Psalm 74 is part of the Biblical Book of Psalms

Psalms

The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...

. A community lament

Lament

A lament or lamentation is a song, poem, or piece of music expressing grief, regret, or mourning.-History:Many of the oldest and most lasting poems in human history have been laments. Laments are present in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and laments continued to be sung in elegiacs accompanied by...

, it expresses the pleas of the Jewish community in the Babylonian captivity

Babylonian captivity

The Babylonian captivity was the period in Jewish history during which the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon—conventionally 587–538 BCE....

. It begins in verses 1-3 by imploring God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

 to recall his people, and Mount Zion

Mount Zion

Mount Zion is a place name for a site in Jerusalem, the location of which has shifted several times in history. According to the Hebrew Bible's Book of Samuel, it was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the "stronghold of Zion" that was conquered by King David, becoming his palace in the City...

, and continues in verses 4-11 by describing the destruction of the Temple

Temple in Jerusalem

The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...

 by Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadrezzar II

Nebuchadnezzar II was king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, who reigned c. 605 BC – 562 BC. According to the Bible, he conquered Judah and Jerusalem, and sent the Jews into exile. He is credited with the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and also known for the destruction...

. Verses 12-17 praise the might of God; the psalm ends (verses 18-23) by imposing the Lord to remember Israel and come to their aid.

Verses 13-14 particularly memorializes God's creation of the world in terms and details quite different from Genesis 1; here God contends with the "dragons in the waters", and crushes the "heads of Leviathan

Leviathan

Leviathan , is a sea monster referred to in the Bible. In Demonology, Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell and its gatekeeper . The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature...

", who is then given as food to the wild beasts. This is similar to Canaan

Canaan

Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...

ite creation myths, and is echoed in the text of Psalm 89

Psalm 89

Psalm 89 is in the Book of Psalms, part of the Hebrew Bible.The superscription of this Psalm claims that it was written by Ethan, the Ezrahite. Ethan the Ezrahite, along with Heman the Ezrahite , was a wise man from the time of Solomon...

:9-10.

Judaism

• Is recited on the fast of the Tenth of Tevet
  Tenth of Tevet
  Tenth of Tevet , the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, is a minor fast day in Judaism. It is a "low fast" observed from sunrise to sunset. The day has no relationship to Hanukkah, but it happens to follow that festival by a week...
  
   in some traditions.
• Is recited on the second day of Passover
  Passover
  Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
  
   in some traditions.
• Verses 2 and 12 are recited during the blessings before the Shema on the second day of Rosh Hashanah
  Rosh Hashanah
  Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
  
  .