Psalm 80

Psalm 80
"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel"
Psalm 80 from Las alabancas de santidad, a Spanish translation of the Books of Psalms by Rabbi Judah Leon Templo (d. 1675), Amsterdam 1671.
Other name	Psalm 79 "Qui regis Israel intende"
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 80
← Psalm 79 Psalm 81 →
Book	Book of Psalms
Hebrew Bible part	Ketuvim
Order in the Hebrew part	1
Category	Sifrei Emet
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	19

Psalm 80 is the 80th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 79. In Latin, it is known as "Qui regis Israel intende". It is one of the 12 Psalms of Asaph. The New American Bible (Revised Edition) calls it "a prayer for Jerusalem". The Jerusalem Bible describes it as "a prayer for the restoration of Israel".

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music, by composers including John Bennet and Heinrich Schütz, and notably Albert Roussel who composed an extended setting in English for tenor, choir and orchestra, completed in 1928.

Commentary

This psalm is classified as a 'communal lament'. Northern Israel is its main concern, so it may come from the period towards the end of the northern kingdom, although the Jerusalem Bible suggest that "it could apply equally well ... to Judah after the sack of Jerusalem in 586 BC".

Some links have been traced to Isaiah, with a 'similar image of a vineyard whose wall God breaks down' (Isaiah 5:1–7), also to Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who both refer to YHWH as shepherd, although the exact phrase 'Shepherd of Israel' is unique in this psalm.

The existence of a refrain (verses 3, 7, 19) is unusual, and the first two mark off the first two parts of the psalm, with the rest of the psalm forming a final section. The division is as follows:

1. Verses 1–2: a call to God for help (refrain in verse 3)
2. Verses 4–6: an urgent plea and complaint at God's treatment of his people (refrain in verse 7)
3. Verses 8–13: a description of God's past care of Israel (with the figure of the vine alluding to the Exodus and conquest, and the present distress)
4. Verses 14–17: a renewal of petition with a vow to return to God in verse 18, and a repetition of the refrain in verse 19.

Verse 17

Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,

Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.

This verse probably alludes to Zerubbabel, who returned to Jerusalem in the first wave of liberated exiles under the decree of Cyrus the Great in 538 BC.

Uses

Judaism

• This psalm is recited on the third day of Passover in some traditions, and on the second day of Sukkot in some traditions.

Christianity

• This psalm is recited some days during Lent, as part of Lauds (Morning Prayer) of the Divine Office.
• In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the 16th day of the month.

Musical settings

John Bennet contributed Psalm 80 in English, Thou heard that Israel dost keepe, among a few others, to the 1621 collection The Whole Booke of Psalmes. Heinrich Schütz set the psalm in a metred version in German, "Du Hirt Israel, höre uns", SWV 177, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.

Albert Roussel composed an extended setting in English for tenor, choir and orchestra, Psaume LXXX, completed in 1928 and first performed the following year. Alan Hovhaness made an unpublished setting of this psalm in 1953 titled Shepherd of Israel for tenor, recorder (or flute), trumpet ad lib. & string quartet (or orchestra). Emil Naumann composed a choral work setting the psalm in German, Du Hirte Israels, höre, published in Berlin in 2003.

Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 79.

#	Hebrew	English	Greek
	לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אֶל־שֹׁשַׁנִּ֑ים עֵד֖וּת לְאָסָ֣ף מִזְמֽוֹר׃‎	(To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph.)
1	רֹ֘עֵ֤ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל ׀ הַאֲזִ֗ינָה נֹהֵ֣ג כַּצֹּ֣אן יוֹסֵ֑ף יֹשֵׁ֖ב הַכְּרוּבִ֣ים הוֹפִֽיעָה׃‎	Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2	לִפְנֵ֤י אֶפְרַ֨יִם ׀ וּבִנְיָ֘מִ֤ן וּמְנַשֶּׁ֗ה עוֹרְרָ֥ה אֶת־גְּבוּרָתֶ֑ךָ וּלְכָ֖ה לִישֻׁעָ֣תָה לָּֽנוּ׃‎	Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3	אֱלֹהִ֥ים הֲשִׁיבֵ֑נוּ וְהָאֵ֥ר פָּ֝נֶ֗יךָ וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעָה׃‎	Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4	יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָא֑וֹת עַד־מָתַ֥י עָ֝שַׁ֗נְתָּ בִּתְפִלַּ֥ת עַמֶּֽךָ׃‎	O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5	הֶ֭אֱכַלְתָּם לֶ֣חֶם דִּמְעָ֑ה וַ֝תַּשְׁקֵ֗מוֹ בִּדְמָע֥וֹת שָׁלִֽישׁ׃‎	Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6	תְּשִׂימֵ֣נוּ מָ֭דוֹן לִשְׁכֵנֵ֑ינוּ וְ֝אֹיְבֵ֗ינוּ יִלְעֲגוּ־לָֽמוֹ׃‎	Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7	אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָא֣וֹת הֲשִׁיבֵ֑נוּ וְהָאֵ֥ר פָּ֝נֶ֗יךָ וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעָה׃‎	Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
8	גֶּ֭פֶן מִמִּצְרַ֣יִם תַּסִּ֑יעַ תְּגָרֵ֥שׁ גּ֝וֹיִ֗ם וַתִּטָּעֶֽהָ׃‎	Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9	פִּנִּ֥יתָ לְפָנֶ֑יהָ וַתַּשְׁרֵ֥שׁ שׇׁ֝רָשֶׁ֗יהָ וַתְּמַלֵּא־אָֽרֶץ׃‎	Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10	כָּסּ֣וּ הָרִ֣ים צִלָּ֑הּ וַ֝עֲנָפֶ֗יהָ אַֽרְזֵי־אֵֽל׃‎	The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11	תְּשַׁלַּ֣ח קְצִירֶ֣הָ עַד־יָ֑ם וְאֶל־נָ֝הָ֗ר יוֹנְקוֹתֶֽיהָ׃‎	She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12	לָ֭מָּה פָּרַ֣צְתָּ גְדֵרֶ֑יהָ וְ֝אָר֗וּהָ כׇּל־עֹ֥בְרֵי דָֽרֶךְ׃‎	Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13	יְכַרְסְמֶ֣נָּֽה חֲזִ֣יר מִיָּ֑עַר וְזִ֖יז שָׂדַ֣י יִרְעֶֽנָּה׃‎	The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14	אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָאוֹת֮ שֽׁ֫וּב־נָ֥א הַבֵּ֣ט מִשָּׁמַ֣יִם וּרְאֵ֑ה וּ֝פְקֹ֗ד גֶּ֣פֶן זֹֽאת׃‎	Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
15	וְ֭כַנָּה אֲשֶׁר־נָטְעָ֣ה יְמִינֶ֑ךָ וְעַל־בֵּ֝֗ן אִמַּ֥צְתָּה לָּֽךְ׃‎	And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16	שְׂרֻפָ֣ה בָאֵ֣שׁ כְּסוּחָ֑ה מִגַּעֲרַ֖ת פָּנֶ֣יךָ יֹאבֵֽדוּ׃‎	It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17	תְּֽהִי־יָ֭דְךָ עַל־אִ֣ישׁ יְמִינֶ֑ךָ עַל־בֶּן־אָ֝דָ֗ם אִמַּ֥צְתָּ לָּֽךְ׃‎	Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18	וְלֹֽא־נָס֥וֹג מִמֶּ֑ךָּ תְּ֝חַיֵּ֗נוּ וּבְשִׁמְךָ֥ נִקְרָֽא׃‎	So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19	יְ֘הֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְבָא֣וֹת הֲשִׁיבֵ֑נוּ הָאֵ֥ר פָּ֝נֶ֗יךָ וְנִוָּשֵֽׁעָה׃‎	Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

External links

• Pieces with text from Psalm 80: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Psalm 80: Free scores at the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• in Hebrew and English, Mechon-mamre
• Text of Psalm 80 according to the 1928 Psalter
• For the leader; according to "Lilies." Eduth. A psalm of Asaph. Shepherd of Israel, lend an ear, you who guide Joseph like a flock! (text and footnotes) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Psalm 80 – Restoring Israel, the Sheep and Vineyard of the LORD (text and detailed commentary) enduringword.com
• Psalm 80:1 (introduction and text) Bible study tools
• Psalm 80 / Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, you that led Joseph like a flock Church of England
• Psalm 80 Bible gateway
• Charles H. Spurgeon: Psalm 80 (commentary) spurgeon.org
• Hymns for Psalm 80 hymnary.org