Psalms 81:16

81:16 “I would feed Israel the best wheat,

and would satisfy your appetite with honey from the rocky cliffs.”

Deuteronomy 32:14

32:14 butter from the herd

and milk from the flock,

along with the fat of lambs,

rams and goats of Bashan,

along with the best of the kernels of wheat;

and from the juice of grapes you drank wine.


tn Heb “and he fed him from the best of the wheat.” The Hebrew text has a third person form of the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive attached. However, it is preferable, in light of the use of the first person in v. 14 and in the next line, to emend the verb to a first person form and understand the vav as conjunctive, continuing the apodosis of the conditional sentence of vv. 13-14. The third masculine singular pronominal suffix refers to Israel, as in v. 6.

tn Heb “you.” The second person singular pronominal suffix refers to Israel, as in vv. 7-10.

sn The language in this verse, particularly the references to wheat and honey, is reminiscent of Deut 32:13-14.