Psalm 80
Psalm 80, Restoring Israel, the Sheep and Vineyard of the LORD
Psalm 80 is titled “To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim Eduth, A Psalm of Asaph.” The phrase “To the chief Musician” connects the psalm to Israel’s organized worship. “Shoshannim” means “Lilies,” and this same musical or poetic setting appears in other psalms, including Psalm 45, Psalm 60, and Psalm 69. The phrase may refer to the beauty of the composition, a known tune, or possibly a six stringed instrument connected with the Hebrew term. “Eduth” means testimony, which fits the character of the psalm because it bears witness to Israel’s desperate need for restoration and to God’s covenant power to save.
Like several of the Asaph psalms, Psalm 80 is often understood as coming from a later Asaph, either a descendant of the original Asaph or a musician serving in the Asaphite tradition. The psalm mentions Ephraim and Manasseh, two major northern tribes, and appeals to God as the “Shepherd of Israel.” Because it pleads for Israel’s deliverance, it may fit the period before the fall of the northern kingdom to Assyria in 721 B.C. If it was written by the Asaph of David’s day, then it would have been prophetic, looking ahead to troubles not yet known in David’s lifetime. The theological burden is clear. Israel is in trouble, God’s face seems hidden, the enemies mock, the vineyard is broken down, and the only hope is for the LORD God of hosts to restore His people, cause His face to shine, and save them.
A. Israel’s Shepherd and Sorrow
Psalm 80:1 through Psalm 80:3, A Prayer to Israel’s Shepherd for Restoration
Psalm 80:1, “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.”
Psalm 80:2, “Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.”
Psalm 80:3, “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.”
The psalm begins with an appeal to God as “Shepherd of Israel.” This is one of the most tender names used for the LORD. A shepherd feeds, guards, guides, heals, gathers, carries, defends, and restores the flock. Israel’s hope is not in its kings, armies, treaties, or national strength. Israel’s hope is in the LORD who shepherds His people.
The imagery of God as Shepherd appears often in Scripture, though in the Psalms it is especially prominent in Psalm 23 and here in Psalm 80. Psalm 23:1, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” In Genesis, Jacob used similar language when blessing Joseph’s sons. Genesis 48:15, “And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day.” The word translated “fed” carries the idea of shepherding. Jacob knew that God had shepherded him through danger, weakness, wandering, and need.
Psalm 80 says that God “leadest Joseph like a flock.” Joseph can represent the northern tribes because Ephraim and Manasseh came from Joseph and became prominent tribes in Israel. At times Scripture uses Joseph as a broader name for Israel. Ezekiel 37:16, “Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions, then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions.” Ezekiel 37:19, “Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.”
The psalmist also calls upon the One “that dwellest between the cherubims.” This refers first to the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant, where the cherubim overshadowed the place associated with God’s covenant presence. Exodus 25:20, “And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another, toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.” Exodus 25:22, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”
The phrase also points beyond the earthly sanctuary to God’s heavenly throne. The LORD is enthroned in majesty. He is not merely a local tribal deity. He is the God whose glory is above creation, yet who condescends to dwell among His covenant people. Therefore Asaph prays, “shine forth.” When God shines forth, darkness is driven away. When His glory is manifested, enemies are exposed and His people are helped. The request is for God to reveal His presence, power, and favor.
Verse 2 says, “Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.” These three tribes were grouped together on the west side of the tabernacle in the arrangement of Israel’s camp and in the order of march. Numbers 2:18, “On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies, and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.” Numbers 2:20, “And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.” Numbers 2:22, “Then the tribe of Benjamin, and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.” Numbers 10:22, “And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies, and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud.” Numbers 10:23, “And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.” Numbers 10:24, “And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.”
The request “stir up thy strength, and come and save us” recognizes that God already has the strength needed to rescue. The psalmist does not ask God to become strong. He asks God to stir up and display His strength. The Shepherd who led Israel from Egypt to Canaan is more than able to save His people again.
Verse 3 introduces the refrain that appears three times in this psalm, “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.” The request is not merely, change our circumstances. It is, turn us back. The deepest need is restoration of the people to God. When God turns His people back to Himself, He can also turn their condition. Character must be restored before circumstances can be truly healed.
The shining face of God recalls the priestly blessing. Numbers 6:24, “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee.” Numbers 6:25, “The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.” Numbers 6:26, “The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” God’s shining face means His presence, pleasure, favor, grace, and blessing. Israel does not need a political trick or military scheme as much as it needs the face of God shining upon it. If His face shines, they will be saved.
This refrain also gives a pattern for revival. First, God turns His people back to Himself. Second, His face shines upon them in renewed favor. Third, salvation and restoration follow. True revival is not emotional excitement alone. It is God turning His people, God’s presence returning in favor, and God’s saving work being manifested.
Psalm 80:4 through Psalm 80:7, God’s Anger Makes His People Sorrowful
Psalm 80:4, “O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?”
Psalm 80:5, “Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, and givest them tears to drink in great measure.”
Psalm 80:6, “Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours, and our enemies laugh among themselves.”
Psalm 80:7, “Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.”
Asaph now calls upon God as “O LORD God of hosts.” This title emphasizes God’s covenant name, Yahweh, and His command over the heavenly armies. The God addressed here is not weak. He is the LORD of hosts, the commander of angelic armies and ruler over all powers.
Yet the question is painful, “how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” It is one thing to fear God’s anger against sin. It is even more bitter to sense His anger against the prayers of His people. Prayer normally represents the return of the heart to God, but here the people feel as though even their prayers meet divine displeasure. This is a deep grief. When God’s people have sinned grievously, they may come to feel that heaven is closed against them.
Verse 5 says, “Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, and givest them tears to drink in great measure.” Tears have become their food and drink. Sorrow is not occasional. It is daily nourishment. This recalls the similar language of Psalm 42. Psalm 42:3, “My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?” The people are living on grief.
Verse 6 says, “Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours, and our enemies laugh among themselves.” Israel’s neighbors are not neutral. They dispute, mock, and take advantage. The enemies laugh together over Israel’s humiliation. This creates a trilogy of woe, an angry God, a weeping people, and mocking enemies.
The mockery of enemies is painful because it often includes reproach against God Himself. When Israel suffers, the nations assume Israel’s God is weak or absent. This makes the psalmist long for God to act, not merely for Israel’s comfort, but for the honor of the LORD’s name.
Verse 7 repeats the refrain, now strengthened with “O God of hosts.” “Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.” The added title emphasizes God’s power. The people do not merely need pity. They need the God of armies to restore them. Their misery drives them back to the same hope, restoration by God, the shining of His face, and salvation by His favor.
B. Israel as a Vine
Psalm 80:8 through Psalm 80:11, The Vine of Israel Is Planted in the Promised Land
Psalm 80:8, “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt, thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.”
Psalm 80:9, “Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.”
Psalm 80:10, “The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.”
Psalm 80:11, “She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.”
The image now changes from Israel as a flock to Israel as a vine. God brought a vine out of Egypt. This describes the exodus as a transplanting. Israel was removed from the soil of bondage and planted in the land of promise. The vine imagery is common in the Old Testament. Isaiah 5:1, “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill.” Isaiah 5:2, “And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein, and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.” Jeremiah 2:21, “Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed, how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” Hosea 10:1, “Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself, according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars, according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.”
A vine is weak and needs support. If fruitful, it is valuable. If barren, it is nearly useless except for burning. Israel was planted by God to bear fruit for His glory, but the nation repeatedly became wild, unfaithful, and barren.
The psalmist says God “cast out the heathen, and planted it.” God cleared the land by driving out the Canaanite nations. He made room for His vine. This was not Israel’s achievement in itself. God planted them. God prepared the ground. God established them in the land.
Verse 9 says, “Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.” Israel did not merely survive in Canaan. Under God’s blessing, Israel took root and spread. Deep roots speak of stability, establishment, and covenant blessing. The vine filled the land in a way the scattered Canaanite peoples never did.
Verse 10 says, “The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.” The picture becomes intentionally grand. A literal vine does not normally tower like cedars or cast its shadow over hills. The point is that Israel, under God’s blessing, grew beyond natural expectation. The weak vine became great because God made it great.
Verse 11 says, “She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.” This describes the height of Israel’s dominion, especially under David and Solomon, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River. This fulfilled promises God had given concerning Israel’s borders. Exodus 23:31, “And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river, for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and thou shalt drive them out before thee.” Deuteronomy 11:24, “Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours, from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.”
Solomon’s reign showed this broad dominion. 1 Kings 4:21, “And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt, they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.”
The purpose of this section is remembrance. God had once brought Israel out, planted Israel, rooted Israel, spread Israel, and blessed Israel. Therefore the present ruin is not because God lacked power. It is because the people had come under His discipline and needed restoration.
Psalm 80:12 through Psalm 80:13, The Unprotected Vineyard
Psalm 80:12, “Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?”
Psalm 80:13, “The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.”
The psalmist now asks why God has broken down the vine’s hedges. In ancient vineyards, hedges protected the vine from thieves and wild animals. A hedge meant defense, separation, and guarded fruitfulness. If the hedge was broken, the vineyard became vulnerable.
The painful point is that God Himself is described as having broken the hedges. The enemies may be the immediate destroyers, but the psalmist knows that no enemy could plunder Israel unless God had removed protection. This is a sober truth. The security of God’s people depends finally on God’s favor. When sin brings discipline, the hedges may come down.
Verse 12 says that those passing by pluck the fruit. Israel becomes easy prey. The land that had once been protected and fruitful is now exposed to casual plunder. Enemies no longer need great effort to harm it.
Verse 13 says, “The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.” Wild boars are destructive animals. They can break through fences, root up ground, trample vines, and ruin a vineyard quickly. The enemies of Israel are pictured as these wild beasts. They are not careful harvesters. They are destructive, violent, and wasteful.
This image was later famously used in church history. In 1520, when Martin Luther rose in prominence as a reformer, Pope Leo X issued Exsurge Domine, which used the image of the wild boar destroying the vineyard. Regardless of that later misuse against Luther, the biblical image itself is clear. When God’s vineyard is unprotected, destructive enemies can quickly lay it waste.
Psalm 80:14 through Psalm 80:16, A Prayer for God to Take Pity upon the Desolate Vine
Psalm 80:14, “Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts, look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine.”
Psalm 80:15, “And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.”
Psalm 80:16, “It is burned with fire, it is cut down, they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.”
The psalmist now pleads, “Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts.” Earlier he asked God to turn the people. Now he asks God Himself to return in favor. Israel’s restoration requires both. The people must be turned back to God, and God must turn toward them in mercy.
He asks God to “look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine.” The request is for God to see, inspect, intervene, and care for what He planted. This is covenant pleading. The vine belongs to Him. He brought it from Egypt. He cleared the land. He planted it. He caused it to grow. Therefore Asaph asks Him to visit it again.
Verse 15 says, “And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted.” God’s right hand represents power, skill, and favor. Israel was not planted by accident or by human strength. God planted the nation by His own hand.
The verse continues, “and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.” This may refer to Israel as the branch God strengthened, or to the king or leader God appointed over His people. It also points forward to the Messiah, the ultimate Branch. Isaiah 11:1, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jeremiah 23:5, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”
Verse 16 says, “It is burned with fire, it is cut down.” The vine that once covered hills and stretched from sea to river is now burned and cut. The devastation is severe. Yet the psalmist says, “they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.” Israel’s ruin is not merely from enemy strength. It is from God’s rebuke. The same face that can shine and save can also rebuke and bring low. This makes the refrain all the more urgent. Israel needs God’s face to shine, not rebuke.
Psalm 80:17 through Psalm 80:19, Restoration in the Man of God’s Right Hand
Psalm 80:17, “Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.”
Psalm 80:18, “So will not we go back from thee, quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.”
Psalm 80:19, “Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.”
The final section looks for restoration through a man appointed and strengthened by God. “Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand.” In Israel’s crisis, Asaph knows the nation needs leadership under God’s blessing. The immediate reference may be to the king or leader of Israel, but the ultimate fulfillment is in the Messiah.
The phrase “man of thy right hand” speaks of favor, authority, and divine appointment. The right hand is the place of strength and honor. In the New Testament, Christ is the One seated at God’s right hand. Ephesians 1:20, “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” Hebrews 8:1, “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum, We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.”
Asaph continues, “upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.” This again may refer first to a human king, but it reaches its highest fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the true Son of Man. Christ repeatedly used the title Son of Man for Himself. Matthew 16:13, “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Matthew 20:28, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The psalmist’s prayer recognizes that restoration must come through the One God strengthens for Himself. Israel cannot restore itself by its own resolve. It needs the Man of God’s right hand. Ultimately, fallen Israel and the world itself can only be restored through the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Verse 18 says, “So will not we go back from thee.” Under the strength and leadership of this God appointed Man, the people will no longer turn back. Their faithfulness depends on divine reviving. The next phrase makes that clear, “quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.” To quicken is to revive, restore life, and renew spiritual vitality. Israel needs more than rescue from enemies. Israel needs spiritual life restored.
Only God can revive His people. He revives by forgiveness, covenant mercy, renewed worship, and restored dependence. When revived, the people call upon His name. Prayer returns. Worship returns. Dependence returns. A revived people no longer trust themselves. They call upon the LORD.
Verse 19 gives the refrain for the third and final time, but now in its fullest form, “Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.” The covenant name LORD is now included. The appeal is to Yahweh, the covenant keeping God, the God of hosts, the One who commands all armies in heaven and earth.
The threefold refrain has intensified through the psalm. Verse 3 says, “Turn us again, O God.” Verse 7 says, “Turn us again, O God of hosts.” Verse 19 says, “Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts.” The prayer grows in covenant depth. Israel’s hope rests in the God who is Creator, Commander, and Covenant LORD.
The final request is the same, “cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.” Salvation comes when God’s favor returns. For Israel, this meant deliverance, restoration, and renewed covenant blessing. For the church, this prayer is answered in Christ. In Him, God’s face shines upon His people in grace. 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Psalm 80 therefore gives two great pictures of Israel, the flock and the vine. As a flock, Israel needs the Shepherd to hear, shine forth, stir up His strength, and save. As a vine, Israel needs the Husbandman to return, behold, visit, restore, and protect what His own right hand planted. The repeated answer is revival and restoration by the shining face of God.
The psalm also points strongly to Christ. He is the Good Shepherd. John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” He is also the true Vine. John 15:1, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches, He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing.” Israel failed as the vine, but Christ is the true Vine who bears perfect fruit. Israel needed the Man of God’s right hand, and Christ is that Man, seated at the right hand of God, strong for God’s purpose, able to restore, revive, and save.
