Psalms 80:6-16

6 Thou makest us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies mock at it.

7 God of Hosts, turn us back, And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved.

8 A vine out of Egypt Thou dost bring, Thou dost cast out nations, and plantest it.

9 Thou hast looked before it, and dost root it, And it filleth the land,

10 Covered have been hills [with] its shadow, And its boughs [are] cedars of God.

11 It sendeth forth its branches unto the sea, And unto the river its sucklings.

12 Why hast Thou broken down its hedges, And all passing by the way have plucked it?

13 A boar out of the forest doth waste it, And a wild beast of the fields consumeth it.

14 God of Hosts, turn back, we beseech Thee, Look from heaven, and see, and inspect this vine,

15 And the root that Thy right hand planted, And the branch Thou madest strong for Thee,

16 Burnt with fire -- cut down, From the rebuke of Thy face they perish.

Psalms 80:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Of the word "shoshannim," See Gill on "Ps 45:1," and of "shushaneduth," See Gill on "Ps 60:1" which seems to be the same with this here, and is thought by some to be the name of a musical instrument now unknown, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; though these two words are not to be read together as one, for there is a dividing accent on "shoshannim," and which may be rendered "concerning the lilies" {a}; and so may denote the subject matter of the psalm, or respect the people of God, comparable to lilies for their beauty, purity, and holiness in Christ, Song of Solomon 6:2, and to lilies among thorns, Song of Solomon 2:2, being in great afflictions and persecutions, as appears from Psalm 80:5, the word "eduth" is to be read not along with "shoshannim," but with what follows, thus, "Eduth unto Asaph a psalm"; some render the word "eduth" an ornament or glory, as R. Marinus in Aben Ezra; and take the sense to be, that the psalm was a glorious one, and desirable to Asaph; but it rather signifies a testimony, and is by the Targum interpreted of the testimony of the law; but it is rather to be understood of the testimony of the Gospel, which is the testimony of Christ, and bears witness of him; and there is a testimony of him in this psalm, Psalm 80:17, and there seem to be in it many breathings after his coming and appearance in the flesh. Some take this psalm to be of the same argument with the foregoing, and think it refers to the destruction of the Jews, the two tribes, by the Chaldeans; so Theodoret; but there is no mention made of the temple, nor of Jerusalem, as in the preceding psalm; and besides, why should Manasseh and Ephraim be mentioned? wherefore others are of opinion that it has regard to the captivity of the ten tribes by Salmaneser; but then it may be asked, why is Benjamin taken notice of, which had no concern in the affliction? this has led others to conclude that it respects some time of affliction before either of these captivities, or between them both; and it may be applied to any affliction of the people of God in any age or period of time; and no doubt was written by Asaph, or by David, and put into his hands before the distress was, under a spirit of prophecy. Kimchi interprets it of the present captivity of the Jews, and Jarchi of their three captivities.

{a} Mynvv la "super liliis," Tigurine version, Cocceius; "pro liliis," Musculus.