Psalm 80

Psalm 80 (Greek numbering: Psalm 79) is the 80th psalm in the biblical Book of Psalms.

This article uses the Hebrew (Masoretic) Psalms numbering. Psalm 80 in Septuagint/Vulgate numbering would correspond to Psalm 81 in Hebrew numbering.

Psalm 80
"Hear Us, Shepherd of Israel"
Psalm 80 from Las alabancas de santidad, a Spanish translation of the Books of Psalms by Rabbi Judah Leon Templo (d. 1675), Amsterdam 1671.
Text	A Psalm of Asaph
Language	Hebrew (original)

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 80:[1]

Verse	Hebrew
1	לַֽמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶל־שֽׁוֹשַׁנִּ֑ים עֵד֖וּת לְאָסָ֣ף מִזְמֽוֹר
2	רֹ֘עֵ֚ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל | הַֽאֲזִ֗ינָה נֹהֵ֣ג כַּצֹּ֣אן יוֹסֵ֑ף יֹשֵׁ֖ב הַכְּרוּבִ֣ים הוֹפִֽיעָה
3	לִפְנֵ֚י אֶפְרַ֨יִם | וּבִנְיָ֘מִ֚ן וּמְנַשֶּׁ֗ה עֽוֹרְרָ֥ה אֶת־גְּבֽוּרָתֶ֑ךָ וּלְכָ֖ה לִֽישֻׁעָ֣תָה לָּֽנוּ
4	אֱלֹהִ֥ים הֲשִׁיבֵ֑נוּ וְהָאֵ֥ר פָּ֜נֶ֗יךָ וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעָה
5	יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָא֑וֹת עַד־מָתַ֥י עָ֜שַׁ֗נְתָּ בִּתְפִלַּ֥ת עַמֶּֽךָ
6	הֶ֣אֱכַלְתָּם לֶ֣חֶם דִּמְעָ֑ה וַ֜תַּשְׁקֵ֗מוֹ בִּדְמָע֥וֹת שָׁלִֽישׁ
7	תְּשִׂימֵ֣נוּ מָ֖דוֹן לִשְׁכֵנֵ֑ינוּ וְ֜אֹֽיְבֵ֗ינוּ יִלְעֲגוּ־לָֽמוֹ
8	אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָא֣וֹת הֲשִׁיבֵ֑נוּ וְהָאֵ֥ר פָּ֜נֶ֗יךָ וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעָה
9	גֶּפֶן מִמִּצְרַ֣יִם תַּסִּ֑יעַ תְּגָרֵ֥שׁ גּ֜וֹיִ֗ם וַתִּטָּעֶֽהָ
10	פִּנִּ֥יתָ לְפָנֶ֑יהָ וַתַּשְׁרֵ֥שׁ שָֽׁ֜רָשֶׁ֗יהָ וַתְּמַלֵּא־אָֽרֶץ
11	כָּסּ֣וּ הָרִ֣ים צִלָּ֑הּ וַֽ֜עֲנָפֶ֗יהָ אַרְזֵי־אֵֽל
12	תְּשַׁלַּ֣ח קְצִירֶ֣הָ עַד־יָ֑ם וְאֶל־נָ֜הָ֗ר יֽוֹנְקוֹתֶֽיהָ
13	לָמָּה פָּרַ֣צְתָּ גְדֵרֶ֑יהָ וְ֜אָר֗וּהָ כָּל־עֹ֥בְרֵי דָֽרֶךְ
14	יְכַרְסְמֶ֣נָּה חֲזִ֣יר מִיָּ֑עַר וְזִ֖יז שָׂדַ֣י יִרְעֶֽנָּה
15	אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָאוֹת֘ שׁ֪וּב נָ֥֫א הַבֵּ֣ט מִשָּׁמַ֣יִם וּרְאֵ֑ה וּ֜פְקֹ֗ד גֶּ֣פֶן זֹֽאת
16	וְכַנָּה אֲשֶׁר־נָֽטְעָ֣ה יְמִינֶ֑ךָ וְעַל־בֵּ֜֗ן אִמַּ֥צְתָּה לָּֽךְ
17	שְׂרֻפָ֣ה בָאֵ֣שׁ כְּסוּחָ֑ה מִגַּֽעֲרַ֖ת פָּנֶ֣יךָ יֹאבֵֽדוּ
18	תְּֽהִי־יָֽ֖דְךָ עַל־אִ֣ישׁ יְמִינֶ֑ךָ עַל־בֶּן־אָ֜דָ֗ם אִמַּ֥צְתָּ לָּֽךְ
19	וְלֹֽא־נָס֥וֹג מִמֶּ֑ךָּ תְּ֜חַיֵּ֗ינוּ וּבְשִׁמְךָ֥ נִקְרָֽא
20	יְהֹ֘וָ֚ה אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָא֣וֹת הֲשִׁיבֵ֑נוּ הָאֵ֥ר פָּ֜נֶ֗יךָ וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעָה

King James Version

The following is the full English text of the Psalm from the King James Bible.

To the chief Musician upon ShoshannimEduth, A Psalm of Asaph.

1. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4. O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5. Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
8. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13. The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
15. And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16. It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Verse numbering

In the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 80:1 comprises the designation

To the chief Musician upon ShoshannimEduth, A Psalm of Asaph. (KJV)

From then on Psalm 80:1–19 in English versions correspond to verses 2–20 in the Hebrew text.

Commentary

This psalm is classified as a 'communal lament', and having northern Israel as its main concern, so it may come from the period towards the end of the northern kingdom.[2] Some links have been traced to Isaiah, with a 'similar image of a vineyard whose wall God breaks down' (Isaiah 5:1–7), also to Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who both refer to YHWH as shepherd, although the exact phrase 'Shepherd of Israel' is unique in this psalm.[2]

The existence of refrain (verses 3, 7, 19) is unusual, and the first two marks off the first two parts of the psalm, with the rest of the psalm forming a final section. The division is as follows:[2]

1. Verses 1–2: a call to God for help (refrain in verse 3)
2. Verses 4–6: an urgent plea and complaint at God's treatment of his people (refrain in verse 7)
3. Verses 8–13: a description of God's past care of Israel (with the figure of the vine alluding to the Exodus and conquest, and the present distress)
4. Verses 14–17: a renewal of petition with a vow to return to God in verse 18, and a repetition of the refrain in verse 19.[2]

Uses

Judaism

• Is recited on the third day of Passover in some traditions.[3]
• Is recited on the second day of Sukkot in some traditions.[3]

Christianity

• Is recited some days during Lent, as part of Lauds (Morning Prayer) of the Divine Office .

References

1. "Tehillim - Psalms - Chapter 80". Chabad.org. 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
2. Rodd, C. S. (2007). "18. Psalms". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 389. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
3. The Artscroll Tehillim page 329

External links

• Psalm 80 in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre
• Psalm 80 King James Bible - Wikisource