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Psalm 79:12
Pay back to our neighbors seven times into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached you, Lord.
10Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes, that vengeance for your servants’ blood is being poured out.
11Let the sighing of the prisoner come before you. According to the greatness of your power, preserve those who are sentenced to death.
12Pay back to our neighbors seven times into their bosom their reproach with which they have reproached you, Lord.
13So we, your people and sheep of your pasture, will give you thanks forever. We will praise you forever, to all generations.
Notice
“Seven times” makes this a severe prayer for repayment, spoken amid bloodshed and imprisonment, with the neighbors’ reproach aimed at the Lord himself.
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Luke 6:38“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure …Both use measured return, though Luke speaks of giving and receiving while the psalm asks for repayment of reproach.
Nehemiah 4:4“Hear, our God, for we are despised. Turn back their reproach on their own head. Give them up for a plunder in a land of captivity.Both prayers ask God to turn reproach back upon those responsible for it.
Genesis 4:15The LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” The LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that anyone finding him …Sevenfold vengeance appears in both texts, as a warning protecting Cain in Genesis and a request for repayment in the psalm.
Jeremiah 32:18You show loving kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them. The great, the mighty God, the LORD …Both describe God repaying wrongdoing into the bosom, though Jeremiah speaks of children and the psalm of reproaching neighbors.
Isaiah 65:6“Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will repay, yes, I will repay into their bosomBoth use repayment into the bosom: the psalm asks God to act, while Isaiah records God's declaration that he will repay.
Leviticus 26:21“‘If you walk contrary to me, and won’t listen to me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins.Both speak of sevenfold punishment, with Leviticus warning those who refuse God and the psalm seeking judgment against those who reproach him.
Numbers 15:30“‘But the soul who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, blasphemes the LORD. That soul shall be cut off from among his …Both concern dishonor directed at God and punishment for it, though Numbers states a penalty while the psalm makes a plea.
Nehemiah 2:17Then I said to them, “You see the bad situation that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come, let’s build up the wall of …Disgrace is the shared concern, though Nehemiah urges rebuilding while the psalm asks God to repay reproach.
Proverbs 6:31but if he is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.Both describe sevenfold repayment, though Proverbs concerns a thief's restitution and the psalm asks God to repay reproach.
Psalm 74:18–22Remember this, that the enemy has mocked you, LORD. Foolish people have blasphemed your name.Both prayers address God about enemies who mock him, treating the insult as directed against God himself.
Leviticus 26:28then I will walk contrary to you in wrath. I will also chastise you seven times for your sins.Both speak of sevenfold punishment, though Leviticus declares God's chastisement of his people and the psalm seeks repayment against neighbors.
Psalm 42:3My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”Both passages speak of taunts concerning God, with Psalm 42 describing tears and Psalm 79 asking for repayment.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The demand for repayment is hard to read. It is addressed to God, who is asked to answer reproach; the verse gives no command to take revenge.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).