Psalms 80:8-11

80:8 You uprooted a vine ¹  from Egypt;

you drove out nations and transplanted it.

80:9 You cleared the ground for it; ² 

it took root, ³ 

and filled the land.

80:10 The mountains were covered by its shadow,

the highest cedars ⁴  by its branches.

80:11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, ⁵ 

and its shoots the Euphrates River. ⁶ 

Psalms 80:15

80:15 the root ⁷  your right hand planted,

the shoot you made to grow! ⁸ 

[80:8]  ¹ sn The vine is here a metaphor for Israel (see Ezek 17:6-10; Hos 10:1).

[80:9]  ² tn Heb “you cleared away before it.”

[80:9]  ³ tn Heb “and it took root [with] its roots.”

[80:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “cedars of God.” The divine name אֵל (’al, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.

[80:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “to [the] sea.” The “sea” refers here to the Mediterranean Sea.

[80:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “to [the] river.” The “river” is the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. Israel expanded both to the west and to the east.

[80:15]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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.