Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Psalms 80:1.-Prayer for help for oppressed Israel (Psalms 80:1); complaint: their oppression (Psalms 80:4); Israel, the vine brought out of Egypt, planted and tended by Go... [ Continue Reading ]
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us. BEFORE EPHRAIM AND BENJAMIN AND MANASSEH - i:e., advancing at their head, as formerly thou didst advance in the pillar of cloud and of fire before Israel marching through the wilderness. In Ephraim Manasseh, and... [ Continue Reading ]
Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. TURN US AGAIN ie reverse our captivity (; ) Bring us back from exile This is especially the sense TURN US AGAIN - i:e., reverse our captivity (; .) Bring us back from exile. This is especially the sense of the Hebrew Hiphil... [ Continue Reading ]
O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? O LORD GOD OF HOSTS, HOW LONG WILT THOU BE ANGRY - literally, 'dost thou smoke?' Compare Psalms 18:8; Psalms 74:1; Deuteronomy 29:20. Smoke is the attendant of fire; the consuming fire of God's vengeance. Smoke was... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. THOU FEEDEST THEM WITH THE BREAD OF TEARS - making tears their bread (). AND GIVEST THEM TEARS TO DRINK IN GREAT MEASURE - rather, as the parallelism requires 'thou makest them to drink out of a measure... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves. THOU MAKEST US A STRIFE UNTO OUR NEIGHBOURS - i:e., an object of strife to the petty tribes on Israel's borders, so that they quarrel about the spoils which they have taken from us, availing themselves of the oppor... [ Continue Reading ]
Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Compare ; . 'Let us learn, whenever the anger of God blazes forth, even in the midst of the flames, to cast our griefs into the bosom of God, who wonderfully revives His Church from destruction' (Calvin).... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. THOU HAST BROUGHT A VINE OUT OF EGYPT: THOU HAST CAST OUT THE HEATHEN, AND PLANTED IT. The foundation of this image is laid in , where "Joseph," who, is before the Psalmist's mind (), is said to be "a fruitful... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. THOU PREPAREDST (ROOM) BEFORE IT - `Thou hast cleared out a place before it.' It answers to , "He gathered out the stones thereof" (i:e., of the vineyard), and refers to the dislodging of the original i... [ Continue Reading ]
The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. THE HILLS WERE COVERED WITH THE SHADOW OF IT. "The hills" are the mountains on the Canaan, the hill country of Judah, in its southernmost part; originally the hill country of the Amorites, which fir... [ Continue Reading ]
She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. SHE SENT OUT HER BOUGHS UNTO THE SEA, AND HER BRANCHES UNTO THE RIVER. "The sea" is the Mediterranean, the western boundary of the Holy Land; "the river" is the Euphrates, the eastern boundary. The Psalmist has in view the or... [ Continue Reading ]
Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? WHY HAST THOU THEN BROKEN DOWN HER HEDGES, SO THAT ALL THEY WHICH PASS BY THE WAY DO PLUCK HER? - i:e., pluck off not merely the fruit, but the "branches" and "boughs," whose luxuriance he had just de... [ Continue Reading ]
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. THE BOAR OUT OF THE WOOD DOTH WASTE IT, AND THE WILD BEAST OF THE FIELD DOTH DEVOUR IT. As "bulls" in, , symbolize Gentile enemies; the "dragon" or crocodile (), Pharaoh; the "eagle" (), Nebuchadnezzer; so he... [ Continue Reading ]
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; RETURN, WE BESEECH THEE, O GOD OF HOSTS - (cf. .) The beginning of the second half is marked by "O God, of hosts;" but the close of the first half has not "Turn us again," etc., because the whole mai... [ Continue Reading ]
And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. AND THE VINEYARD WHICH THY RIGHT HAND HATH PLANTED - i:e., (from Psalms 80:14 supply) 'and visit the vineyard which,' etc. [thus, kanaah (H3657) comes from kuwn (H3559), to set]. So Buxtorff tr... [ Continue Reading ]
It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. THEY PERISH AT THE REBUKE OF THY COUNTENANCE. "They" - i:e., the children of Israel. "At" - literally, from before the rebuke of thy countenance ().... [ Continue Reading ]
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. LET THY HAND BE UPON THE MAN OF THY RIGHT HAND. "Benjamin" means 'son of the right hand:' as in , so here the Psalmist prays that God would lay His hand upon Benjamin to strengthen him (; ). B... [ Continue Reading ]
So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. SO WILL NOT WE GO BACK FROM THEE. No longer can Israel say as in . But they promise not to "go back" from the Lord anymore, if only the Lord will first quicken them; i:e., give them new life. QUICKEN US, AND WE WILL... [ Continue Reading ]