Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 80:14
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
14. Return ] Or, as R.V., Turn again. It is the intransitive form of the verb turn us again in Psa 80:3 ; Psa 80:7 ; Psa 80:19.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
14 19. Repeated prayers for the restoration of God’s favour to Israel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts – Again come and visit thy people; come back again to thy forsaken land. This is language founded on the idea that God had withdrawn from the land, or had forsaken it; that he had left his people without a protector, and had left them exposed to the ravages of fierce foreign enemies. It is language which will describe what seems often to occur when the church is apparently forsaken; when there are no cheering tokens of the divine presence; and when the people of God, discouraged, seem themselves to be forsaken by him. Compare Jer 14:8.
Look down from heaven – The habitation of God. As if he did not now see his desolate vineyard, or regard it. The idea is, that if he would look upon it, he would pity it, and would come to its relief.
And behold, and visit this vine – It is a visitation of mercy and not of wrath that is asked; the coming of one who is able to save, and without whose coming there could be no deliverance.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 14. Return – O God of hosts] Thou hast abandoned us, and therefore our enemies have us in captivity. Come back to us, and we shall again be restored.
Behold, and visit this vine] Consider the state of thy own people, thy own worship, thy own temple. Look down! Let thine eye affect thy heart.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
14, 15. visit this vinefavorably(Ps 8:4).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts,…. The Lord had been with his vine, the people of Israel, when he brought them out of Egypt, and planted and settled them in the land of Canaan, and made them a flourishing people; but had departed from them when he suffered the hedges about them to be broken down, and the boar and wild beast to enter and devour them; and here he is entreated to return and restore them to their former prosperity. So the Lord sometimes departs from his church and people, and hides his face from them; and may be said to return, when he manifests himself, shows his face and his favour again, and grants his gracious presence, than which nothing is more desirable; and if he, the Lord of hosts and armies, above and below, is with his people, none can be against them to their hurt; they have nothing to fear from any enemy:
look down from heaven: the habitation of his holiness, the high and holy place where he dwells, and his throne is, from whence he takes a survey of men and things; where he now was at a distance from his people, being returned to his place in resentment, and covered himself with a cloud from their sight; and from whence it would be a condescension in him to look on them on earth, so very undeserving of a look of love and mercy from him:
and behold; the affliction and distress his people were in, as he formerly beheld the affliction of Israel in Egypt, and sympathized with them, and brought them out of it:
and visit this vine; before described, for whom he had done such great things, and now was in such a ruinous condition; the visit desired is in a way of mercy and kind providence; so the Targum,
“and remember in mercies this vine;”
so the Lord visits his chosen people by the mission and incarnation of his Son, and by the redemption of them by him, and by the effectual calling of them by his Spirit and grace through the ministration of the Gospel; and which perhaps may, in the mystical sense, be respected here; see Lu 1:68.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
14. Return, I beseech thee, O God of Hosts! In these words it is intended to teach, that we ought not to yield to temptation although God should hide his face from us for a time, yea even although to the eye of sense and reason he should seem to be alienated from us. For, provided he is sought in the confident expectation of his showing mercy, he will become reconciled, and receive into his favor those whom he seemed to have cast off. It was a distinguished honor for the seed of Abraham to be accounted the vineyard of God; but while the faithful adduce this consideration as an argument for obtaining the favor of God, instead of bringing forward any claims of their own, they only beseech him not to cease to exercise his accustomed liberality towards them. The words, from heaven, have, no doubt, been introduced, that the faithful might find no difficulty in extending their faith to a distance, although God, from whom they had departed, was far from them; and, farther that if they saw no prospect of deliverance upon earth, they might lift up their eyes to heaven.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
This is a beautiful and most interesting prayer: and, after the view which the apostle, hath given of this subject, in his Epistle to the Romans, to which I before referred, may we not consider it as plainly meant for the church of the Gentiles to be daily using at the throne and mercy-seat for their elder branch, the Jews? as if the cry was universal, Lord, help thy church; graft in again thine ancient branches! And, Reader, do not fail to remark, with me, the reference which the Church, hath to Christ, the man at God’s right hand, the man whose name is the Branch, and in whom is life; and who hath said, Because I live, ye shall live also. This is he, the Intercessor, and from whose intercession the barren fig-tree, though a cumberer of the ground, is permitted to stand another year; Luk 13:7-8 . And observe, the promise of the church, both Jew and Gentile, is, we will not go back from thee, if thou wilt quicken us. Sweet truth! No man quickeneth, and no man keepeth alive his own soul. Observe also the thrice repeated prayer for the Lord’s face to shine upon us, and his arm to turn us: Yes, if the Lord turn the heart, then, and not else, the heart is changed. And, finally, observe, that as this prayer is thrice repeated, so the Lord commanded Aaron thrice to bless the people in Jehovah’s name: surely all the persons of the Godhead were meant to be kept in view, as jointly and severally blessing the people. Num 6 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 80:14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
Ver. 14. Visit this vine ] Some understand it of Christ’s incarnation, Luk 1:78 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 80:14-19
14O God of hosts, turn again now, we beseech You;
Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
15Even the shoot which Your right hand has planted,
And on the son whom You have strengthened for Yourself.
16It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18Then we shall not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19O Lord God of hosts, restore us;
Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.
Psa 80:14-19 This strophe is a concluding prayer (3 Qal imperatives of request in Psa 80:14) for YHWH to have mercy on the descendants of Abraham.
The real question of interpretation is how they view this divine action to occur.
1. restore a strong nation (i.e., the shoot [BDB 488, only here in the OT] or vine of Psa 80:8; Psa 80:14)
2. send a special Davidic seed (Psa 80:15; Psa 80:17)
a. the son whom You have strengthened or secured (BDB 54)
b. Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, the son of man whom You have made strong (BDB 54, parallel to Psa 80:15) for Yourself (cf. Psa 110:1)
It is obvious this imagery could refer to
1. national Israel/Judah
2. a Davidic king/Messiah (cf. 2 Samuel 7 and Aramaic Targums)
Psa 80:16 Notice that Israel/Judah’s difficulties are a direct result of God’s actions, not the power of the invader. God used pagan nations to judge His people (cf. Habakkuk). This was shocking to Jewish people. He had fought on their side (cf. Psa 76:6) but now He was on the side of the invaders (i.e., a reversal of holy war imagery).
Psa 80:17 Your hand See Special Topic: Hand .
the son of man This phrase is recurrent in Ezekiel. See my commentary notes below from Eze 2:1.
Eze 2:1 Son of man This is literally ben-Adam (BDB 119 construct, BDB 9). This is used often in Ezekiel as a way of referring to Ezekiel as a human being (93 times, cf. Psa 8:4). In Ezekiel it is the way God addresses Ezekiel. This same phrase is found in Job and Psalms. In Dan 7:13 this term takes on divine characteristics as one likened to a son of man coming before the Ancient of Days (i.e., deity) riding on the clouds of heaven. Dan 7:13 is the background for Jesus’ use of this term for himself, which combines humanity and deity (i.e., 1Jn 4:1-3). The phrase had no nationalistic or militaristic rabbinical overtones.
Psa 80:18 This verse lists several promises spoken by the psalmist but on behalf of the covenant people.
1. then (i.e., after God turns again to them, cf. Psa 80:14) we shall not turn back (i.e., backslide, BDB 690, KB 744, Qal imperfect) from You
2. give us life/revive us (BDB 310, KB 309, Piel imperfect)
3. if God acts on their behalf they will call upon (BDB 894, KB 1128, Qal imperfect) His name in the temple
Notice this use of imperfects, which denotes an ongoing action.
Psa 80:19 See note at Psa 80:3.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. Does this Psalm refer to an invasion? If so, which historical period fits best?
2. Is this Psalm written about Israel or Judah?
3. List and explain the different terms and allusions to light.
4. Why does the refrain of Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19 add to God’s name each time?
5. Why are nations often referred to in plant metaphors?
6. Are there Messianic hints in this Psalm or do they all refer to the nation as a whole?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Return. Compare verses: Psa 80:3, Psa 80:7, Psa 80:19, and see the Structure above.
and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton (App-6) for emphasis. Almost an Ellipsis = “[once more] look down, [once more] behold, [once more] visit”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Return: Psa 7:7, Psa 90:13, Isa 63:15, Isa 63:17, Joe 2:14, Mal 3:7, Act 15:16
look down: Psa 33:13, Isa 63:15, Lam 3:50, Dan 9:16-19
Reciprocal: Psa 6:4 – Return Psa 28:9 – Save Jer 38:17 – the God of hosts Dan 9:18 – behold
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
80:14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down {k} from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
(k) They gave no place to temptation, knowing that even though there was no help in earth, yet God was able to help them from heaven.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
4. An appeal for deliverance 80:14b-19
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Asaph called on God to give attention to the vine’s condition. Psa 80:15 looks at the vine as root and branch with the parts representing the whole (a merism). The term "son" is a literal rendering of the Hebrew word that metaphorically means branch. It describes the new growth on the vine, the new generation of Israelites. Matthew applied this reference to Jesus Christ (Mat 2:15; cf. Exo 4:22; Hos 11:1). The psalmist saw the vine of Israel burned and cut down by its enemies whom God had allowed to damage it.