Psalms 80:14-17

80:14 O God, invincible warrior, ¹  come back!

Look down from heaven and take notice!

Take care of this vine,

80:15 the root ²  your right hand planted,

the shoot you made to grow! ³ 

80:16 It is burned ⁴  and cut down.

They die because you are displeased with them. ⁵ 

80:17 May you give support to the one you have chosen, ⁶ 

to the one whom you raised up for yourself! ⁷ 

[80:14]  ¹ tn Heb “O God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also vv. 4, 7 for a similar construction.

[80:15]  ² tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן emends the form to כַּנָּהּ (kannah, “its shoot”).

[80:15]  ³ tn Heb “and upon a son you strengthened for yourself.” In this context, where the extended metaphor of the vine dominates, בֵּן (ben, “son”) probably refers to the shoots that grow from the vine. Cf. Gen 49:22.

[80:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “burned with fire.”

[80:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “because of the rebuke of your face they perish.”

[80:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “may your hand be upon the man of your right hand.” The referent of the otherwise unattested phrase “man of your right hand,” is unclear. It may refer to the nation collectively as a man. (See the note on the word “yourself” in v. 17b.)

[80:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “upon the son of man you strengthened for yourself.” In its only other use in the Book of Psalms, the phrase “son of man” refers to the human race in general (see Ps 8:4). Here the phrase may refer to the nation collectively as a man. Note the use of the statement “you strengthened for yourself” both here and in v. 15, where the “son” (i.e., the branch of the vine) refers to Israel.