psalm 80 patterns

Read Psalm 80 at Bible Gateway.

The Hebrew paragraph divisions:

1a Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; {n}
1b You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2a Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength, {n}
2b And come and save us!
3 Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!
4 O Lord God of hosts, How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!
8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
9 You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to the Sea, And her branches to the River.
12 Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13 The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it.
14a O God of hosts, return, we beseech You; {n}
14b Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! {p}

I could not find the single chiastic structure formed by this psalm, if there is one. There is an interesting pattern, however.

The psalm can be divided into three parts, each with the same closing line:

1a Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; {n}
1b You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!
2a Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength, {n}
2b And come and save us!
3 Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!

4 O Lord God of hosts, How long will You be angry Against the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, And given them tears to drink in great measure.
6 You have made us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!

8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
9 You prepared room for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
11 She sent out her boughs to the Sea, And her branches to the River.
12 Why have You broken down her hedges, So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
13 The boar out of the woods uproots it, And the wild beast of the field devours it.
14a O God of hosts, return, we beseech You; {n}
14b Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved! {p}

The repeating plea to be restored to God might indicate that it was Israel that wandered away, that it was Israel that turned back from God (vs.18), thus their troubles are not a result of God being capricious, but as is often the case, a result of their own choices, which God allows … because trouble often causes us to stop and examine where we are, and where God is. He wants them, and us, restored to Himself as well!

Please note the messianic significance of vs. 17, the man of Your right hand. I heard a Hebrew teacher once say that Messiah was the right hand of Almighty God. I have been looking for the explanation, if someone has it or knows it, please leave a comment, thank you! ♥