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Psalm Eighty
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT To the Overseer. -- `On
the Lilies.' A testimony of Asaph. –
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 80
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Of the word
"shoshannim", see Gill on Psalm 45:1, and of
"shushaneduth", see Gill on Psalm 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"F1אל ששנים "super
liliis", Tigurine version, Cocceius; "pro liliis", Musculus. ;
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.
Psalm 80:1 Give
ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between
the cherubim, shine forth!
YLT
1A Psalm. Shepherd of
Israel, give ear, Leading Joseph as a flock, Inhabiting the cherubs -- shine
forth,
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,.... The title of a
shepherd for the most part belongs to the Messiah, and who is expressly called
the Shepherd and stone of Israel, as distinct from the God of Jacob, Genesis 49:24 and may be so called because
he was to be, and was of Israel, according to the flesh, and sent to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel, and appointed by his Father as a Shepherd over
them; and it is on the mountains of Israel he provides a good fold, and pasture
for his sheep, Romans 9:4 and it is for the spiritual
Israel, his sheep, his elect, both among Jews and Gentiles, for whom he laid
down his life; by which it appears that he is the good Shepherd, as he also is
the great, the chief, the only one; though this character also may be given, and
agrees unto God the Father, who rules, and governs, and feeds his people, his
spiritual Israel, as a shepherd his flock; and who is addressed by his people,
and is desired to "give ear" to their cries and prayers in their
affliction and distress: God has an ear to hear his people's prayers, though
sometimes they think he does not hear them; but he not only hears, but answers
sooner or later, and in his own way; and the consideration of his character as
a shepherd may be an encouragement to their faith, that he will hear, and will
not withhold any good thing from them, Psalm 23:1.
thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; the posterity
of Joseph, the same with Israel, the spiritual Israel, who are like a flock of
sheep, a separate people, distinguished by the grace of God, and purchased by
the blood of Christ; and as there is but one Shepherd, so one fold, and one
flock, and that but a little one neither; and which is sometimes called a flock
of slaughter, because exposed to the rage and fury of men; yet a beautiful one
in the eye of Christ, which he undertook to feed: and this he leads on gently
and softly, gradually, and proportionate to their strength, or as they are able
to bear; he leads in and out, and they find pasture; he leads them out of their
former state and condition, in which he finds them, out of the pastures of sin
and self-righteousness into the green pastures of his love, grace, word, and
ordinances:
thou that dwellest between the cherubim; which were
over the mercy seat, and were either emblems of angels, among whom Jehovah
dwells, and is surrounded by them; by whom Christ was ministered to on earth,
and now in heaven, and among whom he was when he ascended thither, and where
they are subject to him: or of the two Testaments, which look to Christ, the
mercy seat, and agree with each other in their testimony of him, and in other
things; and where these are truly opened and explained, there the Lord dwells:
or rather of the saints of both dispensations, who look to Christ alone for
salvation, and expect to be saved by his grace; are both partakers of it, as
they will be of the same glory; and among these the Lord dwells as in his
temple; though it seems best of all to consider them as emblems of Gospel
ministers, since Ezekiel's four living creatures are the "cherubim", Ezekiel 10:20, and these the same with John's
four beasts, or living creatures, who were certainly men, being redeemed by the
blood of Christ; and were ministers, being distinguished from the four and
twenty elders, Revelation 4:6 and among these the Lord
dwells, and with them he has promised his presence shall be unto the end of the
world:
shine forth; either God the Father, who dwelt between the cherubim, over the
mercy seat, who sits upon a throne of grace, from whence he communes with his
people and communicates to them; and then the request is, that he would shine
forth in the perfections of his nature, as he has done in his Son, the
brightness of his glory, and in redemption and salvation by him, where they are
all illustriously displayed; and particularly in his lovingkindness through
him, which has appeared and shone forth in the mission of Christ, and in giving
him up for us all; and by granting his gracious presence unto his people in
Zion, in his house and ordinances; see Psalm 1:2, or the Messiah, the Shepherd of
Israel, and the Leader of his flock, and under whom the living creatures and
cherubim are, Ezekiel 1:26, that he would shine forth in
human nature; that this bright morning star would appear; that the dayspring
from on high would visit men, and that the sun of righteousness would arise
with healing in his wings; and that the glorious light of his Gospel would
break forth, and the grace of God, the doctrine of it, appear and shine out
unto all men, Jews and Gentiles.
Psalm 80:2 2 Before Ephraim, Benjamin,
and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength, And come and save us!
YLT
2Before Ephraim, and
Benjamin, and Manasseh, Wake up Thy might, and come for our salvation.
Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up thy strength,.... 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 which is called the Lord's
strength, and the ark of his strength, Psalm 78:61. The Targum in the king's Bible
reads, to the children of Ephraim, &c. reading לבני
instead of לפני; 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 80:3 3 Restore us, O God; Cause
Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!
YLT
3O God, cause us to turn
back, And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved.
Turn us again, O God,.... From our captivity,
as the Targum, into our own land; or return us backsliding sinners to thyself
by repentance; turn us, and we shall be turned; for the prayer shows it was not
in their power, but must be effected by the grace of God; or restore our souls,
which have been wandering, and them to their former flourishing and comfortable
condition:
and cause thy face to shine; grant thy gracious
presence, lift up the light of thy countenance; favour with the manifestations
of thyself, the enjoyment of thee, and communion with thee through Christ;
indulge us with the discoveries of thy love, the joys of salvation, the
comforts of the Spirit, and larger measures of grace:
and we shall be saved; be in a very happy and
comfortable condition; see Psalm 4:6.
Psalm 80:4 4 O Lord God of hosts, How
long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people?
YLT
4Jehovah, God of Hosts, till
when? Thou hast burned against the prayer of Thy people.
O Lord God of hosts,.... Aben Ezra and Kimchi
observe, that the word "Elohe" is here understood, and the words to
be read, "O Lord God, the God of hosts"; of the armies above and
below, against whom there is no standing, nor any before him when he is angry:
how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? which must be
put up in a wrong manner, in a very cold and lukewarm way, without faith and
love, and with wrath and doubting; or otherwise God is not angry with, nor sets
himself against the prayer of his people; nor does he despise, but is highly
delighted with it: or how long wilt thou be angry with thy people, and continue
the tokens of thy displeasure, though they pray, and keep praying, unto thee?
it is in the Hebrew text, "how long wilt thou smokeF13עשנת "fumabis", Pagninus, Vatablus;
"fumaturus es", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator;
"fumasti", Montanus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis, & Ainsworth.
at the prayer of thy people?" that is, cause thine anger to smoke at it;
in which it is thought there is an allusion to the smoke of the incense, to
which prayer is compared; see Psalm 141:2, and denotes the acceptance of
it with God through the mediation of Christ; but here his displicency at it,
not being offered up through him, and by faith in him; such were the prayers of
the Pharisees, Matthew 6:5.
Psalm 80:5 5 You have fed them with the
bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure.
YLT
5Thou hast caused them to
eat bread of tears, And causest them to drink With tears a third time.
Thou feedest them with the bread of tears,.... With
tears instead of bread, having none to eat; or their bread is mingled with
their tears, "dipped" therein, as the Targum; such was their constant
grief, and the occasion of it, that they could not cease from tears while they
were eating their meals, and so ate them with themF14"----lachrymisque
suis jejunia pavit", Ovid. Metamorph. l. 4. Fab. 6. :
and givest them tears to drink in great measure; or the wine
of tears "three fold", as the Targum. Jarchi interprets it of the
captivity of Babylon, which was the third part of the two hundred and ten years
of Israel's being in Egypt; which exposition, he says, he learned from R. Moses
Hadarsan; but he observes, that some interpret it of the kingdom of Grecia,
which was the third distress: and so Kimchi and Arama explain it of the third
captivity; but Menachem, as Jarchi says, takes "shalish" to be the
name of a drinking vessel, and so does Aben Ezra; the same it may be which the
Latins call a "triental", the third part of a pint; unless the Hebrew
measure, the "seah", which was the third part of an
"ephah", is meant; it is translated a "measure" in Isaiah 40:12 and seems to design a large
one, and so our version interprets it; compare with this Isaiah 30:20.
Psalm 80:6 6 You have made us a strife
to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves.
YLT
6Thou makest us a strife to
our neighbors, And our enemies mock at it.
Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours,.... Either
obliges us to contend with them for our defence and safety; or having given us
into their hands, they strive and contend one with another about dividing the
spoil:
and our enemies laugh among themselves; at us, and
because there is no help for us in God, as they imagine; or at God himself, as
Kimchi, saying he cannot save as.
Psalm 80:7 7 Restore us, O God of
hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!
YLT
7God of Hosts, turn us back,
And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved.
Turn us again, O God of hosts,.... The same with Psalm 80:3, only instead of God there, here
it is "the God of hosts"; the repetition of these words shows what
was uppermost on the minds of God's people; what they were longing for, and
most desirous of, namely, the light of God's countenance.
Psalm 80:8 8 You have brought a vine
out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
YLT
8A vine out of Egypt Thou
dost bring, Thou dost cast out nations, and plantest it.
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt,.... The house
of Israel, who are like unto a vine, as the Targum paraphrases it; and to a
vine or vineyard are they often compared; see Isaiah 5:1, Jeremiah 2:21. These were in Egypt awhile,
where they were grievously oppressed and trampled upon; and yet the more they
were afflicted, the more they grew and multiplied; and from hence the Lord
brought them in due time, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
he caused them to go out; the wordF15תסיע "fecisti proficisci", Paginus, Montanus,
Vatablus. used fitly expresses their journeyings from thence, and through the
wilderness; they were a type of the church of Christ, and special people of God,
who also are frequently compared to vines and vineyards; see Song of Solomon 2:13 the vine tree is
fruitful, and bears fruit in clusters but its wood is very useless and
unprofitable, Ezekiel 15:2 and it is a tree very weak,
and cannot rise and support itself, it must be propped up; so believers in
Christ, though fruitful through the grace of God, yet are unprofitable to him,
and very weak in themselves, and are upheld by the right hand of his
righteousness, on whom they lean and stay themselves; and these, in their
natural state, are in worse than Egyptian bondage, darkness, and idolatry, out
of which they are brought, in the effectual calling, into Gospel liberty,
marvellous light, and the true worship and service of God; and out of the
antichristian Egypt will all the Lord's people be brought one day; see Revelation 11:8.
thou hast cast out the Heathen; the Targum adds, out of
the land of Israel, that is, Canaan; it designs the expulsion of the seven
nations from thence, to make way for the Israelites, Deuteronomy 7:1 and was an emblem of the
ejection of Satan out of the Gentile world, and out of the souls of men,
through the ministry of the word; and of sin, and the lusts of it, when the
King of glory enters in, so as that they shall not any more have dominion;
though as the Canaanites were left in the land to be pricks and thorns in the
eyes and sides of the Israelites, so indwelling sin remains in God's people to
the distress of their souls, and the trial of their graces. The Papists are
sometimes called the Heathens and Gentiles; and there will be a time when they
shall be cast out, and be no more in the land, Psalm 10:16,
and planted it; the vine, the Israelites, in the land of
Canaan; see Exodus 15:17. So saints are planted not
only in Christ, the true vine, of which they are branches; but in a Gospel
church state, where they flourish and become fruitful and pleasant plants,
plants of renown; and being of the Lord's planting, he is glorified by them,
and they shall never be rooted up, nor wither, but prosper and thrive; see Psalm 1:3.
Psalm 80:9 9 You prepared room
for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land.
YLT
9Thou hast looked before it,
and dost root it, And it filleth the land,
Thou preparedst room before it,.... By sending the
hornet before the Israelites, and driving the Canaanites out of the land, Exodus 23:28 and so the Targum,
"thou
didst remove from before thee the Canaanites;'
which
made way and room for them: and thus the Lord prepared room for his interest,
church, and people, in the Gentile world, in the first times of Christianity,
by sending the Gospel into all parts of it, and making it successful, and still
there is room, Luke 14:22.
and didst cause it to take deep root; which denotes
the settlement of the people of Israel in Canaan, in church and state, as a
body ecclesiastic and politic; so believers, being rooted in Christ, are
grounded, settled, and established in him, and in a Gospel church state, and so
become fruitful; see Colossians 2:7.
and it filled the land; with people, who, in the
days of Solomon, were as the sand of the sea, 1 Kings 4:20 and so the Gentile world was
filled with Christian converts in the first times of the Gospel; and the
interest and church of Christ will fill the whole world another day, Isaiah 11:9.
Psalm 80:10 10 The hills were covered
with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
YLT
10Covered have been hills
[with] its shadow, And its boughs [are] cedars of God.
The hills were covered with the shadow of it,.... Alluding
to the land of Canaan, which was a mountainous and hilly country, at least some
part of it; hence we read of the hill country of Judea, Luke 1:39 and to the nature of vines, which
delight to grow on hills and mountainsF16"Bacchus amat
colles----" Virgil Georgic. l. 2. v. 113. : in a figurative sense this may
denote the subjection of kings and kingdoms, comparable to hills, to the
Israelites in the times of David and Solomon, 2 Samuel 8:1 and the exaltation of the
church of Christ, in the latter day, over the hills and mountains, Isaiah 2:2. The Targum is,
"the
mountains of Jerusalem were covered with the shadow of the house of the
sanctuary, and of the houses of the schools:'
and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars; to these the
righteous are compared, Psalm 92:13, the Targum is,
"the
doctors, the mighty preachers, who are like to the strong cedars:'
the
words may be rendered, "the boughs thereof cover the goodly cedars",
or "cedars of God"F17ענפיה ארזי אל "rami ejus cedros
Dei", Tigurine version; so Sept. "et ramia ejus cedri Dei",
Musculus, Cocceius; "palmitibus ejus cedri altissimae operiebantur",
Piscator, De Dieu; "ramis ejus opertae sunt cedri Dei", Michaelis. ;
that is, overrun and overtop the goodly cedars; alluding to vines running and
growing upon high and goodly trees; and so may denote, as before, the power of
Israel over the princes and potentates of the earth, comparable to cedars, the
most excellent; as things most excellent have often the name of God added to
them; see Psalm 104:16.
Psalm 80:11 11 She sent out her boughs to
the Sea,[c] And her
branches to the River.[d]
YLT
11It sendeth forth its
branches unto the sea, And unto the river its sucklings.
She sent out her boughs unto the sea,.... The
Mediterranean, or midland sea, which was the border of the land of Canaan to
the west:
and her branches unto the river; the river Euphrates,
which was its border to the east; see Deuteronomy 11:24. This, in the spiritual
sense of it, will have its accomplishment in the church of Christ, when he
shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the
earth, Psalm 72:8. The Targum is,
"she
sent out her disciples to the great sea, and to the river Euphrates her babes;'
or
sucklings.
Psalm 80:12 12 Why have You broken down
her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
YLT
12Why hast Thou broken down
its hedges, And all passing by the way have plucked it?
Why hast thou then broken down her hedges,.... After
having done all this for her; which signifies the Lord's removing his presence,
power, and protection, from Israel; which were the hedge he set about them, and
by which they were secured and defended from their enemies; but these being
gone, they became an easy prey to them; see Job 1:10, the hedge about the church and
people of God are the angels that encamp about them; salvation, which is as
walls and bulwarks to them; and the Lord himself, who is a wall of fire around
them; which may be said to be broken down when he withdraws his presence, and
does not exert his power in the protection of them; but suffers them to be
exposed to the persecutions of men:
so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? the hedge
being broken down, all passengers and travellers plucked the fruit of the vine
as they passed along, there being noticing to keep them off from it: this may
denote the plunder of the Israelites by their enemies, when left of God, they
fell into their hands; and the havoc persecutors make of the church of Christ,
and their spoiling them of their goods and substance, when they are permitted
to do it.
Psalm 80:13 13 The boar out of the woods
uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it.
YLT
13A boar out of the forest
doth waste it, And a wild beast of the fields consumeth it.
The boar out of the wood doth waste it,.... As
Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, who carried the ten tribes captive; the title of
this psalm in the Septuagint version is, a psalm for the Assyrian. Vitringa, on
Isaiah 24:2 interprets this of Antiochus
Epiphanes, to whose times he thinks the psalm refers; but the JewsF18Gloss.
in T. Bab. Pesachim, fol. 118. 2. of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:7, which designs the Roman empire:
the wild boar is alluded to, which lives in woods and forestsF19Homer.
Odyss. xix. v. 439. , and wastes, fields, and vineyards:
and the wild beast of the field doth devour it; as
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who carried the two tribes captive, and who
for a while lived among and lived as the beasts of the field; both these, in
their turns, wasted and devoured the people of Israel; see Jeremiah 50:17. Jarchi interprets this of
Esau or Edom, that is, Rome; and says the whole of the paragraph respects the
Roman captivity; that is, their present one; but rather the words describe the
persecutors of the Christian church in general, comparable to wild boars and
wild beasts for their fierceness and cruelty; and perhaps, in particular, Rome
Pagan may be pointed at by the one, and Rome Papal by the other; though the
latter is signified by two beasts, one that rose out of the sea, and the other
out of the earth; which have made dreadful havoc of the church of Christ, his
vine, and have shed the blood of the saints in great abundance; see Revelation 12:3, unless we should rather by
the one understand the pope, and by the other the Turk, as the Jews interpret
them of Esau and of Ishmael.
Psalm 80:14 14 Return, we beseech You, O
God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine
YLT
14God of Hosts, turn back, we
beseech Thee, Look from heaven, and see, and inspect this vine,
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts,.... The Lord
had been with his vine, the people of Israel, when he brought them out of
Egypt, and planted and settled them in the land of Canaan, and made them a
flourishing people; but had departed from them when he suffered the hedges
about them to be broken down, and the boar and wild beast to enter and devour
them; and here he is entreated to return and restore them to their former prosperity.
So the Lord sometimes departs from his church and people, and hides his face
from them; and may be said to return, when he manifests himself, shows his face
and his favour again, and grants his gracious presence, than which nothing is
more desirable; and if he, the Lord of hosts and armies, above and below, is
with his people, none can be against them to their hurt; they have nothing to
fear from any enemy:
look down from heaven: the habitation of his
holiness, the high and holy place where he dwells, and his throne is, from
whence he takes a survey of men and things; where he now was at a distance from
his people, being returned to his place in resentment, and covered himself with
a cloud from their sight; and from whence it would be a condescension in him to
look on them on earth, so very undeserving of a look of love and mercy from
him:
and behold; the affliction and distress his people were in, as he formerly
beheld the affliction of Israel in Egypt, and sympathized with them, and
brought them out of it:
and visit this vine; before described, for
whom he had done such great things, and now was in such a ruinous condition;
the visit desired is in a way of mercy and kind providence; so the Targum,
"and
remember in mercies this vine;'
so
the Lord visits his chosen people by the mission and incarnation of his Son,
and by the redemption of them by him, and by the effectual calling of them by
his Spirit and grace through the ministration of the Gospel; and which perhaps
may, in the mystical sense, be respected here; see Luke 1:68.
Psalm 80:15 15 And the vineyard which
Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for
Yourself.
YLT
15And the root that Thy right
hand planted, And the branch Thou madest strong for Thee,
And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted,.... The word
"Cannah" is only used in this place, and the first letter of it is
larger than usual, to keep in perpetual remembrance, as is thought by someF20Vid.
Buxtorf. Tiberias, c. 14. , the bringing of this vine out of Egypt, and the
great things done for it in the land of Israel; and the letter, being crooked,
may denote the oppression of this vine by various calamities. The Targum
renders the word, a branch or shoot; and Kimchi, according to the scope of the
place, a plant; and observes, that others interpret it an habitation or
dwelling place; and so may be understood of Jerusalem, or the temple. Aben Ezra
takes it to be an adjective, and to signify "prepared" or
"established", which is said of this vine, Psalm 80:9. It is an Egyptian word used by
the psalmist, treating of the vine brought out of Egypt, and signifies a plant;
hence the ivy is by the Greeks called χενοσιρις the plant of
OsirisF21Plutarch de lsid. & Osir. ; the clause carries in it a
reason or argument, enforcing the above petition, taken from this vine being of
the Lord's planting, as in Psalm 80:8 and therefore his own honour and
glory were concerned in it:
and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself: meaning the
same thing, and the same people whom he confirmed in the land of Canaan, and
made strong for his service and glory. The wordF23על בן "super filium",
V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus; "propter filium", Junius &
Tremellius, Michaelis. translated "branch" signifies a son, as Israel
was, to the Lord, son and firstborn. The Targum understands it of Christ, and
paraphrases it thus,
"and
for the King Messiah, whom thou hast strengthened for thyself;'
that
is, for the sake of Christ, whom thou hast appointed to work out the salvation
of thy people by his great strength, and who was to come from this vine, or
descend from Israel; for the sake of him destroy it not, nor suffer it to be
destroyed; and is the same with the Son of man, Psalm 80:17, and so it is read in a
manuscript.
Psalm 80:16 16 It is
burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your
countenance.
YLT
16Burnt with fire -- cut
down, From the rebuke of Thy face they perish.
It is burnt with fire, it is cut down,.... That is,
the vine of Israel, and the branch before spoken of, alluding to a vine, and
its branches; which, when become unprofitable, are cut down or cut off, and
cast into the fire; see John 15:6, so Jerusalem and the temple were
burnt with fire by Nebuchadnezzar, and afterwards by Vespasian:
they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance; that is, the
Israelites, signified by the vine, whose destruction was owing to the wrath of
God upon them for their sins; he frowned upon them, and rebuked them in his hot
displeasure, and to that their ruin was owing; others were only instruments in
his hands. Some understand this as a wish or imprecation, let them that cut
down the vine, and burn it with fire, perish at the rebuke of thy countenance;
see Psalm 68:1, so the Targum.
Psalm 80:17 17 Let Your hand be upon the
man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for
Yourself.
YLT
17Let Thy hand be on the man
of Thy right hand, On the son of man Thou hast strengthened for Thyself.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand,.... Which
some understand of the people of Israel in general, beloved, supported, and
strengthened, by the Lord: and others of the then king of Israel, or Judah, the
vinedresser, or keeper of the vineyard under God; praying that he might be
directed, supported, and protected, by the Lord; but it seems better to
understand it with R. Obadiah on the place, and AbarbinelF24Mashmiah
Jeshuah, fol. 81. 2. of the Messiah; and so Aben Ezra interprets it either of
Israel, or of Messiah the son of Ephraim. Christ is called the "man",
though as yet he was not really man, because it was purposed and promised that
he should; and he had agreed to become man, and had appeared often in an human
form; and it was certain that he would be incarnate: and also the man of God's
"right hand", which is expressive of the power of God, because by
him, who, in time, became man, even the Son of God, the world, and all things
in it, were made; and by him all things are upheld in their being; by him his
people were to be redeemed, and have been redeemed from all their enemies; and
by him they are upheld, kept, and preserved from a final and total falling
away, and will be raised at the last day: and the phrase may design the support
and strength the human nature of Christ, which was weak in itself, was to have,
and had, not only from its union in the Son of God, but from God the Father;
who promised and gave support and strength to it, under all the sufferings
endured in it: to which may be added, that this phrase is expressive of love
and affection; so Benjamin had his name, which signifies the son of the right
hand, from the great affection of his father; so Christ is the Son of God's
love, his dear and well beloved Son; as appears by hiding nothing from him, by
putting all things into his hands, and appointing him the Head and Saviour of
his people, and the Judge of the world; and his love to him is a love of
complacency and delight, is everlasting and unchangeable: moreover, he may be
so called, because he was to be, and now is, exalted at the right hand of God,
in human nature, as a Prince and Saviour, above angels, authorities, and
powers, and above every name whatever: and the prayer is either that the hand
of vindictive justice might not be upon the vine, or the church of God, but
upon Christ their surety, who was able to bear it, and had engaged to do it; or
the hand of divine power and support might be upon him, to strengthen him for
the work of redemption and salvation, that so that might prosper in his hand;
and the hand of love, grace, and mercy, might be turned upon his people: it is
added,
upon the son of man, whom thou madest strong for thyself; for the
accomplishment of his purposes, promises, and covenant, for the bringing about
the salvation of his own people, and for ends of his own glory: the same person
is here meant as before; and his being called "the Son of Man", which
is a very usual phrase for Christ in the New Testament, and which seems to be
taken from hence, and from Daniel 7:13, shows that he could not be
really from eternity, since he was to be the Son of Man, as he was, of Abraham,
David, &c.
Psalm 80:18 18 Then we will not turn back
from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
YLT
18And we do not go back from
Thee, Thou dost revive us, and in Thy name we call.
So will not we go back from thee,.... From thy fear, as
the Targum; or from thy service, as Kimchi; doing as above would encourage them
to stand before the Lord, and worship him; which they could not do, if he
marked their sins, and demanded satisfaction from them for them; but if he
looked to his Son and their surety, and took it from him, this would encourage
their faith and hope, and give them boldness in his presence, and attach them
to his service:
quicken us, and we will call upon thy name; the people of
God are sometimes dead and lifeless in their frames, and in the exercise of
grace and discharge of duty, and have need of the quickening influences of the
Spirit and grace of God; and which are necessary to a fervent calling upon the
name of the Lord in prayer, and without which none will stir up themselves so
to do. Kimchi interprets this of quickening, or of raising to life, from the
death of the captivity; and so Abarbinel, who thinks also that it respects the
resurrection of the dead in the times of the Messiah.
Psalm 80:19 19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause
Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!
YLT
19O Jehovah, God of Hosts,
turn us back, Cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved!
Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts,.... This is a repetition
of Psalm 80:3, in which may be observed an
increase of the names or titles of the Divine Being: in Psalm 80:3, it is only "O God";
in Psalm 80:7 "O God of hosts"; and
here, "Lord God of hosts"; some have thought that the doctrine of the
Trinity is here suggested; which is a better thought than that of Jarchi's, who
supposes that three captivities of Israel are pointed at: but as it follows,
cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved; it appears
that this was the burden of their song, being in darkness and distress, that
they might have the light of God's countenance, and therefore repeat it again
and again.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)