Psalms
Psalm 80
KJV
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Overview
Psalm 80 repeatedly asks God to restore the community and let divine favor shine. The psalm moves from the shepherd image to tears and public scorn, then develops Israel as a vine once planted and now exposed, ending with a plea for strength and revival.
Setting and context
A communal lament attributed to Asaph. The vine represents Israel within the psalm’s historical and covenantal poetry; it must not be used to erase Jewish identity, promote supersessionism, or sanctify ethnic or political domination.
Themes
Shepherd · Restoration · Divine presence · Communal lament · Vine · Exodus memory · Renewal
Reflection
Bring communal loss to God, seek restoration without scapegoating, care for what has been devastated, and let renewed life produce faithful action.
Reading notes
The poem is Israel’s own communal prayer. Later interpretations must preserve that setting and cannot authorize contempt, replacement, or domination.
Key passages
Psalm 80:3: Shepherd of Israel, hear and restore Bring communal loss to God, seek restoration without scapegoating, care for what has been devastated, and let renewed life produce faithful action. Psalm 80:8: The vine brought out of Egypt Bring communal loss to God, seek restoration without scapegoating, care for what has been devastated, and let renewed life produce faithful action. Psalm 80:19: Strengthen, revive, and restore your people Bring communal loss to God, seek restoration without scapegoating, care for what has been devastated, and let renewed life produce faithful action.
Questions readers ask
What is Psalm 80 about? It is a communal plea that Israel’s shepherd restore a devastated people, renew divine favor, and give life again.