Old Testament · Poetry

Psalm 80

Restore Us

Israel is a vine God brought out of Egypt. Now its walls are broken and strangers pluck its fruit. Shine Your face on us, and we shall be saved.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

Tap any verse number for what that verse means.

1Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth

2before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Rally Your mighty power and come to save us.

3Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.

4O LORD God of Hosts, how long will Your anger smolder against the prayers of Your people?

5You fed them with the bread of tears and made them drink the full measure of their tears.

6You make us contend with our neighbors; our enemies mock us.

7Restore us, O God of Hosts, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.

8You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it.

9You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.

10The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches.

11It sent out its branches to the Sea, and its shoots toward the River.

12Why have You broken down its walls, so that all who pass by pick its fruit?

13The boar from the forest ravages it, and the creatures of the field feed upon it.

14Return, O God of Hosts, we pray! Look down from heaven and see! Attend to this vine—

15the root Your right hand has planted, the son You have raised up for Yourself.

16Your vine has been cut down and burned; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

17Let Your hand be upon the man at Your right hand, on the son of man You have raised up for Yourself.

18Then we will not turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your name.

19Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts; cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.

Understand This

Psalm 80, explained

What Psalm 80 is saying

A communal lament employing the extended metaphor of Israel as God's vine, Psalm 80 opens with a striking invocation of God as Shepherd of Israel enthroned on the cherubim. The thrice-repeated refrain—'Restore us, O God; make Your face shine upon us, that we may be saved'—structures the psalm around the theology of divine presence. The vine allegory (vv. 8–16) traces Israel's journey from Egyptian transplantation through lush growth to devastating destruction.

The background behind it

References to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh suggest a northern Israelite origin, possibly lamenting the Assyrian devastation of the 720s BC. The vine imagery has deep roots in prophetic tradition (Isaiah 5, Ezekiel 15) and becomes central to Jesus' self-identification in John 15.

Themes running underneath

The psalm's theology centers on the paradox of divine cultivation and apparent abandonment—God planted the vine, made it flourish, and then broke down its walls. The plea for God's face to shine echoes the Aaronic blessing and locates salvation in renewed divine presence. The 'son of man' reference in verse 17 generated significant messianic interpretation.

Why it still matters

Psalm 80 addresses the anguish of a community that once flourished under God's care and now faces devastation. It models honest questioning of God's purposes while persistently returning to the prayer for restored presence.

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Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.