TRV
Translation
King James Version
The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
Complete Jewish Bible
The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches;
Berean Standard Bible
The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches.
American Standard Version
The mountains were covered with the shadow of it, And the boughs thereof were like cedars of God.
World English Bible Messianic
The mountains were covered with its shadow. Its boughs were like God’s cedars.
Geneva Bible (1599)
The mountaines were couered with the shadowe of it, and the boughes thereof were like the goodly cedars.
Young's Literal Translation
Covered have been hills with its shadow, And its boughs are cedars of God.
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 80 verses 8–19
8 ¶ Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9 Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land.
10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?
13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;
15 And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
16 It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance.
17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
18 So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19 Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
The psalmist is here presenting his suit for the Israel of God, and pressing it home at the throne of grace, pleading with God for mercy and grace for them. The church is here represented as a vine (Psa 80:8, Psa 80:14) and a vineyard, Psa 80:15. The root of this vine is Christ, Rom 11:18. The branches are believers, Joh 15:5. The church is like a vine, weak and needing support, unsightly and having an unpromising outside, but spreading and fruitful, and its fruit most excellent. The church is a choice and noble vine; we have reason to acknowledge the goodness of God that he has planted such a vine in the wilderness of this world, and preserved it to this day. Now observe here,
I. How the vine of the Old Testament church was planted at first. It was brought out of Egypt with a high hand; the heathen were cast out of Canaan to make room for it, seven nations to make room for that one. Thou didst sweep before it (so some read Psa 80:9), to make clear work; the nations were swept away as dirt with the besom of destruction. God, having made room for it, and planted it, cause it to take deep root by a happy establishment of their government both in church and state, which was so firm that, though their neighbours about them often attempted it, they could not prevail to pluck it up.
II. How it spread and flourished. 1. The land of Canaan itself was fully peopled. At first they were not so numerous as to replenish it, Exo 23:29. But in Solomon's time Judah and Israel were many as the sand of the sea; the land was filled with them, and yet such a fruitful land that it was not over-stocked, Psa 80:10. The hills of Canaan were covered with their shadow, and the branches, though they extended themselves far, like those of the vine, yet were not weak like them, but as strong as those of the goodly cedars. Israel not only had abundance of men, but those mighty men of valour. 2. They extended their conquests and dominion to the neighbouring countries (Psa 80:11): She sent out her boughs to the sea, the great sea westward, and her branches to the river, to the river of Egypt southward, the river of Damascus northward, or rather the river Euphrates eastward, Gen 15:18. Nebuchadnezzar's greatness is represented by a flourishing tree, Dan 4:20, Dan 4:21. But it is observable here concerning this vine that it is praised for its shadow, its boughs, and its branches, but not a word of its fruit, for Israel was an empty vine, Hos 10:1. God came looking for grapes, but, behold, wild grapes, Isa 5:2. And, if a vine do not bring forth fruit, no tree so useless, so worthless, Eze 15:2, Eze 15:6.
III. How it was wasted and ruined: "Lord, thou hast done great things for this vine, and why shall it be all undone again? If it were a plant not of God's planting, it were not strange to see it rooted up; but will God desert and abandon that which he himself gave being to?" Psa 80:12. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges? There was a good reason for this change in God's way towards them. This noble vine had become the degenerate plant of a strange vine (Jer 2:21), to the reproach of its great owner, and then no marvel if he took away its hedge (Isa 5:5); yet God's former favours to this vine are urged as pleas in prayer to God, and improved as encouragements to faith, that, notwithstanding all this, God would not wholly cast them off. Observe, 1. The malice and enmity of the Gentile nations against Israel. As soon as ever God broke down their hedges and left them exposed troops of enemies presently broke in upon them, that waited for an opportunity to destroy them. Those that passed by the way plucked at them; the board out of the wood and the wild beast of the field were ready to ravage it, Psa 80:13. But, 2. See also the restraint which these cruel enemies were under; for till God had broken down their hedges they could not pluck a leaf of this vine. The devil could not hurt Job so long as God continued the hedge round about him, Job 1:10. See how much it is the interest of any people to keep themselves in the favour of God and then they need not fear any wild beast of the field, Job 5:23. If we provoke God to withdraw, our defence has departed from us, and we are undone. The deplorable state of Israel is described (Psa 80:16): It is burnt with fire; it is cut down; the people are treated like thorns and briers, that are nigh unto cursing and whose end is to be burned, and no longer like vines that are protected and cherished. They perish not through the rage of the wild beast and the boar, but at the rebuke of thy countenance; that was it which they dreaded and to which they attributed all their calamities. It is well or ill with us according as we are under God's smiles or frowns.
IV. What their requests were to God hereupon. 1. That God would help the vine (Psa 80:14, Psa 80:15), that he would graciously take cognizance of its case and do for it as he thought fit: "Return, we beseech thee, O Lord of hosts! for thou hast seemed to go away from us. Look down from heaven, to which thou hast retired, - from heaven, that place of prospect, whence thou seest all the wrongs that are done us, that place of power, whence thou canst send effectual relief, - from heaven, where thou hast prepared thy throne of judgment, to which we appeal, and where thou hast prepared a better country for those that are Israelites indeed, - thence give a gracious look, thence make a gracious visit, to this vine. Take our woeful condition into thy compassionate consideration, and for the particular fruits of thy pity we refer ourselves to thee. Only behold the vineyard, or rather the root, which thy right hand hath planted, and which therefore we hope thy right hand will protect, that branch which thou madest strong for thyself, to show forth thy praise (Isa 43:21), that with the fruit of it thou mightest be honoured. Lord, it is formed by thyself and for thyself, and therefore it may with a humble confidence be committed to thyself and to thy own care." As for God, his work is perfect. What we read the branch in the Hebrew is the son (Ben), whom in thy counsel thou hast made strong for thyself. That branch was to come out of the stock of Israel (my servant the branch, Zac 3:8), and therefore, till he should come, Israel in general, and the house of David in particular, must be preserved, and upheld, and kept in being. He is the true vine, Joh 15:1; Isa 11:1. Destroy it not for that blessing is in it, Isa 65:8. 2. That he would help the vine-dresser (Psa 80:17, Psa 80:18): "Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand," that king (whoever it was) of the house of David that was now to go in and out before them; "let they hand be upon him, not only to protect and cover him, but to own him, and strengthen him, and give him success." We have this phrase, Ezr 7:28, And I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me. Their king is called the man of God's right hand as he was the representative of their state, which was dear to God, as his Benjamin, the son of his right hand, as he was president in their affairs and an instrument in God's right hand of much good to them, defending them from themselves and from their enemies and directing them in the right way, and as he was under-shepherd under him who was the great shepherd of Israel. Princes, who have power, must remember that they are sons of men, of Adam (so the word is), that, if they are strong, it is God that has made them strong, and he has made them so for himself, for they are his ministers to serve the interests of his kingdom among men, and, if they do this in sincerity, his hand shall be upon them; and we should pray in faith that it may be so, adding this promise, that, if God will adhere to our governors, we will adhere to him: So will not we go back from thee; we will never desert a cause which we see that God espouses and is the patron of. Let God be our leader and we will follow him. Adding also this prayer, "Quicken us, put life into us, revive our dying interests, revive our drooping spirits, and then we will call upon thy name. We will continue to do so upon all occasions, having found it not in vain to do so." We cannot call upon God's name in a right manner unless he quicken us; but it is he that puts life into our souls, that puts liveliness into our prayers. But many interpreters, both Jewish and Christian, apply this to the Messiah, the Son of David, the protector and Saviour of the church and the keeper of the vineyard. (1.) He is the man of God's right hand, to whom he has sworn by his right hand (so the Chaldee), whom he has exalted to his right hand, and who is indeed his right hand, the arm of the Lord, for all power is given to him. (2.) He is that son of man whom he made strong for himself, for the glorifying of his name and the advancing of the interests of his kingdom among men. (3.) God's hand is upon him throughout his whole undertaking, to bear him out and carry him on, to protect and animate him, that the good pleasure of the Lord might prosper in his hand. (4.) The stability and constancy of believers are entirely owing to the grace and strength which are laid up for us in Jesus Christ, Psa 68:28. In him is our strength found, by which we are enabled to persevere to the end. Let thy hand be upon him; on him let our help be laid who is mighty; let him be made able to save to the uttermost and that will be our security; so will not we go back from thee.
Lastly, The psalm concludes with the same petition that had been put up twice before, and yet it is no vain repetition (Psa 80:19): Turn us again. The title given to God rises, Psa 80:3, O God! Psa 80:7, O God of hosts! Psa 80:19, O Lord (Jehovah) God of hosts! When we come to God for his grace, his good-will towards us and his good work in us, we should pray earnestly, continue instant in prayer, and pray more earnestly.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 8–19. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Against Rufinus 2.24
What is there in human life that can be safe if innocence is made the object of accusation? I am the householder who finds that while he slept the enemy has sown tares among his wheat. “The wild boar out of the wood has rooted up my vineyard, and the strange wild beast has devoured it.” I keep silence, but a letter that is not mine speaks against me. I am ignorant of the crime laid against me, yet I am made to confess the crime all through the world. “Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me a man to be judged and condemned in the whole earth.”
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 80
"A way You have made in the sight of her, and hast planted the roots of her, and she has filled the land" [Psalm 80:9]. 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 she has filled the land. That has now been said of this vineyard, which has been accomplished at the last. But in the mean time what? "She has covered the mountains with her shadow, and with her branch the cedars of God" [Psalm 80:10]. "You have stretched out her boughs even unto the sea, and even unto the river her shoots" [Psalm 80:11]. This requires the office of an expositor, that of a reader and praiser does not suffice: aid me with attention; for the mention of this vineyard in this Psalm is wont to overcloud with darkness the inattentive....But nevertheless the first Jewish nation was this vine. But the Jewish nation reigned as far as the sea and as far as the river. As far as the sea; it appears in Scripture [Numbers 34:5] that the sea was in the vicinity thereof. And as far as the river Jordan. For on the other side of Jordan some part of the Jews was established, but within Jordan was the whole nation. Therefore, "even unto the sea and even unto the river," is the kingdom of the Jews, the kingdom of Israel: but not "from sea even unto sea, and from the river even unto the ends of the round world;" this is the future perfection of the vineyard, concerning which in this place he has foretold. When, I say, he had foretold to you the perfection, he returns to the beginning, out of which the perfection was made. Of the beginning will you hear? "Even unto the river." Of the end will you hear? "He shall have dominion from sea even unto sea:" that is, "she has filled the earth." Let us look then to the testimony of Asaph, as to what was done to the first vineyard, and what must be expected for the second vineyard, nay to the same vineyard....What then, the vineyard before the sight whereof a way was made, that she should fill the earth, at first was where? "Her shadow covered the mountains." Who are the mountains? The Prophets. Why did her shadow cover them? Because darkly they spoke the things which were foretold as to come. You hear from the Prophets, Keep the Sabbath day, on the eighth day circumcise a child, offer sacrifice of ram, of calf, of he-goat. Be not troubled, her shadow does cover the mountains of God; there will come after the shadow a manifestation. "And her shrubs the cedars of God," that is, she has covered the cedars of God; very lofty, but of God. For the cedars are types of the proud, that must needs be overthrown. The "cedars of Lebanon," the heights of the world, this vineyard did cover in growing, and the mountains of God, all the holy Prophets and Patriarchs.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalm 80:10, nestled within a fervent communal lament by Asaph, vividly recalls the past splendor and expansive influence of God's chosen people, Israel. Through the potent metaphor of a flourishing vine, the verse describes a period when the nation thrived under divine favor, its protective shadow extending widely, and its strength and majesty likened to the most magnificent cedars, setting a poignant contrast with its present state of desolation and serving as a basis for the psalmist's plea for restoration.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 80:10 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its powerful message. The overarching device is Metaphor, where the nation of Israel is consistently represented as a vine that God brought out of Egypt. This metaphor allows the psalmist to describe Israel's growth, decline, and potential restoration in vivid, agricultural terms. Within this metaphor, the phrase "The hills were covered with the shadow of it" utilizes Hyperbole to emphasize the immense, almost unbelievable, extent of the vine's growth and Israel's influence. While a literal vine's shadow might cover a small area, covering "hills" suggests an exaggerated, yet powerful, image of widespread dominion and protection. Furthermore, the clause "and the boughs thereof [were like] the goodly cedars" employs a Simile (explicitly marked by "were like" in KJV, though the Hebrew implies a strong comparison) to liken the vine's branches to the renowned Cedars of Lebanon. This simile draws on the established Symbolism of cedars as representations of strength, majesty, and enduring quality, thereby underscoring the robust and magnificent nature of Israel in its prime.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalm 80:10 encapsulates a profound theological truth about God's covenant relationship with Israel: His desire for His people to flourish under His care. The imagery of the vine's expansive growth and its boughs resembling "goodly cedars" speaks to the abundant blessings and protective presence God bestowed upon Israel when they walked in obedience. This flourishing was not merely material but also spiritual, signifying a nation deeply rooted in God's favor, reflecting His glory and influence to the surrounding world. The lament that follows this verse in Psalm 80 underscores the tragic consequences of disobedience and the pain of perceived divine abandonment, revealing that such prosperity is conditional upon faithfulness. It serves as a powerful reminder that while God's initial planting is gracious, the sustained flourishing of His people requires continued reliance on Him, and that even in times of desolation, the memory of past blessings fuels the hope for future restoration.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 80:10 invites us to reflect on the nature of God's blessing and the potential for flourishing in our own lives and in the church. Just as ancient Israel experienced periods of immense growth and influence under God's hand, so too can individual believers and Christian communities experience profound spiritual vitality and impact when deeply rooted in God's truth and grace. This verse reminds us that true strength and majesty come from divine favor, not human effort alone. It challenges us to consider what it means to be a "goodly cedar"—to possess spiritual resilience, to stand firm in faith, and to extend a "shadow" of God's presence and blessing to those around us. When we face periods of spiritual barrenness or feel like the "vine" has been ravaged, remembering God's past faithfulness and His capacity to restore, as depicted in this psalm, becomes a source of hope and a call to fervent prayer for renewal and revival, trusting that His desire is for His people to flourish.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is Israel so frequently described as a "vine" or "vineyard" in the Old Testament?
Answer: The imagery of Israel as a vine or vineyard is a pervasive and powerful metaphor in the Old Testament because it speaks to several key aspects of God's relationship with His people. Firstly, it highlights God's role as the divine planter and vinedresser, who carefully brought Israel out of Egypt and established them in the promised land, as seen in Psalm 80:8. Secondly, it emphasizes Israel's dependence on God for its sustenance, growth, and fruitfulness, much like a vine depends on its cultivator and the soil. Thirdly, it underscores the expectation of fruitfulness—that Israel, as God's chosen people, was meant to produce good fruit, representing righteousness, justice, and obedience to His covenant, as explicitly stated in Isaiah 5:7. Finally, the metaphor also allows for the poignant portrayal of Israel's failure to produce good fruit, leading to judgment and desolation, as seen in passages like Isaiah 5:1-7 and Jeremiah 2:21.
What is the specific significance of "goodly cedars" in this verse?
Answer: The "goodly cedars" (Hebrew: אֲרְזֵי אֵל, 'arze el) refer to the majestic Cedars of Lebanon, which were renowned in the ancient world for their immense size, height, strength, durability, and fragrant wood. They were often used in the construction of grand and sacred structures, such as Solomon's Temple, as described in 1 Kings 5:6. In Psalm 80:10, the comparison of Israel's "boughs" to these cedars is highly significant. The term אֵל (el), meaning "God," acts as an intensifier, signifying "cedars of God" or "mighty cedars," emphasizing their supreme quality and grandeur. Thus, the imagery conveys that Israel, in its prime under God's favor, possessed unparalleled strength, majesty, stability, and enduring beauty. It symbolizes a nation that was not only widespread in influence but also deeply rooted, robust, and magnificent in its very being, reflecting the extraordinary blessing and protection of God.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 80:10, with its depiction of Israel as a flourishing vine whose boughs were like "goodly cedars," finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in Jesus, the true Vine, and in His body, the Church. While the Old Testament vine symbolizes national Israel and its conditional prosperity, Jesus radically redefines this metaphor in John 15:1, declaring, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser." This shifts the focus from an ethnic nation to a spiritual community, where true life and fruitfulness are found exclusively in union with Christ. The "shadow" that once covered the hills, symbolizing Israel's protective reach and influence, now finds its perfect expression in the all-encompassing grace and shelter offered by Christ to all who abide in Him, as He promises in John 15:5. The "goodly cedars," representing strength, majesty, and endurance, foreshadow the spiritual strength and enduring glory of believers who are built upon Christ, the chief cornerstone, becoming a holy temple in the Lord, as described in Ephesians 2:20-22. The lament for the withered vine in Psalm 80 points to humanity's spiritual barrenness apart from God, which is fully remedied in Christ, who restores and empowers His people to bear abundant fruit for God's glory, fulfilling the divine purpose for which the original vine was planted, as encouraged in Colossians 1:10.