Chapter 80
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
8Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
15And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
“Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
Overview
Psalm 80 is a communal prayer of Asaph pleading for God to restore Israel. The psalmist calls upon the Shepherd of Israel who leads Joseph like a flock and dwells between the cherubims to shine forth. Three times the refrain cries, 'Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.' A striking vine metaphor describes how God brought a vine out of Egypt, planted it in Canaan where it flourished, but then broke down its walls so that boars and beasts ravage it. The psalm closes with a plea for the man of God's right hand, the son of man whom God has strengthened.
Key Themes
God as Shepherd of Israel
The psalm opens with an appeal to God as the Shepherd who leads and feeds His people, calling Him to shine forth in saving power.
The Vine Uprooted
Israel is pictured as a vine God planted and nurtured, but He has now broken its hedges — a painful image of divine discipline and apparent abandonment.
The Refrain of Restoration
The threefold cry for God to turn and cause His face to shine reveals that Israel's only hope is not in self-reform but in God's gracious turning toward them.
Study Questions
What is the significance of asking God to 'shine forth' (v. 1)? What does it mean for God's face to shine on His people?
How does the vine metaphor (vv. 8-16) illustrate both God's past care and present discipline?
Who is 'the man of thy right hand' and 'the son of man' in verse 17, and how might this point beyond Israel?
What does the threefold refrain (vv. 3, 7, 19) teach us about persistence in prayer?
How does this psalm balance lament over present suffering with hope in God's power to restore?
Connection to Christ
Jesus declared, 'I am the true vine' (John 15:1), fulfilling the vine imagery of this psalm. He is the Son of Man at God's right hand whom the Father has strengthened. Where Israel as God's vine failed and was broken, Christ as the true vine bears fruit eternally. Through Him, God's face shines upon His people and salvation comes.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Psalms 80. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?