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Psalm 81

This article is about Psalm 81 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 81 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 82.

Psalm 81 is the 81st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Sing aloud unto God our strength". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 80. In Latin, it is known as "Exultate deo adiutori nostro".[1] It is one of the 12 Psalms of Asaph.[2] Its themes relate to celebration and repentance. In the New King James Version its sub-title is "An Appeal for Israel's Repentance".[3]

Psalm 81
"Sing aloud unto God our strength"
Psalm 81 (Psalm 80 in Vulgate) from Psalter of Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca. 1185) - KB 76 F 13, folium 103v
Other name
  • Psalm 80
  • "Exultate deo adiutori nostro"
TextA Psalm of Asaph
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 81
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.

Text

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Hebrew

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The following table shows the Hebrew text[4][5] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Verse Hebrew English translation (JPS 1917)
1 לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀ עַֽל־הַגִּתִּ֬ית לְאָסָֽף׃‎ For the Leader; upon the Gittith. [A Psalm] of Asaph.
2 הַ֭רְנִינוּ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים עוּזֵּ֑נוּ הָ֝רִ֗יעוּ לֵאלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃‎ Sing aloud unto God our strength; shout unto the God of Jacob.
3 שְֽׂאוּ־זִ֭מְרָה וּתְנוּ־תֹ֑ף כִּנּ֖וֹר נָעִ֣ים עִם־נָֽבֶל׃‎ Take up the melody, and sound the timbrel, the sweet harp with the psaltery.
4 תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֝כֵּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ׃‎ Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon for our feast-day.
5 כִּ֤י חֹ֣ק לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל ה֑וּא מִ֝שְׁפָּ֗ט לֵאלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃‎ For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
6 עֵד֤וּת ׀ בִּיה֘וֹסֵ֤ף שָׂמ֗וֹ בְּ֭צֵאתוֹ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם שְׂפַ֖ת לֹא־יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶשְׁמָֽע׃‎ He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony, when He went forth against the land of Egypt. The speech of one that I knew not did I hear:
7 הֲסִיר֣וֹתִי מִסֵּ֣בֶל שִׁכְמ֑וֹ כַּ֝פָּ֗יו מִדּ֥וּד תַּעֲבֹֽרְנָה׃‎ 'I removed his shoulder from the burden; His hands were freed from the basket.
8 בַּצָּרָ֥ה קָרָ֗אתָ וָאֲחַ֫לְּצֶ֥ךָּ אֶ֭עֶנְךָ בְּסֵ֣תֶר רַ֑עַם אֶבְחׇנְךָ֨ עַל־מֵ֖י מְרִיבָ֣ה סֶֽלָה׃‎ Thou didst call in trouble, and I rescued thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder; I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah
9 שְׁמַ֣ע עַ֭מִּי וְאָעִ֣ידָה בָּ֑ךְ יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל אִם־תִּֽשְׁמַֽע־לִֽי׃‎ Hear, O My people, and I will admonish thee: O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto Me!
10 לֹא־יִהְיֶ֣ה בְ֭ךָ אֵ֣ל זָ֑ר וְלֹ֥א תִ֝שְׁתַּחֲוֶ֗ה לְאֵ֣ל נֵכָֽר׃‎ There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any foreign god.
11 אָֽנֹכִ֨י ׀ יְ֘הֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ הַֽ֭מַּעַלְךָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הַרְחֶב־פִּ֝֗יךָ וַאֲמַלְאֵֽהוּ׃‎ I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
12 וְלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֣ע עַמִּ֣י לְקוֹלִ֑י וְ֝יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֹא־אָ֥בָה לִֽי׃‎ But My people hearkened not to My voice; And Israel would none of Me.
13 וָ֭אֲשַׁלְּחֵהוּ בִּשְׁרִיר֣וּת לִבָּ֑ם יֵ֝לְכ֗וּ בְּֽמוֹעֲצ֖וֹתֵיהֶֽם׃‎ So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, That they might walk in their own counsels.
14 וּ עַ֭מִּי שֹׁמֵ֣עַֽ לִ֑י יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל בִּדְרָכַ֥י יְהַלֵּֽכוּ׃‎ Oh that My people would hearken unto Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!
15 כִּ֭מְעַט אוֹיְבֵיהֶ֣ם אַכְנִ֑יעַ וְעַ֥ל צָ֝רֵיהֶ֗ם אָשִׁ֥יב יָדִֽי׃‎ I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn My hand against their adversaries.
16 מְשַׂנְאֵ֣י יְ֭הֹוָה יְכַחֲשׁוּ־ל֑וֹ וִיהִ֖י עִתָּ֣ם לְעוֹלָֽם׃‎ The haters of the LORD should dwindle away before Him; And their punishment should endure for ever.
17 וַֽ֭יַּאֲכִילֵהוּ מֵחֵ֣לֶב חִטָּ֑ה וּ֝מִצּ֗וּר דְּבַ֣שׁ אַשְׂבִּיעֶֽךָ׃‎ They should also be fed with the fat of wheat; and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee.'

King James Version

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The following is the full English text of the Psalm from the King James Bible.

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.
  1. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
  2. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
  3. Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
  4. For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
  5. This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
  6. I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
  7. Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
  8. Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
  9. There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
  10. I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
  11. But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
  12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
  13. Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
  14. I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
  15. The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
  16. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

Verse numbering

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In the Hebrew Bible, Psalm 81:1 comprises the designation

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. (KJV)

From then on Psalm 81:1–16 in English versions correspond to verses 2–17 in the Hebrew text.

Commentary

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Start of Psalm 81, from the Utrecht Psalter, c. 800, Utrecht University Library

The reference to the new moon and full moon as well as the blowing of the trumpet in verse 3 may reflect the celebration of New Year and Tabernacles.[6] The teaching of verses 9 and 10 is similar to the beginning of the Decalogue, although 'the words for "strange" god and "foreign" god are different from the "other gods" in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, with the verb "brought [you] up" and the order of the phrases reversed.[6]

The beginning of the psalm is like a hymn (verses 1–5b), which is followed by an oracle (verses 5c–16). In particular, verses 6-10 describe 'God's deliverance of his people from Egypt', whereas verses 11-16 recall the past disobedience of the people and promise to give victory over their enemies if they obey God.[6]

 
Joyous Festivals 5716 stamp - 60 mil - Ram's horn with the inscription on tab of verse 81:4 (in Hebrew).

Significance

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W. Robert Godfrey, made a case that the poetic center of the Psalter being the middle book (book 3 of 5), middle Psalm (8 of 17) and even point to the middle verses of this Psalm (Psalm 81:8,9 with "if only my people would listen").[7]

Uses

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Judaism

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Book of Common Prayer

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In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the sixteenth day of the month.[16]

Musical settings

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Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 81 in a metred version in German, "Singet mit Freuden unserm Gott", SWV 178, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628. George Frideric Handel composed a movement of his Occasional Oratorio, HWV 62, setting verses 1 and 2 c. 1745.

William Walton's 1931 cantata Belshazzar's Feast takes text from the psalm. In 1964, Herman Berlinski used the psalm in English, Sing joyfully, for four-part choir, organ and obbligato trumpet, combining it with texts from the High Holiday Prayerbook). Verses 1-4 were set by Adrian Batten in a sacred anthem entitled "O sing joyfully".[17] Verse 1 was set by Alan Hovhaness for his motet Opus 68 Sing Aloud.[18]

Ofer Ben-Amots set the psalm in Hebrew for mixed choir and metal percussion in 1989. A 2022 song by New Zealand singer Brooke Ligertwood, "Honey in the Rock", is based on verse 16. An al-female a cappella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock, founded in 1973, takes its name from the same verse.

References

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  1. ^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter, Psalmus 80 (81). Archived 2017-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Medievalist.
  2. ^ Psalm 81: New International Version
  3. ^ Psalm 81: New King James Version
  4. ^ "Psalms – Chapter 81". Mechon Mamre.
  5. ^ "Psalms 81 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
  6. ^ a b c Rodd, C. S. (2007). "18. Psalms". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 389. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "Psalm 81: The Word at the Center by W. Robert Godfrey".
  8. ^ The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 166
  9. ^ The Artscroll Tehillim, page 329
  10. ^ The Artscroll Tehillim, page 329
  11. ^ The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 479
  12. ^ The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, page 273
  13. ^ The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 493
  14. ^ The Complete Artscroll Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, page 458
  15. ^ The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 64
  16. ^ Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 258-259
  17. ^ "O sing joyfully (Adrian Batten)". CPDL. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Alan Hovhaness List of Works by Opus Number". www.hovhaness.com. Retrieved 2022-10-30.
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