Psalms 74:6 — Word Study
WLCוְ֭עַתָּה פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ יָּ֑חַד בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃
BSAandʻattâh smashinghâlam▸ [breaking down, demolishing] allyachad the carvingspittûwach [engravings, intricate designs] with hatchetskashshîyl△ [axes, heavy tools] and pickskêylaph△ [hammers, crushing instruments]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְ֭עַתָּה | and now | Conjunction, adverb |
| פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ | engravings its | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| יָּ֑חַד | altogether | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל | with axe[s] | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת | and crowbars | Conjunction, noun common feminine plural absolute |
| יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃ | they struck ! | Verb qal imperfect third person masculine plural, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks. |
| KJV | But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. |
| ASV | And now all the carved work thereof They break down with hatchet and hammers. |
| YLT | And now, its carvings together With axe and hatchet they break down, |
| WEB | Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers. |
| BBE | Your doors are broken down with hammers and iron blades. |
The translations agree on the rendering of יַהֲלֹמֽוּן as 'they struck' or 'they smashed.'
The main action is straightforward, with supporting phrases detailing the objects and tools involved in the destruction.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
2 of 6 occur nowhere else in the Old Testament — words chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 74:6
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Lament Over the Destruction of the Sanctuarygenerated
Psalm 74:6 reflects the anguish of the psalmist as they witness the destruction of sacred carvings in the temple. This verse is part of a broader lament that recounts the devastation brought upon God's dwelling place, emphasizing the violence and disregard shown by the enemy. The psalmist mourns not only the physical destruction but also the spiritual implications of such acts against the sanctuary of God.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Kings 6:18–29 | The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יַהֲלֹמֽוּן, ya.ha.lo.Mungenerated
The verb יַהֲלֹמֽוּן (ya.ha.lo.Mun) is a third-person masculine plural form meaning 'they struck' or 'they smote.' It is derived from the root הָלַם (halam), which conveys the idea of striking down or conquering. This word emphasizes the violent action taken against the carvings, suggesting a forceful and deliberate act of destruction.
In this context, the use of the verb indicates the intensity of the assault on the sacred objects, reflecting the psalmist's deep sorrow and anger over the desecration of what is holy.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
Translations generally agree on the rendering of יַהֲלֹמֽוּן as 'they struck' or 'they smashed.' The BSB, KJV, and ASV all maintain this interpretation, emphasizing the violent action taken against the carvings.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse is straightforward, with a conjunction introducing the action: וְ֭עַתָּה (and now). The main verb יַהֲלֹמֽוּן (they struck) governs the action, which is described by the noun phrases פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ (its engravings) and the tools used, בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל (with axes) and וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת (and crowbars).
The sentence flows logically, detailing the act of destruction in a unified manner, with each component contributing to the overall image of devastation.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יַהֲלֹמֽוּן as κατέρραχαν, which conveys a similar sense of striking down or breaking apart. This choice reflects the translators' understanding of the violent act described in the Hebrew text.
The use of a different Greek term suggests a slight nuance in interpretation, focusing on the act of breaking rather than merely striking.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 74:6 describes how enemies have violently destroyed the carvings in God's temple using axes and crowbars. This act of destruction highlights the deep sorrow and anger of the psalmist over the desecration of what is holy.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The psalmist is lamenting the destruction of sacred engravings in the temple, which represent God's presence and holiness.
These tools symbolize the violent and forceful nature of the attack on the temple, emphasizing the seriousness of the desecration.
The verse conveys a deep sense of loss and outrage over the destruction of God's sanctuary and the sacred objects within it.
This verse is part of a lament that addresses the suffering of God's people and the consequences of their enemies' actions against God's dwelling place.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What emotions do you think the psalmist is expressing in this verse?
- How can we understand the significance of sacred spaces in our own lives?
- In what ways can we respond to the destruction or desecration of what we hold sacred?
- How does this verse challenge us to think about the protection of our spiritual heritage?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Augustine of Hippo comments on the destruction described in this psalm, noting its evident nature and the need to address it without delay.
Now let us hasten over the verses following after the destruction of Jerusalem, for the reason that they are both evident, and it does not please me to tarry over the punishment even of enemies.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 74 →
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 74:6 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBut now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.
Read John Gill on Psalms 74 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryLift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. -The enemy has destroyed God's sanctuary and synagogues, and there are no tokens of God's presence in the land.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 74 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleSee Poole "". Axes and hammers: it hath been ingeniously observed that these two words are not Hebrew, but Chaldee or Syriac words, to point out the time when this was done, even when the Chaldeans brought in their language together with their arms among the Israelites.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 74 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 74:6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.Ver. 6. But now they break down the carved work thereof] The Chaldeans did with military violence, and afterwards the Romans under Titus, who could not preserve it from the soldiers’ fury, though he desired so to have done, as some historians have told us. Now, if the enemies’ rage were so great as is here described against the outward marks of religion, how much more should our zeal kindle against the most costly or curious monuments of idolatry and superstition? Zisca, the valiant Bohemian, overthrew three hundred monasteries with their idols, and among the rest the famous monastery called the king’…
Read John Trapp on Psalms 74 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges4–9. A graphic picture of the desecration of the Temple by the heathen enemies of Israel.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 74 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleBut now they break down the carved work thereof ... - literally, “But now the carvings of it together, at once, with sledge and hammers they beat down.” The carved work refers evidently to the ornaments of the temple.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 74 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.
Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers.
and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.
And now they are tearing down all its engravings with axes and crowbars.
Tyndale line
But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.
And now all the carved work thereof They break down with hatchet and hammers.
And now all the carved work thereof together they break down with hatchet and hammers.
But now they break down the carved work of it at once with axes and hammers.
But nowe they breake downe the carued worke thereof with axes and hammers.
Strictly literal
And now they break down its carved work altogether, with hatchets and hammers.
And now, its carvings together With axe and hatchet they break down,
And now they break down its engravings, || Together, with axe and hatchet,
And now they hew in pieces the carved work thereof altogether with hatchets and hammers.
They smashed and broke down all the engravings; they broke them with axes and hammers.
From the Latin
Lift not up your horn on high: speak not iniquity against God.
Simplified
With axes and hammers they smashed in the carved wooden panels.
Your doors are broken down with hammers and iron blades.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text of Psalms 74:6 states, "וְ֭עַתָּה פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ יָּ֑חַד בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃" which translates to a description of smashing carvings. The Septuagint, while not providing a direct translation of this verse, has a word-by-word correspondence that matches 4 of the 6 words from the Masoretic Text, indicating some level of agreement, though the exact phrasing and structure differ. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Dead Sea Scrolls do not provide additional evidence for this specific verse in a way that would clarify or contrast with the Masoretic Text, so their positions remain unexamined in this instance.
וְ֭עַתָּה פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ יָּ֑חַד בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃
4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 74:6
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
עַתָּ֫ה (attah) is an adverb of time meaning 'now.' It can also function as a conjunction or expletive, indicating immediacy or a current moment. The word is derived from a related term, עַת (att), and is used in various contexts to denote the present time.
עַתָּ֫ה 435, עָ֑֫תָּה, adv. of time, now
base
H6258 עַתָּ֫ה, עָ֑֫תָּה of time, now
6258 `attah at-taw'
from 6256; at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or
expletive:--henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.
see HEBREW for 06256
עַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) — now.
1) now
1a) now
1b) in phrases
Conj | Adv — Conjunction · adverbHC/D
פִּתּוּחַ (pittuwach) refers to engraving or carving, indicating a form of sculpture that can be in low or high relief. It is derived from the root word for sculpture, פָּתַח (patah), and is noted in various lexicons for its application in artistic contexts.
פִּתּוּחַ n.m. engraving
base
H6603 פִּתּוּחַ engraving
6603 pittuwach pit-too'-akh
or pittuach {pit-too'-akh; passive participle of 6605;
sculpture (in low or high relief or even intaglio):--carved
(work) (are, en-)grave(-ing, -n).
see HEBREW for 06605
פִּתּוּחַ (pit.tu.ach) — engraving.
engraving, carving
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp3fs
יַ֫חַד (yachad) refers to the concept of unitedness or being together. It can function as a noun meaning 'unitedness' and as an adverb meaning 'together.' The word is built from a root that emphasizes unity and is used in various contexts in the Old Testament.
יַ֫חַד 45 n.[m.] unitedness
as subst.
elsewhere always in acc. as adv. in union, together
base
יָחְדָּו 92 adv. together
base
H3162a יַ֫חַד unitedness . as subst.
. elsewhere always in acc. as adv. in union, together
H3162b יָחְדָּו adv. together
3162 yachad yakh'-ad
from 3161; properly, a unit, i.e. (adverb) unitedly:--alike,
at all (once), both, likewise, only, (al-)together, withal.
see HEBREW for 03161
יַ֫חַד (ya.chad) — unitedness.
1) union, unitedness
יָחְדָּו (yach.dav) — together.
adv
together
Adv — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
ol-too-geth'-er: Representing five Hebrew and three Greek originals, which variously signify
(1) "together"; i.e. all, e.g. `all men, high and low, weighed together in God's balance are lighter than vanity' (Ps 62:9); so also Ps 53:3; Jer 10:8.
(2) "all": so the Revised Version (British and American), Isa 10:8: "Are not my princes all of them kings?"
כַּשִּׁיל (kashshiyl) means 'axe' and is derived from the root word for 'to cut down.' It is used in Psalm 74:6, where it refers specifically to the tool used for felling trees.
כַּשִּׁיל n.[m.] axe—ψ 74:6.
ref
H3781 כַּשִּׁיל
3781 kashshiyl kash-sheel'
from 3782; properly, a feller, i.e. an axe: -ax.
see HEBREW for 03782
כַּשִּׁיל (kash.shil) — axe.
axe
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
כֵּילַפּוֹת (*keylaphot*) refers to an axe, derived from an unused root meaning to clap or strike with noise. The term appears in contexts related to tools, specifically large axes. The Brown-Driver-Briggs entry notes its origins as a loanword from Assyrian, while the Strong's entry emphasizes its connection to striking tools like hammers.
כֵּילַפּוֹת n.[f.] axe (loan-word (cf. Frä 74) fr. As. kalappatu v. DI HWB 333)—בְּכַשִּׁיל וְכ׳ יַהֲלֹמ֑וּן ψ 74:6 (∥ קַרְדֻּמּֽוֹת v 5).
done
H3597 כֵּילַפּוֹת, כֵּילַף
3597 keylaph kay-laf'
from an unused root meaning to clap or strike with noise; a
club or sledge-hammer:--hammer.
כֵּילַפּוֹת (ke.laph) — axe.
large axes, axe
Conj | N-fp — Conjunction · noun common feminine plural absoluteHC/Ncfpa
הָלַם (halam) is a Hebrew verb meaning to strike, hammer, or strike down. It conveys actions such as beating down, breaking, or overcoming. The entries indicate that this word is a primitive root and primarily used in the context of physical actions like smiting or conquering.
[הָלַם] vb. strike, hammer, strike down
base
H1986 [הָלַם] strike, hammer, strike down
1986 halam haw-lam'
a primitive root; to strike down; by implication, to hammer,
stamp, conquer, disband:--beat (down), break (down), overcome,
smite (with the hammer).
הָלַם (ha.lam) — to smite.
(Qal) to smite, strike, hammer, strike down
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp | Suff — Verb qal imperfect third person masculine plural · suffixHVqi3mp/Sn