Bible Commentaries

"To the chief Musician upon Shoshannimeduth, A Psalm of Asaph." Give ear, ^a O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest [between] the ^b cherubims, shine forth.

(a) This Psalm was made as a prayer to desire God to be merciful to the ten tribes.

(b) Move their hearts, that they may return to worship God properly, that is, in the place you have appointed.

^c Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

(c) Join your whole people, and all your tribes together again.

O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be ^d angry against the prayer of thy people?

(d) The faithful fear God's anger, when they perceive that their prayers are not heard immediately.

Thou makest us a ^e strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.

(e) Our neighbours have continual strife and war against us.

^f Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

(f) Because recompence only comes from God, they most instantly and repeatedly call on God for it is a means by which they shall be saved.

Thou hast brought a ^g vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.

(g) Seeing that from your mercy you have made us a most dear possession to you, and we through our sins are made open for wild beasts to devour us, declare again my love and finish the work that you have begun.

She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the ^h river.

(h) That is, Euphrates.

The ⁱ boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

(i) That is, they who hate our religion, as well as they who hate our persons.

Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down ^k from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;

(k) They gave no place to temptation, knowing that even though there was no help in earth, yet God was able to help them from heaven.

And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch [that] thou madest ^l strong for thyself.

(l) So that no power can prevail against it, and which as a young bud you raised up again as out of the burnt ashes.

[It is] burned with fire, [it is] cut down: they perish at the ^m rebuke of thy countenance.

(m) Only when you are angry and not of the sword of the enemy.

Let thy hand be upon the ⁿ man of thy right hand, upon the son of man [whom] thou madest strong for thyself.

(n) That is, on this vine or people, whom you have planted with your right hand, that they should be as one man or one body

So will not we go back from thee: ^o quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

(o) For no one can call on God but such as are raised up as it were from death to life, and regenerate by the Holy Spirit.