Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand. Either upon Israel generally, or upon Ephraim—the northern kingdom—especially. A Judaean poet interceding for the rival state, is touching. Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself (comp. Psalms 80:15 and the comment). read more
So will not we go back from thee; i.e. "we shall not go hack from thee any more ." Gratitude for our deliverance will hind us fast to thy service. Quicken us (comp. Hosea 6:2 ). The prayer is for national rather than spiritual life—for a recovery from the destruction which has almost come upon them ( Psalms 80:16 ). And we will call upon thy Name ; i.e. we will be faithful to thee henceforth; we will not go after other gods, but "call upon" thee, and thee only. The poet makes... read more
Going back from God. This psalm, this verse, is a penitent confession that Israel had been guilty of this sin, and it is a prayer for pardon and restoration. But such backsliding did not cease with Israel. We have here— I. A CONFESSION OF THE SIN . Israel needed to make such confession. But so do others now. 1 . Apostates, like Demas, Judas, etc. 2 . Those who know God has called them, but from fear of man refuse to confess him. 3 . Those who have confessed... read more
God's grace our best safeguard. "So will not we go back from thee." This assurance implies that the people, in whose name the psalmist speaks, had fully learned the lesson which God designed to teach them by the withdrawal, which was chastisement, and involved bitter distress and humiliation. They had turned to God, and God had turned, in mercy and in restoring grace, to them. The issue of bitter experience was, that the people desired to be steadfast servants of God henceforth. Compare... read more
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand - Luther renders this, “Let thy hand guard the folks of thy right hand, and the people whom thou hast powerfully chosen.” The right hand is the place of honor; and the phrase “the man of thy right hand” means one who occupies such a position of honor. The phrase “Let thy hand be upon” is ambiguous. It may denote either favor or wrath; let it be upon him either to protect him, or to punish him. The connection, however, evidently demands the former... read more
So will not we go back from thee - That is, if thou wilt thus interpose; if thou wilt deliver the nation; if thou wilt help him whom thou hast placed over it, giving him wisdom and valor, we will hereafter be obedient to thy law; we will not apostatize from thee. It is a solemn promise or pledge of future obedience made by the psalmist as expressing the purpose of the people if God would be merciful and would withdraw his judgments; a pledge proper in itself, and often made by the Hebrew people... read more
Psalms 80:17-18. Let thy hand Thy power, to protect and strengthen him; be upon the man of thy right hand That king (whoever he was) of the house of David, that was now to rule and go in and out before them. He calls him the man of God’s right hand, because he was the representative of their state, which was dear to God, as a man’s right hand is dear to himself, and as Benjamin, whose name signifies the son of the right hand, was dear to his father Jacob; and because he was... read more
Psalms 79-80 Cries from a conquered peopleLike a previous psalm of Asaph, Psalms 79:0 is from the time of Jerusalem’s destruction and the taking of the people into captivity. (For an outline of events see introductory notes to Psalms 74:0.) The historical setting for Psalms 80:0 is not clear. Both psalms, 79 and 80, are cries to God for salvation after Israel has suffered defeat and desolation.The scene around Jerusalem is one of horror. The temple has been destroyed, the city is in ruins, and... read more
upon: or over. man. Hebrew ' i s h . App-14 . son of man = son of Adam. Hebrew. 'adam. App-14 . See note on Ezekiel 2:1 . read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 80:8-19
The poet, to excite God's compassion, proceeds to depict Israel as it was and as it is. He adopts the figure of a vine, perhaps suggested to him by the description of Joseph in the dying speech of Jacob ( Genesis 49:22 ), and carries out his metaphor, in nine consecutive verses, with great beauty and consistency. Isaiah's description of Israel as a vineyard ( Isaiah 5:1-7 ) is somewhat similar. read more