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Psalm 80

Psalm 80 appeals to Israel’s shepherd and planter to restore the people whose suffering stands against their remembered flourishing.

Israel’s people are in tears, mocked by enemies, and pleading with God to save them. The psalm, attributed to Asaph, addresses God as Israel’s shepherd and recalls how he brought his people from Egypt like a vine planted in new ground. That vine now lies exposed and ravaged. The exact crisis is uncertain, though several northern tribes are named. A repeated plea for restoration frames the lament, which ends still asking for God’s favor.

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1For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm by Asaph. Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
2Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your might! Come to save us!
3Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
4LORD God of Armies, how long will you be angry against the prayer of your people?
5You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in large measure.
6You make us a source of contention to our neighbors. Our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Turn us again, God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
8You brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out the nations, and planted it.
9You cleared the ground for it. It took deep root, and filled the land.
10The mountains were covered with its shadow. Its boughs were like God’s cedars.
11It sent out its branches to the sea, its shoots to the River.
12Why have you broken down its walls, so that all those who pass by the way pluck it?
13The boar out of the wood ravages it. The wild animals of the field feed on it.
14Turn again, we beg you, God of Armies. Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine,
15the stock which your right hand planted, the branch that you made strong for yourself.
16It’s burned with fire. It’s cut down. They perish at your rebuke.
17Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.
18So we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call on your name.
19Turn us again, LORD God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected. Tap a number for its page.
Key verses
Psalm 80:1The opening appeal joins God’s care as shepherd with his throne above the cherubim, grounding the plea in his rule.
Psalm 80:8The vine image recalls God’s rescue from Egypt and planting in the land, making its present ruin hard to understand.
Psalm 80:19The final refrain leaves the lament unresolved while locating Israel’s salvation in God’s restoring action and favor.
Where this chapter reaches

Isaiah and Jeremiah also picture Israel as a vine or vineyard, linking God’s care with the devastation of judgment. Numbers shares the language of God’s shining face as blessing, while John uses shepherd and vine imagery in Jesus’ teaching.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What contrast between the vine’s past growth and present ruin stands out to you, and why?

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What would you want to write beneath the psalm’s repeated plea for God’s face to shine?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 80

What does the vine represent in Psalm 80?

The vine represents Israel, whom God brought out of Egypt and established in the land. Its spreading branches describe the people’s growth and reach. Broken walls and ravaging animals portray their exposure to attack. The image holds God’s past care beside the devastation the people now face.

What does “Cause your face to shine” mean in Psalm 80?

The phrase asks God to show his favor and bring salvation. It appears in the repeated prayer of verses 3, 7, and 19, alongside the request to turn the people again. Against descriptions of God’s anger and the people’s tears, his shining face expresses the renewed favor they seek.

Who is the son of man in Psalm 80:17?

The verse describes someone God has strengthened for himself and asks for God’s hand to rest on him. The figure may be Israel personified or a king representing the people; the psalm does not name him. Christian readers also understand this royal language as pointing toward Jesus, though the immediate identity remains uncertain.

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What the Bible says about doubt →What the Bible says about grief →What the Bible says about patience →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).