The big picture
Psalms 80 opens in verse 1 with “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 10 with “The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the…”, and closes in verse 19 with “Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” Repeated or prominent terms include cause, hosts, shine, face, hand. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 19Psalms 80:1-7
1–7: Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock…
Psalms 80:1–7 opens with “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest…” and reaches “Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by shine, cause, face.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine…” Naming Give and Israel keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Psalms 80:1-7
King James Version1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Psalms 80:8-14
8–14: Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen…
Psalms 80:8–14 opens with “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.” and reaches “Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by boughs, vine, beast.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.” Naming Egypt and Thou keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Psalms 80:8-14
King James Version8Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
Psalms 80:15-19
15–19: The vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou…
Psalms 80:15–19 opens with “And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for…” and reaches “Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by hand, madest, right.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.” The line’s distinctive content terms include branch, hand, madest. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.
Psalms 80:15-19
King James Version15And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Psalms 80:1 begins with “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.”
Where the chapter turns
Psalms 80:12 forms a natural hinge: “Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?”
The final note
Psalms 80:19 leaves the reader with “Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words cause, hosts, shine, face, hand, saved help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.