Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 80:17

"Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, Upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself." — Psalms 80:17 (ASV)

Man of your right hand. —This is manifestly a continuation of Psalms 80:15, and should follow it:

“Protect what your right hand has planted,
The branch which you have made strong for yourself:
Let your hand be over the man of your right hand,
Over the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.”

A fine example of the way in which the thought can pass naturally from the figurative to the literal. The man of God’s right hand is evidently the man protected by the right hand, but the expression introduces such a tautology that we suspect a misreading.

In the words “son,” “son of man,” some see a reference to the Messiah. But the parallelism and context show that the poet is thinking of Israel as a community, of which the vine is the emblem.