aware of His existence or power, but they do not live in relationship with Him.
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Calling on God's Name
Similarly, 'calling upon your name' signifies dependence, worship, and submission. It's an act of acknowledging God as sovereign and the source of all help. Kingdoms that do not do this are self-sufficient, relying on their own power and devising their own ways, apart from the Creator.
God's People are Accountable
By praying for judgment on those who don't know Him, the psalmist implicitly contrasts them with Israel, who do know and call upon God. While Israel has sinned and faces God's discipline (as context from the full psalm reveals), their identity is tied to their covenant relationship with God. This prayer is a desperate plea for God to act in a way that aligns with His covenant faithfulness and His justice, distinguishing between His people and those outside of that relationship.
Understand the original words
chemah · Hebrew Noun
Divine judgment or indignation against sin. In the Bible, God's anger is His righteous and necessary response to rebellion and wickedness, maintaining His holiness and justice.
qara' beshem · Hebrew Verb phrase
The act of invoking God's presence, authority, or character in prayer. It implies an acknowledgement of His lordship and a reliance upon His covenant promises.
Ya'aqob · Hebrew Proper Noun
Refers to the covenant people of God, Israel (descendants of Jacob/Israel). It symbolizes God's elect chosen for His purpose and presence.
This psalm cries out from the ashes of Jerusalem's destruction and the trauma of exile. The prayer for God's wrath to fall on the nations reflects a people grappling with profound injustice and seeking divine retribution against those who do not know God, contrasting their own brokenness with the perceived greater sin of their oppressors.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens and repopulating the area with foreigners. This event serves as a stark warning of divine judgment for covenant unfaithfulness.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonian Empire, under Nebuchadnezzar, conquers Judah, destroys Jerusalem, and razes Solomon's Temple. A significant portion of the population is exiled to Babylon.
c. 586-538 BC
Babylonian Exile
The descendants of Judah live in exile in Babylon, experiencing loss of homeland, temple worship, and national sovereignty. This period deeply shapes their theology and identity, fostering reflection on their relationship with God and their enemies.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus, overthrows the Babylonian Empire. This event opens the way for the return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem.
c. 516 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
Under Persian rule, the Jewish exiles return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. While a significant moment of restoration, it occurs in a context of diminished national power and ongoing foreign influence.
This passage directly echoes Psalm 79:6, showing a consistent prophetic and prayerful theme of invoking God's judgment on those who do not acknowledge Him.
Romans 1:18-23This New Testament passage explains the spiritual state of those who 'do not know God,' highlighting their rejection of Him and their resulting spiritual darkness, which parallels the 'heathen' described in the psalm.
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9This verse speaks of God's wrath being poured out on those who do not obey the gospel, connecting the psalm's imprecation to a future judgment for those who reject God and His name.
Revelation 16:1-19The description of God's wrath poured out on the earth in this passage reflects the intense, comprehensive judgment prayed for in Psalm 79:6 against those who have opposed God and His people.
pulpitPsalms 79:6: "Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name."
Verse 6. - Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee. It is not the heathen that had never heard of God who are intended, but those who, having heard of him, had refused to "know" him (comp. Exodus 5:2), as was the case with all the nations round about Canaan. And upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy Name. Now that we are punished,…
clarkePsalms 79:6: "Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name."
Pour out thy wrath - Bad as we are, we are yet less wicked than they. We, it is true, have been unfaithful; but they never knew thy name, and are totally abandoned to idolatry.
This isn't just a plea for vengeance, but a divine accounting. The psalmist isn't asking for God's wrath on just anyone, but specifically on those who, having been exposed to God's truth, still refuse to acknowledge or call upon Him. This highlights that a knowing rejection of God invites a different level of divine response than an unacquainted ignorance.
This psalm expresses the deep anguish of Israel after their land has been invaded and their temple desecrated by foreign nations. The psalmist acknowledges their sins have brought on this devastation, but cries out to God for deliverance, contrasting their plight with the wicked enemies who know nothing of God's name or power. This verse is a plea for God's justice to fall upon those who have oppressed His people and live in ignorance of Him.
This psalm expresses the deep anguish of Israel after their land has been invaded and their temple desecrated by foreign nations. The psalmist acknowledges their sins have brought on this devastation, but cries out to God for deliverance, contrasting their plight with the wicked enemies who know nothing of God's name or power. This verse is a plea for God's justice to fall upon those who have oppressed His people and live in ignorance of Him.
"Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name! For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation." — This isn't just a plea for vengeance, but a divine accounting. The psalmist isn't asking for God's wrath on just anyone, but specifically on those who, having been exposed to God's truth, still refus…
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Last reviewed October 2026