The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 79
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 80 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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For the end, for alternate strains, a testimony for Asaph, a Psalm concerning the Assyrian.
Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων, μαρτύριον τῷ Ἀσὰφ, ψαλμὸς ὑπὲρ τοῦ Ἀσσυρίου.
Attend, O Shepherd of Israel, Who guidest Joseph like a flock; Thou who sittest upon the cherubs, manifest thyself;
Ὁ Ποιμαίνων τὸν Ἰσραὴλ πρόσχες, ὁ ὁδηγῶν ὡσεὶ πρόβατα τὸν Ἰωσήφ· ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῶν χερουβὶμ ἐμφάνηθι,
Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, Stir up thy power, And come to deliver us.
ἐναντίον Ἐφραὶμ καὶ Βενιαμὶν καὶ Μανασσῆ· ἐξέγειρον τὴν δυναστείαν σου καὶ ἐλθὲ εἰς τὸ σῶσαι ἡμᾶς.
What is, "Thou that feedest Israel, hearken, Thou that conducteth Joseph like sheep"? (ver. 1). He is being invoked to come, He is being expected until He come, He is being yearned for until He come. Therefore may He find "men guiding:" "Thou that conductest," he saith, "Joseph like sheep:" Joseph himself like sheep.…
Turn us, O God, And cause thy face to shine; and we shall be delivered.
Ὁ Θεὸς ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ σωθησόμεθα.
"O God, convert us." For averse we have been from You, and unless You convert us, we shall not be converted. "And illumine Your face, and we shall be saved". Hath He anywise a darkened face? He has not a darkened face, but He placed before it a cloud of flesh, and as it were a veil of weakness; and when He hung on the…
O Lord God of hosts, How long art thou angry with the prayer of thy servant?
Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων, ἕως πότε ὀργίζῃ ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν τοῦ δούλου σου;
"O Lord God of virtues, how long will You be angry with the prayer of Your servant?". Now Your servant. You were angry at the prayer of Your enemy, will You still be angry with the prayer of Your servant? You have converted us, we know You, and will You still be angry with the prayer of Your servant? You will…
Thou wilt feed us with bread of tears; And wilt cause us to drink tears by measure.
Ψωμιεῖς ἡμᾶς ἄρτον δακρύων, καὶ ποτιεῖς ἡμᾶς ἐν δάκρυσιν ἐν μέτρῳ.
"You will feed us with the bread of tears, and wilt give us to drink with tears in measure". What is, "in measure"? Hear the Apostle: "Faithful is God, who does not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able to bear." [1 Corinthians 10:13] The measure is, according to your powers: the measure is, that you be…
Thou hast made us a strife to our neighbors; And our enemies have mocked at us.
Ἔθου ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀντιλογίαν τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν ἐμυκτήρισαν ἡμᾶς.
"You have set us for a contradiction to our neighbours". Evidently this did come to pass: for out of Asaph were chosen they that should go to the Gentiles and preach Christ, and should have it said to them, "Who is this proclaimer of new demons?" "You have set us for a contradiction to our neighbours." For they were…
Turn us, O Lord God of hosts, And cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. Pause.
Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς τῶν δυνάμεων ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐπίφανον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ σωθησόμεθα· διάψαλμα.
"And our enemies have sneered at us." And where are they that sneered? For a long while it was said, Who are they that worship the Dead One, that adore the Crucified? For a long while so it was said. Where is the nose of them that sneered? Now do not they that censure flee into caves, that they may not be seen? But ye…
Thou hast transplanted a vine out of Egypt: Thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
Ἄμπελον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετῇρας, ἐξέβαλες ἔθνη καὶ κατεφύτευσας αὐτήν.
"A vineyard out of Egypt You have brought over, You have cast out the nations, and hast planted her". It was done, we know. How many nations were cast out? Amorites, Cethites, Jebusites, Gergesites, and Evites: after whose expulsion and overthrow, there was led in the people delivered out of Egypt, into the land of…
Thou madest a way before it, And didst cause its roots to strike, and the land was filled with it.
Ὡδοποίησας ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῆς, καὶ κατεφύτευσας τὰς ῥίζας αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπλήσθη ἡ γῆ.
"A way You have made in the sight of her, and hast planted the roots of her, and she has filled the land". Would she have filled the land, unless a way had been made in the sight of her? What was the way which was made in the sight of her? "I am," He says, "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." [John 14:6] With reason…
Its shadow covered the mountains, And its shoots equaled the goodly cedars.
Ἐκάλυψεν ὄρη ἡ σκιὰ αὐτῆς, καὶ αἱ ἀναδενδράδες αὐτῆς τὰς κέδρους τοῦ Θεοῦ.
It sent forth its branches to the sea, And its shoots to the river.
Ἐξέτεινε τὰ κλήματα αὐτῆς ἕως θαλάσσης, καὶ ἕως ποταμοῦ τὰς παραφυάδας αὐτῆς.
Wherefore hast thou broken down its hedge, While all that pass by the way pluck it?
Ἱνατί καθεῖλες τὸν φραγμὸν αὐτῆς, καὶ τρυγῶσιν αὐτὴν πάντες οἱ παραπορευόμενοι τὴν ὁδόν;
Then what? "Wherefore have You thrown down her enclosure?". Now ye see the overthrow of that nation of the Jews: already out of another Psalm you have heard, "with axe and hammer they have thrown her down." When could this have been done, except her enclosure had been thrown down. What is her enclosure? Her defence.…
"There has laid her waste the boar from the wood". In the boar from the wood what do we understand? To the Jews a swine is an abomination, and in a swine they imagine as it were the uncleanness of the Gentiles. But by the Gentiles was overthrown the nation of the Jews: but that king who overthrew, was not only an…
But with what profit is this? "O God of virtues turn Thou nevertheless" (ver. 14). Although these things have been done, "Turn Thou nevertheless." "Look from heaven and see, and visit this vineyard." "And perfect Thou her whom Thy right hand hath planted" (ver. 15). No other plant Thou, but this make Thou perfect. For…
"Things burned with fire, and dug up, by the rebuke of Thy countenance shall perish" (ver. 16). What are the things burned with fire and dug up which shall perish from the rebuke of His countenance? Let us see and perceive what are the things burned with fire and dug up. Christ hath rebuked what? Sins: by the rebuke…
"Let Your hand be upon the Man of Your right hand, and upon the Son of Man whom You have strengthened Yourself". "And we depart not from You....You will quicken us, and Your Name we will invoke". You shall be sweet to us, "You will quicken us." For aforetime we did love earth, not You: but You have mortified our…
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