John Calvin Commentary Psalms 79:12

"And render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord." — Psalms 79:12 (ASV)

And render to our neighbors sevenfold. We have already said enough on the subject of vengeance; and here the faithful show still more clearly that they are not so much moved by the injuries done to themselves personally, as inflamed with a holy zeal when they see the sacred name of God blasphemed, and, as it were, torn in pieces by the wicked. If this affection reigns in our hearts, it will easily moderate the ungovernableness of our flesh, and if the wisdom of the Spirit is added to it, our prayers will be in strict accordance with the just judgment of God.

In the last verse, the pious Jews declare that the fruit of their deliverance will be that the name of God will be celebrated; and we ought not to desire our preservation or welfare for any other end. When he freely bestows upon us all things, the design for which he does this is that his goodness may be made known and exalted.

Now, these sufferers engage to make a grateful acknowledgment of their deliverance, and declare that this will not be done merely for a short time, but that the remembrance of it will be transmitted to their posterity, and pass, in continued succession, from age to age to the end of the world. The particular designation here given to them is also worthy of notice: We are your people, and the sheep of your pasture. As the posterity of Abraham were chosen to celebrate the name of God and for his praises to resound in Zion, what would have been the consequence, had that people been destroyed, if not that the memory of the name of God would have perished? This passage, there is no doubt, corresponds with that prophecy of Isaiah: This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise (Isaiah 43:21).