Psalm 80:2

2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasse, stir up thy power, and come to deliver us.

Psalm 80:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 80:2

Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up thy strength,
&c.] Which Christ did in the public ministry of the word, speaking as one having authority, and not as the Scribes and Pharisees; and in the performance of miracles, openly, and in the sight of all; and in his sufferings and death for the salvation of his people; in which he appeared to be the mighty God, travelling in the greatness of his strength, and mighty to save. These tribes design all Israel, before whom the above things were done; and the allusion is to these three tribes marching immediately after the Kohathites, who carried the ark on their shoulders in journeying, ( Numbers 2:17-24 ) ( 10:21-24 ) which is called the Lord's strength, and the ark of his strength, ( Psalms 78:61 ) ( 132:8 ) . The Targum in the king's Bible reads, to the children of Ephraim reading (ynbl) instead of (ynpl) ; see the Masorah, and ( Proverbs 4:3 ) ,

and come and save us;
come from heaven to earth, not by change of place, but by assumption of nature; this was promised and expected, and is here prayed for; Christ is now come in the flesh, which to deny is antichristian; and his end in coming was to save his people from their sins, from the curse and condemnation of the law, and wrath to come; and as he came on this errand, he is become the author of eternal salvation, in working out which he has shown his great strength.

Psalm 80:2 In-Context

1 Attend, O Shepherd of Israel, who guidest Joseph like a flock; thou who sittest upon the cherubs, manifest thyself;

2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasse, stir up thy power, and come to deliver us.

3 Turn us, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be delivered.

4 O Lord God of hosts, how long art thou angry with the prayer of thy servant?

5 Thou wilt feed us with bread of tears; and wilt cause us to drink tears by measure.

6 Thou has made us a strife to our neighbours; and our enemies have mocked at us.

7 Turn us, O Lord God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Pause.

8 Thou hast transplanted a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

9 Thou madest a way before it, and didst cause its roots to strike, and the land was filled with it.

10 Its shadow covered the mountains, and its shoots equalled the goodly cedars.

11 It sent forth its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the river.

12 Wherefore hast thou broken down its hedge, while all that pass by the way pluck it?

13 The boar out of the wood has laid it waste, and the wild beast has devoured it.

14 O God of hosts, turn, we pray thee: look on us from heaven, and behold and visit this vine;

15 and restore that which thy right hand has planted: and look on the son of man whom thou didst strengthen for thyself.

16 It is burnt with fire and dug up: they shall perish at the rebuke of thy presence.

17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, and upon the son of man whom thou didst strengthen for thyself.

18 So will we not depart from thee: thou shalt quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

19 Turn us, O Lord God of hosts, and make thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.