King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
[A man] was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.
Complete Jewish Bible:
The place seemed like a thicket of trees when lumbermen hack away with their axes.
Berean Standard Bible:
like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees
American Standard Version:
They seemed as men that lifted up Axes upon a thicket of trees.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
A man was famous{H3045}{H8735)} according as he had lifted up{H935}{H8688)}{H4605} axes{H7134} upon the thick{H5442} trees{H6086}.
Cross-References (KJV):
2 Chronicles 2:14
- The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father [was] a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.
Jeremiah 46:22
- The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
Jeremiah 46:23
- They shall cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and [are] innumerable.
1 Kings 5:6
- Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that [there is] not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
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Commentary for Psalms 74:5
Psalm 74:5 is part of a lament psalm attributed to Asaph, a temple musician and one of the leaders of David's choir. The psalm reflects a time of national crisis, likely during the Babylonian exile or a similar period of destruction and desecration of the temple in Jerusalem. The verse speaks of an assailant who, with great notoriety, wielded axes against the "thick trees," a metaphor for the strong and majestic cedars of Lebanon that were used in the construction of the temple and palaces.
In the historical context, the "thick trees" symbolize the strength and glory of Israel, particularly the temple, which was a central symbol of God's presence with His people. The act of lifting up axes against these trees is emblematic of the enemy's deliberate and violent assault on the core of Jewish identity and faith. The verse conveys the severity of the destruction and the sense of loss and humiliation felt by the Israelites as their sacred spaces were ravaged.
The themes of Psalm 74:5 include the trauma of desecration, the pain of witnessing the destruction of sacred spaces, and the challenge to faith that comes with such national disasters. The psalmist calls on God to remember His people and His dwelling place, pleading for divine intervention and justice against the adversaries who have shown no reverence for the sanctuary or the God of Israel. This verse encapsulates the desperation and anguish of a people whose religious and national foundations have been viciously attacked, and it underscores the human tendency to find meaning and solace in physical symbols of the divine, even as they acknowledge that their ultimate hope lies in God's power and faithfulness.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H3045
There are 873 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָדַע
Transliteration: yâdaʻ
Pronunciation: yaw-dah'
Description: a primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.); acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, [idiom] could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel, can have, be (ig-) norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause to let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have (knowledge), (be, make, make to be, make self) known, [phrase] be learned, [phrase] lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, [idiom] prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell, understand, have (understanding), [idiom] will be, wist, wit, wot. - Strong's Number: H935
There are 2307 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בּוֹא
Transliteration: bôwʼ
Pronunciation: bo
Description: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way. - Strong's Number: H4605
There are 134 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מַעַל
Transliteration: maʻal
Pronunciation: mah'al
Description: from עָלָה; properly, the upper part, used only adverbially with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top, etc.; above, exceeding(-ly), forward, on ([idiom] very) high, over, up(-on, -ward), very. - Strong's Number: H7134
There are 5 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קַרְדֹּם
Transliteration: qardôm
Pronunciation: kar-dome'
Description: perhaps from קָדַם in the sense of striking upon; an axe; ax. - Strong's Number: H5442
There are 4 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: סְבָךְ
Transliteration: çᵉbâk
Pronunciation: seb-awk'
Description: from סָבַךְ,; a copse; thick(-et). - Strong's Number: H6086
There are 288 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עֵץ
Transliteration: ʻêts
Pronunciation: ates
Description: from עָצָה; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks); [phrase] carpenter, gallows, helve, [phrase] pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.