TRV
Translation
King James Version
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
Complete Jewish Bible
The boar from the forest tears it apart; wild creatures from the fields feed on it.
Berean Standard Bible
The boar from the forest ravages it, and the creatures of the field feed upon it.
American Standard Version
The boar out of the wood doth ravage it, And the wild beasts of the field feed on it.
World English Bible Messianic
The boar out of the wood ravages it. The wild animals of the field feed on it.
Geneva Bible (1599)
The wilde bore out of the wood hath destroyed it, and the wilde beastes of the fielde haue eaten it vp.
Young's Literal Translation
A boar out of the forest doth waste it, And a wild beast of the fields consumeth it.
See also
In the KJVVerse 15,212 of 31,102
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
St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER SEVEN
[Daniel 7:7] "After this, I beheld in the night-vision, and behold, there was a fourth beast, terrible and wonderful and exceedingly strong. He had large iron teeth, devouring and crushing, and everything that was left he stamped to pieces under his feet." The fourth empire is the Roman Empire, which now occupies the entire world, and concerning which it was said in connection with the image, "Its lower legs were of iron, and part of its feet were of iron, and part of clay." And yet from the iron portion itself Daniel calls to mind that its teeth were iron, and solemnly avers that they were large in size. I find it strange that although he had set forth a lioness, a bear and a leopard in the case of the three previous kingdoms, he did not compare the Roman realm to any sort of beast. Perhaps it was in order to render the beast fearsome indeed that he gave it no name, intending thereby that we should understand the Romans to partake of all the more ferocious characteristics we might think of in connection with beasts. The Hebrews believe that the beast which is here not named is the one spoken of in the Psalms: "A boar from the forest laid her waste, and a strange wild animal consumed her" (Psalm 80:13). Instead of this the Hebrew reads: "All the beasts of the field have torn her." While they are all included in the one Empire of the Romans, we recognize at the same time those kingdoms which were previously separate. And as for the next statement, "...devouring and crushing, and pounding all the rest to pieces under his feet," this signifies that all nations have either been slain by the Romans or else have been subjected to tribute and servitude.
"...But it did not resemble the other beasts which I had previously seen" (Vulgate: "...which I had seen before it"). In the earlier beasts he had seen various symbols of fright-fulness, but they were all concentrated in this one.
"...and it had ten horns." Porphyry assigned the last two beasts, that of the Macedonians and that of the Romans, to the one realm of the Macedonians and divided them up as follows. He claimed that the leopard was Alexander himself, and that the beast which was dissimilar to the others represented the four successors of Alexander, and then he enumerates ten kings up to the time of Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, and who were very cruel. And he did not assign the kings themselves to separate kingdoms, for example Macedon, Syria, Asia, or Egypt, but rather he made out the various kingdoms a single realm consisting of a series. This he did of course in order that the words which were written: "...a mouth uttering overweening boasts" might be considered as spoken about Antiochus instead of about Antichrist.
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
"There has laid her waste the boar from the wood" [Psalm 80:13]. In the boar from the wood what do we understand? To the Jews a swine is an abomination, and in a swine they imagine as it were the uncleanness of the Gentiles. But by the Gentiles was overthrown the nation of the Jews: but that king who overthrew, was not only an unclean swine, but was also a boar. For what is a boar but a savage swine, a furious swine? "A boar from the wood has laid her waste." "From the wood," from the Gentiles. For she was a vineyard, but the Gentiles were woods. But when the Gentiles believed, there was said what? "Then there shall exult all the trees of the woods." "The boar from the wood has laid her waste; and a singular wild beast has devoured her." "A singular wild beast" is what? The very boar that laid her waste is the singular wild beast. Singular, because proud. For thus says every proud one, It is I, it is I, and no other.
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
Psalms 80:13 offers a stark and poignant lament, vividly portraying the desolation of Israel, personified as a once-flourishing vineyard. This verse describes the vineyard's utter ruin by destructive forces, symbolized by a "boar out of the wood" and a "wild beast of the field," emphasizing the profound vulnerability and suffering of God's chosen people when His protective presence seems withdrawn, leaving them exposed to ruthless external aggressors. It is a desperate cry within a broader communal prayer for divine restoration.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 80:13 is rich in Imagery and Symbolism, central to its powerful lament. The entire psalm employs an extended Metaphor of Israel as a "vine" or "vineyard" (Psalms 80:8), which is then subjected to Personification as it suffers devastation. The "boar out of the wood" and the "wild beast of the field" are not literal animals attacking a literal vineyard, but potent Symbols for the hostile nations or internal forces that are destroying God's people. The choice of the boar, an unclean animal, adds a layer of Irony and Defilement to the destruction, implying that Israel's sacred identity is being desecrated. The vivid descriptions of "waste" and "devour" create a strong sense of Pathos, evoking pity and sorrow for the suffering nation, and serve as a stark Contrast to the earlier descriptions of the vine's flourishing prosperity (Psalms 80:9-11). The Parallelism between the two clauses ("The boar...doth waste it, and the wild beast...doth devour it") intensifies the sense of complete and relentless destruction.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 80:13 powerfully illustrates the theological principle that when God's protective hand is withdrawn, His people become vulnerable to destructive forces. This withdrawal is often a consequence of disobedience or spiritual drift, serving as a form of divine discipline aimed at bringing about repentance and restoration. The imagery of the vineyard, carefully planted and tended by God, being laid waste by wild animals, underscores the profound disappointment and judgment when the vineyard fails to produce the expected fruit. Yet, even in this state of desolation, the psalm maintains a posture of fervent prayer, appealing to God's covenant faithfulness and His power to restore, reminding believers that even in times of severe trial, the ultimate hope lies in God's sovereign intervention and the shining of His face upon His people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 80:13 serves as a sobering reminder for believers today about the consequences of spiritual negligence and the critical importance of abiding in God's protective presence. Just as Israel's vineyard was exposed when its protective walls were broken, so too can individual believers or the church collectively become vulnerable to the destructive "boars" and "wild beasts" of the world—whether they be spiritual attacks, the eroding influences of secularism, moral decay, or internal divisions—when we drift from God's will or neglect our spiritual disciplines. This verse calls us to examine our own lives and communities: Are we maintaining the "hedge" of God's Word, prayer, and obedience? Are we producing the fruit of the Spirit, or have we become a desolate vineyard, open to the ravages of sin and the enemy? The lament of the psalmist, though born of ancient distress, resonates with a timeless truth: our spiritual vitality and protection are inextricably linked to our relationship with God. It urges us to heed the call to repentance and to fervently seek God's face, trusting that His restoration is always available to those who turn back to Him.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "boar" being an unclean animal in this context?
Answer: The "boar" (Hebrew, chăzîyr, H2386) being an unclean animal according to Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11:7) adds a profound layer of theological and cultural significance to its destructive role in Psalms 80:13. Beyond its physical capacity for ruin, the boar's presence in the "vineyard" (symbolizing Israel) implies not only physical devastation but also ritual defilement and desecration. It suggests that the enemies attacking Israel are not just physically harmful but also morally and spiritually corrupting, bringing impurity into a space consecrated by God. This choice of imagery underscores the depth of Israel's suffering, as they are not merely being attacked but are being subjected to a form of spiritual pollution by those who disregard God's laws and covenant. It amplifies the sense of insult and humiliation, making the lament even more poignant and desperate for divine intervention to cleanse and restore.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 80:13, with its lament over Israel as a devastated vineyard, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus, who is the true vine. While Israel, the Old Testament vineyard, repeatedly failed to bear good fruit and consequently suffered the ravages of "boars" and "wild beasts" (representing foreign oppressors and the consequences of sin), Jesus declares, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser" (John 15:1). He embodies the perfect Israel, the faithful Son who always pleased the Father. The desolation described in Psalms 80:13 foreshadows the ultimate judgment that would fall upon unfaithful Israel, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem. However, in Christ, God establishes a new, indestructible vineyard—His Church—composed of those who abide in Him (John 15:5). Unlike the ancient vineyard whose walls were broken, believers in Christ are protected by His finished work on the cross and the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). Though spiritual battles persist, the "boar" and "wild beast" of sin, death, and the devil have been decisively defeated by the Lamb of God (John 1:29), who became the ultimate sacrifice. Through Christ, God's face truly shines upon His people, offering not judgment but eternal life and restoration (2 Corinthians 4:6), ensuring that His new vineyard will never be utterly laid waste.