Psalms 81
81
PSALM 81
Common Meter: 8,6,8,6
To the chief Musician upon Gittith,
A Psalm of Asaph.
1Sing loud to God our strength; with joy
to Jacob's God do sing.
2Take up a psalm, the pleasant harp,
timbrel and psalt'ry bring.
3Blow trumpets at new-moon, what day
our feast appointed is:
4For charge to Isr'el,
and a law of Jacob's God was this.
5To Joseph this a testimony
he made, when Egypt land
He travell'd through, where speech I heard
I did not understand.
6His shoulder I from burdens took,
his hands from pots did free.
7Thou didst in trouble on me call,
and I deliver'd thee:
In secret place of thundering
I did thee answer make;
And at the streams of Meribah
of thee a proof did take.
8O thou, my people, give an ear,
I'll testify to thee;
To thee, O Isr'el, if thou wilt
but hearken unto me.
9In midst of thee there shall not be
any strange god at all;
Nor unto any god unknown
thou bowing down shalt fall.
10I am the Lord thy God, which did
from Egypt land thee guide;
I'll fill thy mouth abundantly,
do thou it open wide.
11But yet my people to my voice
would not attentive be;
And ev'n my chosen Israel
he would have none of me.
12So to the lust of their own hearts
I them delivered;
And then in counsels of their own
they vainly wandered.
13O that my people had me heard,
Isr'el my ways had chose!
14I had their en'mies soon subdu'd,
my hand turn'd on their foes.
15The haters of the Lord to him
submission should have feign'd;
But as for them, their time should have
for evermore remain'd.
16He should have also fed them with
the finest of the wheat;
Of honey from the rock thy fill
I should have made thee eat.
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Psalms 81
81
An Admonition to Fidelity
1For the leader; “upon the gittith.”#Upon the gittith: probably the title of the melody to which the Psalm was to be sung or a musical instrument. Of Asaph.
I
2Sing joyfully to God our strength;#Ps 43:4; 68:26; 149:3; 150:3–4; Jdt 16:1.
raise loud shouts to the God of Jacob!
3Take up a melody, sound the timbrel,
the pleasant lyre with a harp.
4#New moon…full moon: the pilgrimage feast of harvest began with a great assembly (Lv 23:24; Nm 29:1), used the new moon as a sign (Nm 29:6), and included trumpets (Lv 23:24).Blow the shofar at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our solemn feast.#Lv 23:24; Nm 29:1.
5For this is a law for Israel,
an edict of the God of Jacob,#Ex 23:14ff.
6He made it a decree for Joseph
when he came out of the land of Egypt.
II
7#I heard a tongue I did not know: a Temple official speaks the word of God (Ps 81:5b–16), which is authoritative and unlike merely human words (cf. Nm 24:4, 16).I heard a tongue I did not know:
“I removed his shoulder from the burden;#I heard a tongue I did not know: a Temple official speaks the word of God (Ps 81:5b–16), which is authoritative and unlike merely human words (cf. Nm 24:4, 16).
his hands moved away from the basket.#I removed his shoulder from the burden: A reference to the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The basket: for carrying clay to make bricks, cf. Ex 1:14.#Ex 1:14; 6:6.
8In distress you called and I rescued you;
I answered you in secret with thunder;
At the waters of Meribah#Meribah: place of rebellion in the wilderness; cf. Ex 17:7; Nm 20:13. I tested you:#Ps 95:8; Ex 2:23ff; 17:7; 19:16; Nm 20:13; 27:14. 9‘Listen, my people, I will testify against you
Selah
If only you will listen to me, Israel!#Ex 1:14; 6:6.
10There shall be no foreign god among you;#There shall be no foreign god among you: as in Ps 50 and 95, Israel is challenged to obey the first commandment of fidelity to God after the proclamation of the exodus.#Ex 20:2–6; Dt 5:6–10.
you shall not bow down to an alien god.
11‘I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth that I may fill it.’
12But my people did not listen to my words;
Israel would not submit to me.
13So I thrust them away to the hardness of their heart;
‘Let them walk in their own machinations.’#Jer 3:17; 7:24.
14O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways,#Is 48:18.
15In a moment I would humble their foes,
and turn back my hand against their oppressors.#Lv 26:7–8.
16Those who hate the Lord will try flattering him,
but their fate is fixed forever.
17But Israel I will feed with the finest wheat,
I will satisfy them with honey from the rock.”#Ps 147:14; Dt 32:13–14.
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