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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 80

1 For the music director, according to the shushan-eduth style; a psalm of Asaph. O Shepherd of Israel, pay attention, you who lead Joseph like a flock of sheep. You who sit enthroned above the cherubim, reveal your splendor. 2 In the sight of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh reveal your power. Come and deliver us. 3 O God, restore us. Shine your face on us7.⁠ Then we will be delivered. 4 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, how long will you remain angry at your people while they pray to you? 5 You have given them tears as food; you have made them drink tears by the measure. 6 You have made our neighbors dislike us and our enemies insult us. 7 O God of Heaven’s Armies, restore us. Smile on us. Then we will be delivered. 8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt; you drove out nations and transplanted it. 9 You cleared the ground for it; it took root and filled the land. 10 The mountains were covered by its shadow, the highest cedars by its branches. 11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, and its shoots the Euphrates River. 12 Why did you break down its walls, so that all who pass by pluck its fruit? 13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it; the insects of the field feed on it. 14 O God of Heaven’s Armies, come back. Look down from heaven and take notice.⁠ Take care of this vine,⁠ 15 the root your right hand planted, the shoot you made to grow. 16 It is burned and cut down. May those who did this die because you are displeased with them. 17 May you give support to the one you have chosen, to the one whom you raised up for yourself. 18 Then we will not turn away from you. Revive us and we will pray to you. 19 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, restore us. Smile on us. Then we will be delivered.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 80:15 and Targum Psalm 80:16

Hebrew Bible · Targum

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Summary

Psalm 80 refers to the shoot planted by God’s right hand, likely meaning Israel itself, while the Aramaic translation in the Targum identifies this figure as the messiah, connecting it to the “Son of Man” language in Daniel 7.

Passages

Psalm 80:15

Hebrew Bible
13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it; the insects of the field feed on it. 14 O God of Heaven’s Armies, come back. Look down from heaven and take notice. Take care of this vine, 15 the root your right hand planted, the shoot you made to grow. 16 It is burned and cut down. May those who did this die because you are displeased with them. 17 May you give support to the one you have chosen, to the one whom you raised up for yourself.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Targum Psalm 80:16

Targum
14 The boar from the forest will root her up, and the wild cock will be sustained by her. 15 God Sabaoth, turn now, look from heaven, and see, and remember this vine in mercy. 16 And the branch that your right hand planted, and the King Messiah whom you made mighty for yourself. 17 [It is] being burned by fire and crushed; they will perish because of the rebuke that [comes] from your presence. 18 Let your hand be on the man to whom you have sworn with your right hand, on the son of man whom you made mighty for yourself.
200–600 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Targum Psalms

References

"... The use of υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου of verses 16 and 18 may reflect a desire to harmonize the text by aligning the verses and adding solemnity to the phrase. This may explain why the Targum used מלכא משיחא in verse 16; it was a way of intentionally making Messiah and Son of Man synonymous. Similarly, the Aramaic Daniel 7:13 בַר אֱנָשׁ was rendered in the LXX as υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, meaning the Psalm 79 LXX translator may have been influenced by Daniel 7:13 LXX, demonstrating a relationship between these texts pre—New Testament. However, this is doubtful considering the date of Daniel’s composition in the second century BCE and the date of the Psalter’s translation in the second century BCE ..."
Chad Daniel Venters, “Exploring Psalm 80 as a Source for Matthew 25:31–46” (PhD diss., Middlesex University, 2018), 138.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 80:15 and Targum Psalm 80:16

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