Ps. 79:1–4 The first section chillingly describes the destruction that the nations (probably Babylon and its allies) have brought on God’s inheritance, that is, the land where his people dwell. They have defiled your holy temple, treating something holy as unclean, which is an act of violence against God. God’s people were supposed to be an advertisement to the Gentiles of how great and good Yahweh is, but instead they have become a taunt to our neighbors.

Ps. 79:5–7 The right question is not, “How long will you let us suffer like this?” After all, they suffer because God is angry about their unfaithfulness. Rather, the question is, “How long will you allow the nations, who do not know you, to get away with what they have done?” Even though Jacob (that is, Israel) has been unfaithful, the Israelites still belong to the Lord.

Ps. 79:8–10 The singer now faces the basic problem: God’s people have been untrue to him and must seek his forgiveness. The psalm weaves two themes together. The first is the understandable desire for relief (we are brought very low; deliver us). The second is the desire, born of true faith, for God’s honor in the world (for the glory of your name, for your name’s sake, why should the nations say?). God’s reputation is tied to his people’s well-being, and their well-being cannot be separated from their faithfulness.

Psalm Ps. 79. This is a community lament. It was occasioned by a great disaster, most likely the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. It has many similarities to Psalm 74. It recounts the violence and unbelief of the Gentile conquerors and asks God how long he intends to allow such things. Running through the psalm is a recognition that Israel should themselves be faithful to the covenant that they expect God to honor.

Ps. 79:11–13 Verses 8–10 prayed for forgiveness. Here, the effect of that forgiveness is that God will preserve those of his people who are doomed to die. Verse 13 looks forward to the granting of forgiveness, and pledges that we your people . . . will give thanks to you forever.

Ps. 80:1 Shepherd . . . flock. See notes on 23:1; 74:1–3.

Ps. 80:1–3 A portion of the people needs God to stir up his might and come to save them.

Ps. 80:3 Let your face shine recalls Aaron’s blessing (Num. 6:25).

Ps. 80:4–7 The people cry because God is angry with his people’s prayers (which implies that they have been unfaithful, see 74:1). He has brought sorrows upon them, especially that they have become an object of contention for their Gentile neighbors (see 79:4). Faithful Israel ought to be the envy of the Gentiles, drawing them to the light by moral purity, social justice, and political stability (as in Psalm 79). Thus the current situation is a reversal of how things should be.

Ps. 80:8–15 This is the longest stanza, with its image of God’s people as a vine for which God has cared and provided (see notes on Jer. 2:21; Ezek. 15:1–8). The branches of this vine were to give shade to everything within the borders of the Promised Land (see Ex. 23:31), which always included Gentile nations. The branches and shoots are therefore an image of the benefits that come to all who are under the rule of this people. It is God who has broken down the walls that had protected the vine from marauding and empire-building Gentiles (the boar). Psalm 80:14 appeals to God to look down from heaven and have regard for this vine again, that is, to restore it to its proper role in the world.

Ps. 80:15 the son. Israel as a whole is God’s son (see Ex. 4:22–23; Hos. 11:1).

Psalm Ps. 80. This is a community lament for a situation in which the people have received hard treatment from the Gentiles. It asks God to “restore us, let your face shine that we may be saved!” A notable feature of the psalm is its refrain, “Restore us, O [Lord] God [of hosts]; let your face shine, that we may be saved!” (v. 3; see vv. 7, 19). Verses 14–15 can be seen as a longer version of the refrain, explaining more fully what it would mean for God to restore his people and let his face shine.

Ps. 80:16–19 The final stanza continues the vine imagery from the previous section, describing the terrible deeds of the Gentile invaders: they have burned it (the vine) with fire; they have cut it down. For such an outrage against God’s own plant, may they perish at the rebuke of your face! The terms in v. 17, the man of your right hand and the son of man, probably refer to the people of Israel. Israel as a whole pledges itself to God. If he will let his hand be on Israel (that is, use his power on their behalf), then Israel will not turn back (again) from God and will call upon his name, that is, will exercise true faithfulness.

Ps. 81:1–3 The call to worship is a jubilant one. The people should shout for joy and play the various musical instruments (v. 2). The new moon and full moon are the beginning and middle of months in ancient Israel. This may show that the psalm was intended for the feast day of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23–25) and then Booths (Lev. 23:33–36).

Ps. 81:4–7 The God of Jacob worked on behalf of his people to deliver them from slavery in Egypt (see Ex. 6:6).

Ps. 81:8–10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt is very similar to the preface to the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:2). The basic warning, there shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god, summarizes the first two commandments (Ex. 20:3–6). The Lord wants his people to listen to him, to receive the covenant as an expression of his grace, to believe in him, and to live as he directs.

Psalm Ps. 81. This psalm resembles the OT prophets’ oracles, so perhaps it is best to think of it as a prophetic hymn. The primary function of the OT prophets is to challenge God’s people to covenant faithfulness. They tell of covenant blessings or punishments that will come, depending on the people’s response. This psalm reviews the basic history of the covenant, charges Israel with unfaithfulness, and urges them to once again embrace the covenant. God would then subdue Israel’s enemies.

Ps. 81:11–16 God’s people did not listen to his voice (v. 11), which led to sad consequences (v. 12). But God has not given up, and he addresses his people again with the opportunity to listen, to embrace the covenant, and to walk in God’s good ways (v. 13). The consequences of this genuine faithfulness would be victory over their enemies (v. 14) and fruitfulness for the land (v. 16).

Ps. 82:1 in the divine council; in the midst of the gods. These “gods” are said to “judge” among men (vv. 2–4) and to die like men (v. 7). It is best to see these as human rulers, who hold their authority as representatives of the true God (and therefore deserve respect; see 58:1; Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Pet. 2:13–17). Jesus seems to have read the psalm in this way, since in John 10:34–35 he cites Ps. 82:6, describing the “gods” as those to whom the word of God came, which means they were human.

Ps. 82:2–4 judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked. The psalm does not specify whether the rulers are Israelites, or Gentiles ruling Israel as a subject state (as in the Babylonian or Persian Empires). Both the ideal Davidic king in Psalm 72 and the ideal Gentile ruler in Prov. 31:1–9 are called to protect the powerless from those who would harm them. Certainly the people of God should aim to embody this ideal.

Ps. 82:5 When such people rule, the foundations of the earth (the moral principles that God instilled in the creation order) are shaken (see note on 11:3).

Ps. 82:6 You are gods. See note on v. 1.

Psalm Ps. 82. Some call this a community lament since it addresses God directly with a request on behalf of the whole people (v. 8). Others call it a prophetic hymn (like Psalm 81), interpreting its address to the “gods” (82:6) as directed to unjust human rulers, whom God will judge. Both of these classifications have merit, which shows that one must use the psalm categories only in a general way. The psalm teaches that the people of God are called to aspire to be an ideal society, with their justice visible to all peoples, that all nations might come to know the true God (Deut. 4:5–8).

Ps. 82:8 The psalm closes with a prayer that God will judge the earth. The basis of the request is that all nations belong to God already (you shall inherit all the nations). Perhaps this also alludes to 2:8, where the messianic king will have the nations as his heritage.

Ps. 83:1–8 The first section describes the Gentile coalition and their evil, crafty plans: let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more! Facing this danger, the people urge God, do not keep silence.

Psalm Ps. 83. This is a community lament, responding to a situation in which God’s people are threatened by Gentile enemies (vv. 6–8) who aim to destroy them. The psalm asks that God will make these enemies fail miserably, be put to shame, and perish—so that they might come to know the Lord. It is possible (see note on vv. 9–18) that the psalm assumes that Israel must defend themselves, and the prayer is for military victory. Christians use this psalm rightly when they ask God to defeat the enemies of their faith in such a way that even those enemies might come to seek God’s name.

Ps. 83:9–18 The basic request is that these enemies would utterly fail in their scheme. The ultimate reason for Israel’s existence is to serve God’s purpose of restoring true worship and authentic human life among all mankind. Therefore it is really for the good of these hostile Gentiles that they fail in their plan to destroy Israel.

Ps. 84:1–4 The song opens by describing God’s house, the central sanctuary in Jerusalem. It is lovely and delightful, because it is the Lord’s dwelling place. This is why the faithful soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD. This is where the worshiper actually meets the living God—no wonder his heart and flesh sing for joy. The marvel is that God’s house is a welcoming place. If even the sparrow finds a home there, and the swallow too, then the humble and faithful Israelite need not fear that God will turn him away.

Ps. 84:5–9 Those who make the journey to Zion to worship are blessed. Their strength is in God, to sustain them on the way. The highways are in their hearts, which probably means that they actually want to go. Pilgrimage was required (Deut. 16:16), but it should never become mechanical or burdensome.

Psalm Ps. 84. This is a psalm celebrating pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. It is very much like the hymns in praise of Zion as God’s special place (e.g., Psalm 122), although this one especially focuses on the delight of going to worship there. The purpose of singing this psalm is to cultivate that delight, to open the eyes and hearts of God’s people to the privilege of being a welcome guest in God’s own house. Wickedness offers no reward that can even remotely compare to the joy and pleasure of God’s house. The psalm has three parts, and in each part people are called “blessed” (84:4, 5, 12).

Ps. 84:10–12 The final section describes the person who trusts in the Lord. He sincerely prefers one day in God’s courts to a thousand anywhere else. He prefers even the lowest task of service in the house of my God to any gain he might have if he were to dwell in the tents of wickedness. The chief good thing, in this psalm, is to be welcomed in the temple. The faithful can enjoy other things only to the degree that they express the life of the upright. Such people are blessed indeed!

Ps. 85:1–3 The verbs in this section are all past tense, looking back to what God has done for the people. Forgave the iniquity recalls Ex. 34:7. Turned from your hot anger (see Ex. 32:12) implies that God forgave his people after they repented of serious unfaithfulness. God has done this in the past for his people, because he is exceedingly kind.

Ps. 85:4–7 The next section appeals to the compassion God has claimed and shown, asking him to restore us again, that is, put away your indignation toward us. For God to be angry with us forever would be contrary to this revealed character. Therefore the people pray, show us your steadfast love (proclaimed in Ex. 34:6), and grant us your salvation.

Ps. 85:8–9 Now the members of the congregation declare their patience in watching for God to act on their prayer. The song has shifted from the plural “we” to the singular “I”: let me hear. Each member is thus making this pledge. There is confidence that God will speak peace to his people, that is, he will agree to the reconciliation they have asked for in vv. 4–7. At the same time, the psalmist prays, let them not turn back to folly. The people who are appealing to God’s kindness should make sure that their repentance is genuine.

Ps. 85:9 glory may dwell in our land. The “glory” is God’s special presence with his people (see note on 63:1–2); see Ex. 24:16 for the same expression.

Psalm Ps. 85. This is a community lament. It occurs at a time when God has shown his displeasure over his people’s unfaithfulness, perhaps by withholding fruitfulness from the land (vv. 1, 12). The people singing this are seeking forgiveness for the whole people (“us”), asking God to show the steadfast love and faithfulness he proclaimed in Ex. 34:6. Because God is righteous (Ps. 85:10–11, 13)—that is, reliable about his promises—the psalm closes with confidence.

Ps. 85:10–13 The psalm closes with confidence that God will hear their prayer and give them what they ask. Steadfast love and faithfulness meet, that is, in God they are in harmony. God’s righteousness here is his reliability in keeping his promises (especially to his people), and therefore it guarantees the peace (see v. 8). They kiss each other like the affectionate greeting of relatives (e.g., Gen. 29:13; 45:15).