John Calvin Commentary Psalms 79:11

"Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee: According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to death;" — Psalms 79:11 (ASV)

Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. The people of God, I have no doubt, were in captivity when the Holy Spirit inspired this prayer. Therefore, the name of prisoners is applied to them all in general, because they were so confined within the borders of Assyria and Chaldea that if they had moved one step from there, they would have incurred the penalty of death.

They are called the children of death, meaning that they were appointed or condemned to death because of their captivity. This designation, however, may also rightly apply to a small number who were imprisoned under closer confinement.

By this expression, it is suggested that those proud spirits who had previously boasted against God were now broken and effectively humbled. The greatness of God’s arm—that is, the greatness of His power—is implored, for without a remarkable and extraordinary intervention on His part, there could be no hope for the restoration of the Church.