Bible Commentaries
Psalms 80

Verses 1-19

Psalms 80:0

Psalms 80:1 (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.

Psalms 80:1 “thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth” - Comments - The cherubims were placed on either side of the mercy seat in the Holiest of Holies of the Tabernacle. Here God's presence was manifested in Temple worship, and here, God promised to meet with the high priest and speak to him (Exodus 25:22).

Exodus 25:22, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”

Note references to cherubims in Psalms 99:1, “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims ; let the earth be moved.”

Psalms 80:11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.

Psalms 80:11 Comments - Psalms 80:11 refers to the boundaries of the nation of Israel and its dominion, which was from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.

Exodus 23:31, “And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.

Deuteronomy 1:7, “Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”

Deuteronomy 11:24, “Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast be.”