Psalm 74:6
New International Version
They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets.

New Living Translation
With axes and picks, they smashed the carved paneling.

English Standard Version
And all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers.

Berean Standard Bible
and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

King James Bible
But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

New King James Version
And now they break down its carved work, all at once, With axes and hammers.

New American Standard Bible
And now they break down all its carved work With axe and hammers.

NASB 1995
And now all its carved work They smash with hatchet and hammers.

NASB 1977
And now all its carved work They smash with hatchet and hammers.

Legacy Standard Bible
And now its carved work altogether They smash with hatchet and hammers.

Amplified Bible
And now all the carved work [of the meeting place] They smash with hatchets and hammers.

Christian Standard Bible
then smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
then smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

American Standard Version
And now all the carved work thereof They break down with hatchet and hammers.

Contemporary English Version
They used axes and hatchets to smash the carvings.

English Revised Version
And now all the carved work thereof together they break down with hatchet and hammers.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They smashed all its carved paneling with axes and hatchets.

Good News Translation
They smashed all the wooden panels with their axes and sledge hammers.

International Standard Version
now they're tearing down all its carved work with hatchets and hammers.

Majority Standard Bible
and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

NET Bible
And now they are tearing down all its engravings with axes and crowbars.

New Heart English Bible
Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers.

Webster's Bible Translation
But now they break down the carved work of it at once with axes and hammers.

World English Bible
Now they break all its carved work down with hatchet and hammers.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And now they break down its engravings, "" Together, with axe and hatchet,

Young's Literal Translation
And now, its carvings together With axe and hatchet they break down,

Smith's Literal Translation
And now with axes and hammers they will beat her engravings.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
they have cut down at once the gates thereof, with axe and hatchet they have brought it down.

Catholic Public Domain Version
they have cut down the entrances themselves. With axe and hatchet, they have brought it down.

New American Bible
They smashed all its engraved work, struck it with ax and pick.

New Revised Standard Version
And then, with hatchets and hammers, they smashed all its carved work.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They have destroyed everything with axes and hammers.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They hewed down the doors together with axes, like a forest of trees with axes and with hammers.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And now all the carved work thereof together They strike down with hatchet and hammers.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
they cut down its doors at once with axes as in a wood of trees; they have broken it down with hatchet and stone cutter.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Why Have You Rejected Us Forever?
5like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees 6and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks. 7They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your Name.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 52:13
He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.

2 Kings 25:9
He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building.

Lamentations 2:7
The Lord has rejected His altar; He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has delivered the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast.

2 Chronicles 36:19
Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value.

Isaiah 64:11
Our holy and beautiful temple, where our fathers praised You, has been burned with fire, and all that was dear to us lies in ruins.

Ezekiel 7:20-22
His beautiful ornaments they transformed into pride and used them to fashion their vile images and detestable idols. Therefore I will make these into something unclean for them. / And I will hand these things over as plunder to foreigners and loot to the wicked of the earth, who will defile them. / I will turn My face away from them, and they will defile My treasured place. Violent men will enter it, and they will defile it.

1 Kings 9:7-8
then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples. / And when this temple has become a heap of rubble, all who pass by it will be appalled and will hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’

Micah 3:12
Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.

Nehemiah 2:3
and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

Jeremiah 7:14
therefore what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears My Name, the house in which you trust, the place that I gave to you and your fathers.

Matthew 24:2
“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Mark 13:2
“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Luke 21:6
“As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Acts 6:14
For we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”

John 2:19-21
Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” / “This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” / But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body.


Treasury of Scripture

But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

1 Kings 6:18,29,32,35
And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen…

Jump to Previous
Altogether Axe Axes Blades Break Broke Broken Carved Carvings Doors Hammers Iron Once Paneling Smash Smashed Strike Thereof Together Wood Work
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Altogether Axe Axes Blades Break Broke Broken Carved Carvings Doors Hammers Iron Once Paneling Smash Smashed Strike Thereof Together Wood Work
Psalm 74
1. The prophet complains of the desolation of the sanctuary
10. He moves God to help in consideration of his power
18. Of his reproachful enemies, or his children and of his covenant.














and now they are smashing
This phrase captures a moment of intense destruction and desecration. The Hebrew root for "smashing" is "שָׁבַר" (shabar), which conveys the idea of breaking or shattering. Historically, this reflects the physical destruction of sacred spaces, likely during the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem. The act of smashing is not just physical but symbolic of the breaking of covenantal relationships and the desecration of what is holy. In a spiritual sense, it calls believers to reflect on the times when the sacred is profaned in their own lives and the need for restoration and reverence.

all the carvings
The term "carvings" refers to the intricate woodwork and artistic designs that adorned the temple. These were not merely decorative but held deep spiritual significance, representing the beauty and glory of God's dwelling place. The Hebrew word "פִּתּוּחַ" (pittuach) suggests engraved or sculpted work, emphasizing the craftsmanship and devotion that went into creating a space worthy of divine presence. The destruction of these carvings symbolizes a loss of beauty and order, urging believers to consider how they can restore and preserve the sanctity and beauty of their own spiritual lives.

with hatchets and axes
The use of "hatchets and axes" indicates the deliberate and violent nature of the destruction. These tools, typically used for building and creating, are here repurposed for tearing down and destroying. The Hebrew words "כַּשִּׁיל" (kashil) for hatchet and "גַּרְזֶן" (garzen) for axe highlight the irony and tragedy of using instruments of construction for destruction. This imagery serves as a powerful reminder of how tools and talents given by God can be misused for harm rather than for building His kingdom. It challenges believers to examine how they use their own gifts and resources in service to God and others.

Verse 6. - But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers. The "carved work" (pittuchim) of the temple consisted of the cherubim and palm trees and open flowers which formed the decoration of the temple walls (see 1 Kings 6:29, where the same word, pittuchim, is used). This superficial carved work may have been broken down for the sake of the gold with which it was overlaid (1 Kings 6:22, 32, 35).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and smashing
יַהֲלֹמֽוּן׃ (ya·hă·lō·mūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 1986: To strike down, to hammer, stamp, conquer, disband

all
יָּ֑חַד (yā·ḥaḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 3162: A unit, unitedly

the carved work
פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ (pit·tū·ḥe·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6603: An engraving

with hatchets
בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל (bə·ḵaš·šîl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3781: A feller, an axe

and picks.
וְ֝כֵֽילַפֹּ֗ת (wə·ḵê·lap·pōṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3597: A club, sledge-hammer


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OT Poetry: Psalm 74:6 Now they break all its carved work (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 74:5
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