Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 81 (MT) / Psalm 80 (LXX) is an Asaphite festival psalm connected to the blowing of the trumpet at the new moon (v. 3) — probably the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) or Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). The psalm's theological center is the divine-oracle (vv. 6–16) addressed to an unresponsive Israel: 'I am the LORD your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt; OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE, AND I WILL FILL IT' (v. 10). The promise of divine-provision paired with the tragedy of Israel's 'but my people did not listen' (v. 11) frames the psalm.
Notable Variants
81:10 'open your mouth wide and I will fill it' as divine-invitation-to-provision; 81:3 trumpet-at-new-moon as festival-summons; 81:11 'I am the LORD your God who brought you up out of Egypt' — Decalogue echo.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 81 = LXX Ps 80. 16 verses (MT/LXX), 16 verses (English).
For the choirmaster. On the Gittith. Of Asaph.
Superscription 'to the choirmaster; according to The Gittith. Of Asaph' tracks MT. 'Gittith' (Pss 8, 81, 84) — a musical term, possibly 'Gath-instrument' or 'winepress-tune' (gath = winepress).
Shout for joy to God our strength! Raise a shout to the God of Jacob!
'Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!' tracks MT.
Lift up a song and strike the tambourine, the sweet-sounding lyre with the harp!
'Raise a song; sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp' tracks MT. Festival-instrumental ensemble.
Blow the ram's horn at the new moon, at the full moon, on the day of our feast!
'Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day' tracks MT. SHOFAR AT NEW MOON. The shofar-blowing at the first of the seventh month inaugurates Rosh Hashanah (Lev 23:24, Num 29:1). The 'full moon' (keseh) references the 15th-of-the-month festivals (Sukkot begins 15 Tishri). 1 Corinthians 15:52's 'at the LAST TRUMPET' (en tē eschatē salpingi) and 1 Thessalonians 4:16's 'trumpet of God' eschatologize the festival-trumpet.
For it is a statute for Israel, a ruling from the God of Jacob.
'For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob' tracks MT.
He established it as a testimony in Joseph when he went out against the land of Egypt. I heard a language I did not know:
'He made it a decree in Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt' tracks MT.
I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.
'I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket' tracks MT. LIBERATION-FROM-BURDEN. Matthew 11:28–30 ('come to me all who labor and are heavy-laden … my yoke is easy and my burden is light') Christologizes the liberation-from-burden pattern.
In distress you called and I rescued you. I answered you from the hidden place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
'In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah' tracks MT. Meribah — Ex 17, Num 20 water-from-rock testing.
Listen, My people, and I will warn you. O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
'Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!' tracks MT. The SHEMA-ECHO — 'Hear, O Israel' (Deut 6:4) as divine-address.
There must be no foreign god among you. You must not bow down to an alien god.
'There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god' tracks MT. FIRST-COMMANDMENT echo.
I am the LORD your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
'I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it' tracks MT. THE EGYPT-DELIVERANCE DECALOGUE-PREAMBLE (Ex 20:2) extended with the universal-provision invitation: OPEN-YOUR-MOUTH-WIDE. Luke 11:9 ('ask and you will receive') and James 4:2 ('you do not have because you do not ask') develop the invitation-to-prayer theology.
But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel would have none of Me.
'But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me' tracks MT.
So I let them go in the stubbornness of their hearts; they walked by their own plans.
'So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels' tracks MT. DIVINE-GIVING-OVER as judgment. Romans 1:24, 26, 28 ('God GAVE THEM UP to impurity … to dishonorable passions … to a debased mind,' paredōken autous) deploys the same divine-giving-over-to-their-choices theology.
If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would walk in My ways!
'Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!' tracks MT. The divine-wish ('oh that!') — God's own longing for Israel's faithfulness. A remarkable theological-pathos text.
How quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes!
'I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes' tracks MT.
Those who hate the LORD would cringe before Him, and their doom would last forever.
'Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever' tracks MT.
He would feed him with the finest wheat, and from the rock I would satisfy you with honey.
'But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you' tracks MT. HONEY-FROM-ROCK imagery — extraordinary-wilderness-provision. Deut 32:13 ('honey out of the rock, and oil from the flinty rock') develops the same miraculous-provision motif.