Psalm 81


Psalm 81 is the 81st psalm in the biblical Book of Psalms. Its themes relate to celebration and repentance. In the New King James Version its sub-title is "An Appeal for Israel's Repentance". In the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and in its Latin translation in the Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 80 in a slightly different numbering system.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 81:
VerseHebrew
1עַל־הַגִּתִּ֬ית לְאָסָֽף
2הַרְנִינוּ לֵֽאלֹהִ֣ים עוּזֵּ֑נוּ הָ֜רִ֗יעוּ לֵֽאלֹהֵ֥י יַֽעֲקֹֽב
3שְֽׂאוּ־זִ֖מְרָה וּתְנוּ־תֹ֑ף כִּנּ֖וֹר נָעִ֣ים עִם־נָֽבֶל
4תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֜כֶּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ
5כִּ֚י חֹ֣ק לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל ה֑וּא מִ֜שְׁפָּ֗ט לֵֽאלֹהֵ֥י יַֽעֲקֹֽב
6בִּֽיה֘וֹסֵ֚ף שָׂמ֗וֹ בְּ֖צֵאתוֹ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם שְׂפַ֖ת לֹֽא־יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶשְׁמָֽע
7הֲסִיר֣וֹתִי מִסֵּ֣בֶל שִׁכְמ֑וֹ כַּ֜פָּ֗יו מִדּ֥וּד תַּֽעֲבֹֽרְנָה
8בַּצָּרָ֥ה קָרָ֗אתָ וָֽאֲחַ֫לְּצֶ֥ךָּ אֶֽ֖עֶנְךָ בְּסֵ֣תֶר רַ֑עַם אֶבְחָֽנְךָ֨ עַל־מֵ֖י מְרִיבָ֣ה סֶֽלָה
9שְׁמַ֣ע עַ֖מִּי וְאָעִ֣ידָה בָּ֑ךְ יִ֜שְׂרָאֵ֗ל אִם־תִּשְׁמַע־לִֽי
10לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֣ה בְ֖ךָ אֵ֣ל זָ֑ר וְלֹ֥א תִֽ֜שְׁתַּֽחֲוֶ֗ה לְאֵ֣ל נֵכָֽר
11יְהֹ֘וָ֚ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ הַ֖מַּֽעַלְךָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הַרְחֶב־פִּ֜֗יךָ וַֽאֲמַלְאֵֽהוּ
12וְלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֣ע עַמִּ֣י לְקוֹלִ֑י וְ֜יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֹא־אָ֥בָה לִֽי
13וָֽאֲשַׁלְּחֵהוּ בִּשְׁרִיר֣וּת לִבָּ֑ם יֵֽ֜לְכ֗וּ בְּֽמֽוֹעֲצֽוֹתֵיהֶֽם
14ל֣וּ עַ֖מִּי שֹׁמֵ֣עַ לִ֑י יִ֜שְׂרָאֵ֗ל בִּדְרָכַ֥י יְהַלֵּֽכוּ
15כִּמְעַט אֽוֹיְבֵיהֶ֣ם אַכְנִ֑יעַ וְעַל־צָֽ֜רֵיהֶ֗ם אָשִׁ֥יב יָדִֽי
16מְשַׂנְאֵ֣י יְ֖הֹוָה יְכַֽחֲשׁוּ־ל֑וֹ וִיהִ֖י עִתָּ֣ם לְעוֹלָֽם
17וַיַּֽאֲכִילֵהוּ מֵחֵ֣לֶב חִטָּ֑ה וּ֜מִצּ֗וּר דְּבַ֣שׁ אַשְׂבִּיעֶֽךָּ

King James Version

The following is the full English text of the Psalm from the King James Bible.
  1. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
  2. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
  3. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
  4. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
  5. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
  6. I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
  7. Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
  8. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
  9. There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
  10. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
  11. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
  12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
  13. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
  14. I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
  15. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
  16. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

    Verse numbering

In the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 81:1 comprises the designation
From then on Psalm 81:1–16 in English versions correspond to verses 2–17 in the Hebrew text.

Commentary

The reference to the new moon and full moon as well as the blowing of the trumpet in verse 3 may reflect the celebration of New Year and Tabernacles. The teaching of verses 9-10 are similar to the beginning of the Decalogue, although 'the words for "strange" god and "foreign" god are different from the "other gods" in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, with the verb "brought up" and the order of the phrases reversed.
The beginning of the psalm is like a hymn, which is followed by an oracle. In particular, verses 6-10 describe 'God's deliverance of his people from Egypt', whereas verses 11-16 recall the past disobedience of the people and promise to give victory over their enemies if they obey God.
Robert Godfrey, Sinclair Ferguson and some others make this the poetic center of the Psalter being the middle book, middle Psalm and even point to the middle verses of this Psalm.

Uses

Judaism

Verses 1-4 were set by Adrian Batten in a sacred anthem entitled "O sing joyfully".