Psalms 81–16
Psalm 81:1-16
Psa.81.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- למנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- הגתית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לאסף: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Psalm 73:1 (structural): Superscription: 'A Psalm of Asaph' — shares the same ascription/authorial designation and belongs to the Asaph collection to which Ps 81:1 introduces musical direction.
- Psalm 74:1 (structural): Superscription: 'A Psalm of Asaph' — another neighboring Asaph psalm, showing the cluster of Asaph compositions with liturgical headings.
- Psalm 82:1 (structural): Superscription: 'A Psalm of Asaph' — part of the same book/collection of Asaph psalms (Ps 73–83), reflecting common editorial and liturgical framing.
- Psalm 50:1 (structural): Superscription attributing the poem to Asaph — demonstrates that Asaphic authorship occurs elsewhere in the Psalter and that Ps 81:1's authorial/musical heading fits a broader pattern.
Alternative generated candidates
- To the choirmaster. On the Gittith. A psalm of Asaph.
- To the choirmaster. On the Gittith. A psalm of Asaph.
Psa.81.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הרנינו: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,-,pl
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עוזנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,pr,1,pl
- הריעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- לאלהי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,const
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 15:2 (verbal): 'The LORD is my strength and my song' parallels the designation of God as strength and the call to sing in Ps 81:2—both associate God with deliverance and praise.
- Psalm 95:1 (verbal): 'O come, let us sing unto the LORD; let us make a joyful noise...' closely echoes Ps 81:2's summons to sing aloud and shout for joy to God.
- Psalm 98:4 (verbal): 'Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth' parallels the universal, exultant call to shout for joy to God found in Ps 81:2.
- Psalm 47:1 (thematic): 'O clap your hands... shout unto God with the voice of triumph' shares the theme of communal, triumphant acclamation directed to God as the people’s strength.
- Psalm 68:4 (thematic): 'Sing unto God, sing praises... and rejoice before him' parallels Ps 81:2's double summons to sing and rejoice before the God of Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- Sing aloud to God, our strength; shout for the God of Jacob.
- Sing aloud to God, our strength; shout for the God of Jacob.
Psa.81.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שאו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- זמרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותנו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- תף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כנור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נעים: ADJ,m,sg
- עם: PREP
- נבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 150:3-5 (verbal): Directly echoes the command to praise God with musical instruments (trumpet, harp, lyre, timbrel, strings, pipe, cymbals), paralleling the call to play timbrel, harp and lyre.
- Psalm 98:4-6 (verbal): Similar language—'make a joyful noise' and enumerates instruments (trumpet, psaltery, harp, timbrel, strings)—connecting the communal summons to praise with music.
- Psalm 33:2-3 (thematic): Both verses instruct worshipers to give thanks and 'make a joyful noise' with the lyre/harp and to sing a new song, linking the themes of instrumental accompaniment and fresh praise.
- 1 Chronicles 16:4-6 (structural): Describes David appointing Levites to minister with song and instruments (harps, lyres, cymbals), reflecting the organized, liturgical use of the timbrel and harp in public worship like Ps 81:3.
- Exodus 15:20 (thematic): Miriam taking the timbrel in celebration after deliverance shows the timbrel's cultic and celebratory role, paralleling Ps 81:3’s use of the timbrel in worship.
Alternative generated candidates
- Raise a song; sound the timbrel— the pleasant harp, the lyre with the lute.
- Raise the song; play the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lyre.
Psa.81.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- תקעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בחדש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- שופר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בכסה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ליום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חגנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1pl
Parallels
- Numbers 10:10 (verbal): Commands to blow the trumpets at the new moon and on festival days closely mirror the language and liturgical function of Ps 81:4 (calling the people to sacred time).
- Leviticus 23:24 (thematic): Institutes the blowing of the trumpet on the first day of the seventh month (a festival observance), connecting trumpets with holy convocations and feasts as in Psalm 81:4.
- Psalm 81:3 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same psalm: v.3 summons the people with timbrel and dance and v.4 specifies the trumpet blowing for the new moon and feast—part of the unified liturgical call.
- Joel 2:1 (allusion): 'Blow a trumpet in Zion' uses the same image of the trumpet as a summons to assembly and divine action, echoing the ritual and prophetic use of trumpet-blasts in Ps 81:4.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 (thematic): New Testament appropriation of the trumpet as the signal of divine intervention and gathering (the resurrection/harvest motif), reflecting the broader symbolic role of the trumpet seen in Ps 81:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the appointed time, on our festival day.
- Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the appointed time—on our festival day.
Psa.81.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- חק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לישראל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאלהי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,const
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 33:4 (verbal): Moses is said to have 'commanded us a law... the congregation of Jacob'—a close verbal parallel linking 'law' with 'Jacob' as the recipient.
- Psalm 78:5 (verbal): 'He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel'—nearly identical language assigning a statute/law to Israel/Jacob from God.
- Psalm 147:19-20 (verbal): God 'declares his words to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel,' echoing the pairing of 'statute/law' with Jacob/Israel as divine revelation.
- Deuteronomy 6:1 (thematic): Speaks of 'commandments, statutes and judgments' given to Israel—thematically parallels Ps 81:5's emphasis on statutes as God's directive for Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- For it is a statute for Israel, a rule of the God of Jacob.
- For it is a statute for Israel, a decree of the God of Jacob.
Psa.81.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- עדות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ביהוסף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בצאתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שפת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- אשמע: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 41:41-45 (structural): Pharaoh removes his signet ring, gives Joseph an Egyptian name and sets him over the land of Egypt—direct narrative parallel to ‘his name in Joseph… when he went out over the land of Egypt.’
- Psalm 105:16-22 (thematic): Psalmic retelling of Joseph’s rise in Egypt (sent before the famine, exalted by God) that echoes the same tradition invoked in Ps 81’s reference to Joseph in Egypt.
- Genesis 45:1-8 (thematic): Joseph’s disclosure to his brothers and explanation of God’s providence in placing him in Egypt, thematically connected to the testimony about Joseph’s role in Egypt mentioned in Ps 81:6.
- Acts 2:6-11 (verbal): At Pentecost people report hearing the disciples in their own native tongues—a verbal parallel to Ps 81:6’s phrase about hearing a language one did not know (both involve surprise at unexpected speech or language).
Alternative generated candidates
- I appointed it as a testimony for Joseph when he went out from the land of Egypt; I heard a language I did not know.
- I appointed it as a testimony for Joseph when he came out of the land of Egypt; I heard a language I did not know.
Psa.81.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- הסירותי: VERB,hiph,perf,1,?,sg
- מסבל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שכמו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כפיו: NOUN,f,pl,poss,3,m
- מדוד: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- תעברנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 10:27 (verbal): Uses the same imagery of a burden/yoke being removed from the shoulder—‘the yoke shall be destroyed from off thy shoulder.’
- Exodus 6:6 (thematic): God’s promise of deliverance from Egyptian bondage—background theme of removing Israel’s labor and oppression found in Ps 81.
- Psalm 107:14 (verbal): Speaks of God bringing people out of distress and breaking their bands—parallel language of liberation from forced toil or bondage.
- Matthew 11:28–30 (allusion): Jesus’ invitation to take his yoke and find rest resonates thematically with the motif of God removing burdens and granting relief.
- Leviticus 26:13 (verbal): God declares he has broken the bars of your yoke and made you go upright—similar verbal motif of removing a yoke/burden from Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.
- I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.
Psa.81.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- בצרה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קראת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ואחלצך: VERB,qal,perf,1,ms
- אענך: VERB,qal,perf,1,ms
- בסתר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבחנך: VERB,qal,perf,1,ms
- על: PREP
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- מריבה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Exodus 17:1-7 (allusion): Narrative origin of 'Meribah/Massah' — the people quarrel and test the LORD at the waters (Is the LORD among us?), which Psalm 81 recalls ('על־ מי מריבה').
- Numbers 20:2-13 (allusion): Later Meribah episode where water is scarce and Moses strikes the rock; God rebukes Israel for unbelief — closely related to Psalm 81’s reference to testing at the waters of Meribah.
- Deuteronomy 6:16 (quotation): Explicit legal warning: 'You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.' This verbal tradition underlies Psalm 81’s reminder of the Meribah test.
- Psalm 78:17-22 (thematic): Retells Israel’s wilderness complaints and testing of God (demanding food/wondering if God is with them); thematically parallels Psalm 81’s remembrance of the Meribah episode.
- Psalm 95:8-11 (thematic): Warnings not to harden hearts 'as at Meribah/Massah' and recall of the wilderness testing; echoes the same historical-theological motif invoked in Psalm 81:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you from the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
- When you cried out in trouble I delivered you; I answered you in the thunder and tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
Psa.81.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ואעידה: CONJ+VERB,qal,fut,1,sg
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- תשמע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 6:4 (verbal): Shares the same imperative 'Hear, O Israel' (Shema); both are a direct summons to Israel to listen to God's word.
- Exodus 19:5 (verbal): Contains the conditional covenant formula ('if ye will obey/if thou wilt hearken unto me') linking obedience to God's promise to Israel.
- Isaiah 55:3 (thematic): A divine invitation to 'incline your ear' and listen to God with the promise of life and covenantal faithfulness—similar call-and-response structure.
- Jeremiah 7:23 (allusion): Echoes the command to obey God's voice and the covenantal relationship that follows ('obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people'), paralleling Psalm 81:9's conditional appeal.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would only listen to me.
- Hear, O my people, and I will testify against you, O Israel—if you would only listen to me!
Psa.81.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- זר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- תשתחוה: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לאל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 20:3 (quotation): Direct command: 'You shall have no other gods before me'—the core prohibition against foreign/other gods echoed in Psalm 81:10.
- Deuteronomy 5:7 (quotation): Second giving of the Ten Commandments repeats the same prohibition against other gods, paralleling Psalm 81's injunction.
- Deuteronomy 6:14 (verbal): Warns Israel not to follow 'other gods, the gods of the peoples around you,' closely matching Psalm 81's prohibition of a 'foreign god.'
- Exodus 34:14 (thematic): Declares that Israel must worship no other god because the LORD is jealous—provides theological rationale for the exclusive worship demanded in Psalm 81:10.
- Joshua 24:14-15 (structural): Joshua's covenant call to 'fear the LORD and serve him' and to put away other gods functions as a covenantal exhortation similar in purpose and structure to the admonition in Psalm 81:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- There shall be no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
- There shall be no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to a strange god.
Psa.81.11 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
- המעלך: VERB,hiph,ptc,m,sg,2,ms
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- הרחב: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- פיך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- ואמלאהו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg,obj:3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 20:2 (verbal): The opening clause echoes the Ten Commandments preface: 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt,' a near-identical verbal formula.
- Deuteronomy 5:6 (verbal): Parallel to the Deuteronomic restatement of the covenant preface ('I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt'), reinforcing the Exodus deliverance motif.
- Exodus 6:7 (allusion): God's covenant promise 'I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God' echoes the identity 'I am the LORD your God' and the deliverance-covenant framework behind the psalm.
- Psalm 81:16 (Heb. 81:17) (thematic): Later in the same psalm God promises nourishment ('I would feed him with the finest of the wheat...'), which parallels the promise 'open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.'
- Isaiah 55:1 (thematic): The prophetic invitation to come and be satisfied ('Come, everyone who thirsts... buy wine and milk without money') echoes the theme of God calling his people to receive abundant provision.
Alternative generated candidates
- I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
- I am the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Psa.81.12 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- לקולי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+suff(1cs)
- וישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- אבה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 32:9 (thematic): God characterizes Israel as a 'stiff‑necked people' whose stubbornness mirrors Psalm 81's report that My people did not listen to my voice.
- Jeremiah 7:23 (verbal): God's command 'Obey my voice' in Jeremiah echoes the very requirement Psalm 81 says Israel refused to accept—direct verbal parallel.
- Isaiah 63:10 (thematic): Isaiah depicts Israel's rebellion and the consequence that God turned against them—a thematic parallel to refusal to heed God's voice and the resulting estrangement.
- Hebrews 3:8–9 (quotation): The New Testament citation of Psalm 95 ('Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion...') echoes the same failure to heed God's voice described in Psalm 81:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
- But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not obey me.
Psa.81.13 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ואשלחהו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg+3,m,sg
- בשרירות: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- ילכו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- במועצותיהם: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3,m,pl
Parallels
- Romans 1:24 (verbal): Paul uses the phrase 'God gave them up' to their sinful desires—verbal and thematic parallel to the Psalm’s motif of God abandoning those who follow the stubbornness of their hearts.
- Romans 1:28 (thematic): 'God gave them over to a debased mind' echoes the Psalm’s theme of divine judicial abandonment when people refuse to heed God and walk in their own counsels.
- Jeremiah 7:24 (verbal): Jeremiah diagnoses Israel similarly: they 'did not listen, but followed the counsels and stubbornness of their own heart,' a close verbal and thematic echo of the Psalm verse.
- Proverbs 1:24-25 (thematic): Wisdom laments that people ignored her reproof and counsel—paralleling the Psalm’s lament that the people would not heed God's voice and instead walked in their own ways.
- Exodus 32:9 (structural): God calls Israel a 'stiff-necked people'—the imagery of stubbornness mirrors the Psalm’s language about the 'stubbornness of heart' and refusal to follow God's ways.
Alternative generated candidates
- So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart; they walked in their own counsels.
- So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart; they went on in their own counsels.
Psa.81.14 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בדרכי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr+1s
- יהלכו: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,pl
Parallels
- Jeremiah 7:23 (verbal): God's charge to 'obey my voice' and 'walk in my ways' closely parallels the Psalm's plea that Israel would listen and walk in God's ways (shared language and demand of obedience).
- Psalm 95:7-8 (verbal): Both passages issue an exhortation to 'hear his voice' and warn against hardening the heart—same pastoral call to immediate responsive listening.
- Ezekiel 33:31 (thematic): Ezekiel condemns a people who hear words but do not act—echoing the Psalm's lament that Israel did not listen and would not walk in God's ways (theme of deafness/rebellion).
- Isaiah 48:18 (thematic): Isaiah's regretful 'if only you had listened to my commandments' mirrors the Psalmist's wish that Israel had heeded God and walked in his ways, emphasizing lost blessing due to disobedience.
Alternative generated candidates
- Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
- Would that my people would heed me—Israel would walk in my ways!
Psa.81.15 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- כמעט: ADV
- אויביהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- אכניע: VERB,hiph,impf,1,na,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- צריהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
- אשיב: VERB,hiphil,impf,1,sg
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
Parallels
- Exodus 15:6 (verbal): Uses the image of God’s hand/right hand acting against enemies—echoes Ps 81:15’s language of subduing enemies and turning God's hand against adversaries.
- Deuteronomy 28:7 (thematic): Promise that the LORD will cause Israel’s enemies to be defeated and flee before them, paralleling Ps 81:15’s assurance of divine defeat of foes.
- Psalm 18:40 (verbal): Speaks of God making enemies turn their backs and destroying those who hate the psalmist—closely parallels the action of subduing enemies in Ps 81:15.
- Psalm 44:5 (thematic): Attributes victory over foes to God’s power (through God we push down our foes), reflecting the same theme of divine intervention against adversaries.
- Isaiah 41:11 (thematic): Declares that those who contend with Israel will be put to shame and turned back—a prophetic assurance of God’s subduing of enemies similar to Ps 81:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries.
- I would soon subdue their enemies and would turn my hand against their foes.
Psa.81.16 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- משנאי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+1cs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יכחשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- עתם: NOUN,f,sg,suff-3mp
- לעולם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:13 (verbal): Uses the same striking image — God ‘made him to suck honey out of the rock’ — paralleling Ps 81:16’s ‘honey out of the rock’ as language of divine provision.
- Deuteronomy 8:7–8 (thematic): Describes the Promised Land as a place of rich grain and honey; echoes Ps 81:16’s theme of God supplying ‘finest wheat’ and sweet provision.
- Exodus 16:31 (thematic): On the manna God gave Israel (‘the taste of it was like wafers made with honey’); connects to Ps 81:16’s image of God feeding Israel with choice food and sweet sustenance.
- Psalm 78:24–25 (thematic): Speaks of God providing miraculous food for Israel and satisfying their desires — a parallel theme of divine feeding and satisfaction found in Ps 81:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- Those who hate the LORD would be humbled before him, and their time would endure forever.
- May those who hate the LORD be put to shame before him, and let their fate endure for ever.
To the choirmaster. Upon the Gittith. A psalm of Asaph.
Sing aloud to God, our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
Raise the song; sound the timbrel, the pleasant harp together with the lyre.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.
For it is a statute for Israel, a judgment of the God of Jacob.
I appointed it as a testimony for Joseph when he went out from the land of Egypt; I heard a language I did not know.
I removed the burden from his shoulders; his hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you cried, and I rescued you; I answered you from the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
Hear, O my people, that I may testify to you; O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
There shall be no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to a strange deity.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it. But my people did not heed my voice, and Israel would have none of me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart; they walked according to their own counsels.
Would that my people would listen to me! Israel would walk in my ways.
I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries.
Those who hate the LORD shall be put to shame before him, and their dishonor shall endure for ever.