Psalm 74:18
ESV
Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name.
NIV
Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name.
NASB
Remember this, Lord, that the enemy has taunted You, And a foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.
CSB
Remember this: the enemy has mocked the Lord, and a foolish people has insulted your name.
NLT
See how these enemies insult you, Lord. A foolish nation has dishonored your name.
KJV
Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
NKJV
Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O Lord, And that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name.
What does Psalm 74:18 mean?
Please see our chapter commentary on Psalm 74, verse-level content coming soon!Psalm 74:12–23 provide a dramatic shift in the writer's thinking. The previous passage grieved that God had allowed the temple in Jerusalem to be destroyed. Now, the psalmist turns his attention to what he already knows about the Lord. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. This brings confidence that these prayers for justice will be met. The psalm ends with an appeal for God to honor His covenant with Israel by destroying those who oppose the Lord and His chosen people.
This is a "maskil," probably referring to a musical arrangement. The psalmist mourns that God has allowed an enemy to obliterate the temple: the sanctuary of God in Israel. The nation is overrun and there is no prophetic voice. Though this is a low point, the psalmist knows that the Lord is all-powerful and all-knowing. He prays that God will reverse these terrible events soon, bringing justice to Israel's enemies.