2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh , stir up Your power And come to save us! 3 O God , restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved . 4 O Lord God of hosts , How long e will You be angry with the prayer of Your people ? 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears , And You have made them to drink tears in large measure . 6 You make us an object of contention to our neighbors , And our enemies laugh among themselves. 7 O God of hosts , restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved .
8 You removed a vine from Egypt ; You drove out the nations and planted it. 9 You cleared the ground before it, And it took deep root and filled the land . 10 The mountains were covered with its shadow , And the cedars of God with its boughs . 11 It was sending out its branches to the sea And its shoots to the River . 12 Why have You broken down its hedges , So that all who pass that way pick its fruit? 13 A boar from the forest eats it away And whatever moves in the field feeds on it. 14 O God of hosts , turn again now , we beseech You; Look down from heaven and see , and take care of this vine , 15 Even the shoot which Your right hand has planted , And on the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself. 16 It is burned with fire , it is cut down ; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance . 17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand , Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. 18 Then we shall not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name . 19 O Lord God of hosts , restore us; Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 80:2-19
Commentary on Psalm 80:1-7
(Read Psalm 80:1-7)
He that dwelleth upon the mercy-seat, is the good Shepherd of his people. But we can neither expect the comfort of his love, nor the protection of his arm, unless we partake of his converting grace. If he is really angry at the prayers of his people, it is because, although they pray, their ends are not right, or there is some secret sin indulged in them, or he will try their patience and perseverance in prayer. When God is displeased with his people, we must expect to see them in tears, and their enemies in triumph. There is no salvation but from God's favour; there is no conversion to God but by his own grace.
Commentary on Psalm 80:8-16
(Read Psalm 80:8-16)
The church is represented as a vine and a vineyard. The root of this vine is Christ, the branches are believers. The church is like a vine, needing support, but spreading and fruitful. If a vine do not bring forth fruit, no tree is so worthless. And are not we planted as in a well-cultivated garden, with every means of being fruitful in works of righteousness? But the useless leaves of profession, and the empty boughs of notions and forms, abound far more than real piety. It was wasted and ruined. There was a good reason for this change in God's way toward them. And it is well or ill with us, according as we are under God's smiles or frowns. When we consider the state of the purest part of the visible church, we cannot wonder that it is visited with sharp corrections. They request that God would help the vine. Lord, it is formed by thyself, and for thyself, therefore it may, with humble confidence, be committed to thyself.
Commentary on Psalm 80:17-19
(Read Psalm 80:17-19)
The Messiah, the Protector and Saviour of the church, is the Man of God's right hand; he is the Arm of the Lord, for all power is given to him. In him is our strength, by which we are enabled to persevere to the end. The vine, therefore, cannot be ruined, nor can any fruitful branch perish; but the unfruitful will be cut off and cast into the fire. The end of our redemption is, that we should serve Him who hath redeemed us, and not go back to our old sins.