John Calvin Commentary Psalms 80:3

"Turn us again, O God; And cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved." — Psalms 80:3 (ASV)

Turn us again, O God! The meaning of this prayer is: Restore us to our former state. They had petitioned in the preceding verse that God would stir up his strength in the sight of Ephraim and Manasseh; and now they complain that they are only castaways until God rescues them and remedies their miserable dispersion.

Some understand the words, turn us again, in a different way; namely, as a prayer that God would grant them the spirit of regeneration. But this interpretation is too refined. It is better, adhering to the former sense, to view the expression as meaning that the faithful, under the adversity with which they were afflicted, turn to God, whose unique work it is to restore life to the dead. They acknowledge, on the one hand, that all their miseries were to be traced to this as their cause, that God, being angry on account of their sins, hid his face from them; and, on the other hand, they expect to obtain complete salvation solely through the Divine favor. It will be to us, they say, a resurrection indeed, if once your countenance shines upon us. Their language implies that provided God extended his mercy and favor to them, they would be happy, and all their affairs would prosper.