TRV
Translation
Berean Standard Bible
Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
American Standard Version
Turn us again, O God; And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
World English Bible Messianic
Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
Young's Literal Translation
O God, cause us to turn back, And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved.
In the KJVVerse 15,202 of 31,102
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Commentary on Psalms 80 verses 1–7
1 ¶ To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.
3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
The psalmist here, in the name of the church, applies to God by prayer, with reference to the present afflicted state of Israel.
I. He entreats God's favour for them (Psa 80:1, Psa 80:2); that is all in all to the sanctuary when it is desolate, and is to be sought in the first place. Observe, 1. How he eyes God in his address as the Shepherd of Israel, whom he had called the sheep of his pasture (Psa 79:13), under whose guidance and care Israel was, as the sheep are under the care and conduct of the shepherd. Christ is the great and good Shepherd, to whom we may in faith commit the custody of his sheep that were given to him. He leads Joseph like a flock, to the best pastures, and out of the way of danger; if Joseph follow him not as obsequiously as the sheep do the shepherd, it is his own fault. He dwells between the cherubim, where he is ready to receive petitions and to give directions. The mercy-seat was between the cherubim; and it is very comfortable in prayer to look up to God as sitting on a throne of grace, and that it is so to us is owning to the great propitiation, for the mercy-seat was the propitiatory. 2. What he expects and desires from God, that he would give ear to the cry of their miseries and of their prayers, that he would shine forth both in his own glory and in favour and kindness to his people, that he would show himself and smile on them, that he would sir up his strength, that he would excite it and exert it. It had seemed to slumber: "Lord, awaken it." His cause met with great opposition and the enemies threatened to overpower it: "Lord, put forth thy strength so much the more, and come for salvation to us; be to thy people a powerful help and a present help; Lord, do this before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh," that is, "In the sight of all the tribes of Israel; let them see it to their satisfaction." Perhaps these three tribes are named because they were the tribes which formed that squadron of the camp of Israel that in their march through the wilderness followed next after the tabernacle; so that before them the ark of God's strength rose to scatter their enemies.
II. He complains of God's displeasure against them. God was angry, and he dreads that more than any thing, Psa 80:4. 1. It was great anger. He apprehended that God was angry against the prayer of his people, not only that he was angry notwithstanding their prayers, by which they hoped to turn away his wrath from them, but that he was angry with their prayers, though they were his own people that prayed. That God should be angry at the sins of his people and at the prayers of his enemies is not strange; but that he should be angry at the prayers of his people is strange indeed. He not only delayed to answer them (that he often does in love), but he was displeased at them. If he be really angry at the prayers of his people, we may be sure it is because they ask amiss, Jam 4:3. They pray, but they do not wrestle in prayer; their ends are not right, or there is some secret sin harboured and indulged in them; they do not lift up pure hands, or they lift them up with wrath and doubting. But perhaps it is only in their own apprehension; he seems angry with their prayers when really he is not; for thus he will try their patience and perseverance in prayer, as Christ tried the woman of Canaan when he said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs. 2. It was anger that had continued a great while: "How long wilt thou be angry? We have still continued praying and yet are still under thy frowns." Now the tokens of God's displeasure which they had been long under were both their sorrow and shame. (1.) Their sorrow (Psa 80:5): Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; they eat their meat from day to day in tears; this is the vinegar in which they dipped their morsel, Psa 42:3. They had tears given them to drink, not now and then a taste of that bitter cup, but in great measure. Note, There are many that spend their time in sorrow who yet shall spend their eternity in joy. (2.) It was their shame, Psa 80:6. God, by frowning upon them, made them a strife unto their neighbours; each strove which should expose them most, and such a cheap and easy prey were they made to them that all the strife was who should have the stripping and plundering of them. Their enemies laughed among themselves to see the frights they were in, the straits they were reduced to, and the disappointments they met with. When God is displeased with his people we must expect to see them in tears and their enemies in triumph.
III. He prays earnestly for converting grace in order to their acceptance with God, and their salvation: Turn us again, O God! Psa 80:3. Turn us again, O God of hosts! (Psa 80:7) and then cause thy face to shine and we shall be saved. It is the burden of the song, for we have it again, Psa 80:19. They are conscious to themselves that they have gone astray from God and their duty, and have turned aside into sinful ways, and that it was this that provoked God to hide his face from them and to give them up into the hand of their enemies; and therefore they desire to begin their work at the right end: "Lord, turn us to thee in a way of repentance and reformation, and then, no doubt, thou wilt return to us in a way of mercy and deliverance." Observe, 1. No salvation but from God's favour: "Cause thy face to shine, let us have thy love and the light of thy countenance, and then we shall be saved." 2. No obtaining favour with God unless we be converted to him. We must turn again to God from the world and the flesh, and then he will cause his face to shine upon us. 3. No conversion to God but by his own grace; we must frame our doings to turn to him (Hos 5:4) and then pray earnestly for his grace, Turn thou me, and I shall be turned, pleading that gracious promise (Pro 1:23), Burn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. The prayer here is for a national conversion; in this method we must pray for national mercies, that what is amiss may be amended, and then our grievances would be soon redressed. National holiness would secure national happiness.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–7. Public domain.
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Augustine of HippoAD 430
Confessions 4.10
“O God of hosts, restore us to our own; smile on us, and we shall find deliverance.” For wherever the soul of a person may turn, unless it turns to you, it clasps sorrow to itself. Even though it clings to things of beauty, if their beauty is outside God and outside the soul, it only clings to sorrow.Yet these things of beauty would not exist at all unless they came from you. Like the sun, they rise and set. At their rise they have their first beginning; they grow until they reach perfection; but, once they have reached it, they grow old and die. Not all reach old age, but all alike must die. When they rise, therefore, they are set on the course of their existence, and the faster they climb toward its zenith, the more they hasten toward the point where they exist no more. This is the law they obey. This is all that you have appointed for them, because they are parts of a whole. Not all the parts exist at once, but some must come as others go, and in this way together they make up the whole of which they are the parts. Our speech follows the same rule, using sounds to signify a meaning. For a sentence is not complete unless each word, once its syllables have been pronounced, gives way to make room for the next. Let my soul praise you for these things, O God, Creator of them all; but the love of them, which we feel, through the senses of the body, must not be like glue to bind my soul to them. For they continue on the course that is set for them and leads to their end, and if the soul loves them and wishes to be with them and finds its rest in them, it is torn by desires that can destroy it. In these things there is no place to rest, because they do not last. They pass away beyond the reach of our senses. Indeed, none of us can lay firm hold of them even when they are with us. For the senses of the body are sluggish, because they are the senses of flesh and blood. They are limited by their own nature. They are sufficient for the purposes for which they were made, but they cannot halt the progress of transient things, which pass from their allotted beginning to their allotted end. All such things are created by your word, which tells them, “Here is your beginning, and here your end.”
Augustine of HippoAD 430
LETTER 130
For whatever other words we may say, whatever words the fervor of the suppliant utters at the beginning of his petition to define it or follows up afterward to intensify it, we say nothing that is not found in this prayer of the Lord, if we pray properly and fittingly. But whoever says anything in his prayer that does not accord with this Gospel prayer, even if his prayer is not of the forbidden sort, it is carnal, and I am not sure it ought not to be called forbidden, since those who are born again of the Spirit ought to pray only in a spiritual manner. For instance, he who says, “Be sanctified among all people, as you have been sanctified among us,” and, “May your prophets be found faithful,” what else does he say but “Hallowed be your name”? And he who says, “O God of hosts, convert us and show your face, and we will be saved,” what else does he say but “Your kingdom come”? He who says, “Direct my steps according to your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me,” what else does he say but “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? He who says, “Give me neither poverty nor riches,” what else does he say but “Give us this day our daily bread”? He who says, “O Lord, remember David and all his meekness,” or “Lord, if I have done this thing, if there be iniquity in my hands, if I have rendered to them that have repaid me evils,” what else does he say but “Forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors”? He who says, “Take from me the greediness of the belly and let not the lusts of the flesh take hold of me,” what else does he say but “Lead us not into temptation”? He who says, “Deliver me from my enemies, O God, and defend me from them that rise up against me,” what else does he say but “Deliver us from evil”? And if you were to run over all the words of holy prayers, you would find nothing, according to my way of thinking, that is not contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer. Hence when we pray, it is allowable to say the same things in different words, but it ought not to be allowable to say different things.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 80
"O God, convert us." For averse we have been from You, and unless You convert us, we shall not be converted. "And illumine Your face, and we shall be saved" [Psalm 80:3]. Hath He anywise a darkened face? He has not a darkened face, but He placed before it a cloud of flesh, and as it were a veil of weakness; and when He hung on the tree, He was not thought the Same as He was after to be acknowledged when He was sitting in Heaven. For thus it has come to pass. Christ present on the earth, and doing miracles, Asaph knew not; but when He had died, after that He rose again, and ascended into Heaven, he knew Him. He was pricked to the heart, and he may have spoken also of Him this testimony which now we acknowledge in this Psalm. You covered Your face, and we were sick: illumine Thou the same, and we shall be whole.
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
A fervent and comprehensive plea from a distressed community, serving as a central refrain in this communal lament. It is a desperate, threefold petition for God's sovereign intervention: to initiate their spiritual and national restoration, to manifest His benevolent presence and favor, and thereby to bring about their holistic salvation from affliction, despair, and oppression.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Psalm 80 is a profound communal lament found within Book III of the Psalter (Psalms 73-89), traditionally attributed to Asaph, a prominent Levitical choirmaster. The psalm's structure is notably characterized by a recurring refrain, appearing in verse 3, verse 7, and verse 19, which powerfully underscores the persistent and desperate nature of the people's plea for divine intervention. The psalm commences with an earnest appeal to God as the Shepherd of Israel, then transitions into a vivid and poignant metaphor of Israel as a cherished vine brought out of Egypt, now tragically devastated and exposed to its enemies (Psalms 80:8-13). This evocative agricultural imagery deeply amplifies the sense of national distress and the urgent, existential need for God's restorative action, setting the stage for the repeated cry for restoration encapsulated in Psalms 80:3.
Historical & Cultural Context: While the precise historical backdrop for Psalm 80 remains a subject of scholarly discussion, the psalm unequivocally reflects a period of profound national crisis for Israel. Possible contexts include the devastating Assyrian invasion of the Northern Kingdom (circa 722 BC), the traumatic Babylonian exile (586 BC), or even a later post-exilic period marked by continued distress and vulnerability. The powerful imagery of the "vine" (Psalms 80:8) would have resonated deeply with an agrarian society, symbolizing Israel as God's specially chosen, cultivated, and protected people. The heartfelt plea for God to "cause thy face to shine" echoes a foundational ancient Israelite understanding of divine blessing and presence, most famously articulated in the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24-26, where God's shining face signifies His grace, peace, and active favor. Conversely, the hiding of God's face implied divine displeasure, judgment, or a terrifying sense of abandonment, a reality that the psalmist and the community keenly felt in their time of suffering and national decline.
Key Themes: Psalms 80:3 encapsulates several profound theological and narrative themes central to the Psalter and broader Israelite theology. Foremost is the theme of Divine Restoration, expressed in the urgent plea "Turn us again, O God." This is not merely a request for a change in external circumstances, but a deep longing for God to initiate a spiritual and national turning, bringing His people back into a right relationship with Him and reversing their dire fortunes. This ties inextricably into the theme of God's Favor and Presence, as the request "cause thy face to shine" directly invokes the ancient priestly blessing of Numbers 6:25, signifying God's benevolent gaze, approval, and active blessing, which dispels darkness and brings life. The ultimate desired outcome, "and we shall be saved," speaks to Comprehensive Salvation and Deliverance, encompassing not only spiritual deliverance from sin and alienation but also physical, national, and political rescue from their oppressors and distress. This entire prayer profoundly underscores the absolute Dependence on God for all true and lasting salvation, acknowledging that human effort is utterly insufficient and only divine intervention can bring about such a profound transformation and deliverance.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 80:3, and indeed the entire psalm, employs several powerful literary devices to convey its urgent and poignant message. The most prominent is Repetition, as this precise plea forms a recurring refrain in verses 3, 7, and 19. This repetition serves to intensify the communal cry, highlighting the persistent nature of their distress and their unwavering, desperate hope in God's intervention. The phrase "cause thy face to shine" is a striking example of Anthropomorphism, attributing a human characteristic (a face that shines) to God, thereby making His presence and favor more relatable and tangible to the human experience. This imagery also functions as potent Symbolism, where the shining face represents divine blessing, approval, life-giving presence, and the dispelling of darkness, standing in sharp contrast to the gloom and suffering of the people. Furthermore, the broader psalm's masterful use of the Metaphor of Israel as a vine (Psalms 80:8-13) brought out of Egypt and now languishing, provides a rich and emotionally charged backdrop against which the plea for restoration in verse 3 gains even greater poignancy, urgency, and theological depth.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The fervent cry in Psalms 80:3 resonates deeply with the biblical understanding of God's character as both utterly sovereign and profoundly merciful. It underscores the foundational theological truth that true restoration, whether for an individual soul or an entire nation, originates not from human effort, merit, or strategic planning, but solely from God's gracious initiative. The plea for God to "turn us again" implicitly acknowledges human fallenness, spiritual straying, and the absolute need for divine grace to reorient hearts, lives, and national destinies. The desire for God's "face to shine" is a profound longing for the manifest presence of His favor, which is consistently presented in Scripture as the ultimate source of all blessing, life, and deliverance. This verse thus stands as a powerful testament to the absolute dependence of humanity on God for salvation, highlighting His unique and indispensable role as the sole deliverer, restorer, and sustainer of His people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 80:3 offers a timeless and profound model for prayer in times of profound distress, spiritual dryness, or a pervasive sense of alienation from God. It teaches us the profound humility required to acknowledge our complete dependence on divine grace for any true and lasting restoration. When we find ourselves or our communities adrift, facing overwhelming challenges, or sensing God's apparent withdrawal or displeasure, this verse invites us to echo the psalmist's heartfelt cry: to humbly ask God to reorient our hearts, to manifest His benevolent presence, and to bring about His comprehensive salvation. It reminds us that true deliverance, lasting peace, and spiritual vitality are found not in human strategies, self-effort, or worldly solutions, but solely in the sovereign, restoring power of God's shining face. This prayer cultivates a posture of expectant faith, trusting that even in the deepest valleys of despair, God's willingness to turn towards us and shine upon us is our ultimate and unfailing hope.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "Turn us again, O God" signify in this context?
Answer: "Turn us again, O God" is a multifaceted and deeply significant plea for divine intervention. It signifies a request for God to initiate a comprehensive restoration for His people. This includes both a spiritual turning—causing them to return to Him in repentance, renewed devotion, and covenant faithfulness—and a reversal of their national fortunes, bringing them back from a state of distress, defeat, exile, or oppression. It acknowledges that only God possesses the sovereign power to reorient their path, restore their well-being, and bring them back into a right relationship with Him, as seen in similar prayers for divine reorientation in Lamentations 5:21.
Why is "cause thy face to shine" such a powerful image?
Answer: The image of God's "face to shine" is a profound and ancient biblical idiom for His active, benevolent presence, favor, and blessing. It stands in stark contrast to God hiding His face, which implies displeasure, judgment, or abandonment. When God's face shines, it signifies His benevolent gaze, His approval, and the outpouring of His grace, light, and life upon His people. This concept is famously found in the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:25, where it is explicitly associated with God granting grace and peace. For the psalmist, it means the lifting of divine anger, the dispelling of darkness, and the restoration of a life-giving, intimate relationship with the Creator.
What kind of "salvation" is the psalmist seeking in this verse?
Answer: The "salvation" (Hebrew: yasha) sought in Psalms 80:3 is comprehensive, encompassing both spiritual and physical deliverance. While it certainly includes spiritual restoration and reconciliation with God, it also refers to rescue from the immediate national crisis—whether military defeat, oppression by enemies, or the hardship of exile. It signifies being set free from all forms of distress, restored to security, and experiencing God's preserving and delivering power in every aspect of life. It is a holistic salvation that addresses the totality of the community's suffering and seeks God's complete restoration of their well-being and covenant status.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 80:3 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The fervent plea for God to "turn us again" is perfectly answered in Christ, who perfectly embodies God's sovereign initiative to reconcile a fallen humanity to Himself. Through His incarnation, sinless life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection, Jesus became the singular means by which God turns humanity back from the path of sin and alienation, offering genuine repentance and profound spiritual renewal (Acts 3:19). Furthermore, the deep longing for God's "face to shine" is fully realized in Christ, who is explicitly described as "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). In Him, God's benevolent presence, unmerited favor, and life-giving glory are not merely glimpsed but are fully revealed and made intimately accessible to all who believe. He is the very radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3), through whom God's divine light eternally dispels the darkness of sin and death. Consequently, the promise "and we shall be saved" is perfectly and eternally fulfilled in Jesus, who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and the author of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. He not only delivers from present distress but secures eternal life and comprehensive deliverance from the dominion of sin, death, and evil, establishing the ultimate and everlasting restoration for all who trust in Him.