John Gill Commentary Psalms 80

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel
The title of a shepherd for the most part belongs to the Messiah, and who is expressly called the Shepherd and stone of Israel, as distinct from the God of Jacob, (Genesis 49:24) and may be so called because he was to be, and was of Israel, according to the flesh, and sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and appointed by his Father as a Shepherd over them; and it is on the mountains of Israel he provides a good fold, and pasture for his sheep, (Romans 9:4Romans 9:5) (Matthew 15:24) (Ezekiel 34:23Ezekiel 34:24) and it is for the spiritual Israel, his sheep, his elect, both among Jews and Gentiles, for whom he laid down his life; by which it appears that he is the good Shepherd, as he also is the great, the chief, the only one; though this character also may be given, and agrees unto God the Father, who rules, and governs, and feeds his people, his spiritual Israel, as a shepherd his flock; and who is addressed by his people, and is desired to "give ear" to their cries and prayers in their affliction and distress: God has an ear to hear his people's prayers, though sometimes they think he does not hear them; but he not only hears, but answers sooner or later, and in his own way; and the consideration of his character as a shepherd may be an encouragement to their faith, that he will hear, and will not withhold any good thing from them, (Psalms 23:1–3) (Psalms 95:6Psalms 95:7)

thou that leadest Joseph like a flock ;
the posterity of Joseph, the same with Israel, the spiritual Israel, who are like a flock of sheep, a separate people, distinguished by the grace of God, and purchased by the blood of Christ; and as there is but one Shepherd, so one fold, and one flock, and that but a little one neither; and which is sometimes called a flock of slaughter, because exposed to the rage and fury of men; yet a beautiful one in the eye of Christ, which he undertook to feed: and this he leads on gently and softly, gradually, and proportionate to their strength, or as they are able to bear; he leads in and out, and they find pasture; he leads them out of their former state and condition, in which he finds them, out of the pastures of sin and self-righteousness into the green pastures of his love, grace, word, and ordinances:

thou that dwellest between the cherubim ;
which were over the mercy seat, and were either emblems of angels, among whom Jehovah dwells, and is surrounded by them; by whom Christ was ministered to on earth, and now in heaven, and among whom he was when he ascended thither, and where they are subject to him: or of the two Testaments, which look to Christ, the mercy seat, and agree with each other in their testimony of him, and in other things; and where these are truly opened and explained, there the Lord dwells: or rather of the saints of both dispensations, who look to Christ alone for salvation, and expect to be saved by his grace; are both partakers of it, as they will be of the same glory; and among these the Lord dwells as in his temple; though it seems best of all to consider them as emblems of Gospel ministers, since Ezekiel's four living creatures are the "cherubim", (Ezekiel 10:20) , and these the same with John's four beasts, or living creatures, who were certainly men, being redeemed by the blood of Christ; and were ministers, being distinguished from the four and twenty elders, (Revelation 4:6–11) (5:8-14) and among these the Lord dwells, and with them he has promised his presence shall be unto the end of the world:

shine forth ;
either God the Father, who dwelt between the cherubim, over the mercy seat, who sits upon a throne of grace, from whence he communes with his people and communicates to them; and then the request is, that he would shine forth in the perfections of his nature, as he has done in his Son, the brightness of his glory, and in redemption and salvation by him, where they are all illustriously displayed; and particularly in his lovingkindness through him, which has appeared and shone forth in the mission of Christ, and in giving him up for us all; and by granting his gracious presence unto his people in Zion, in his house and ordinances; see (Psalms 1:2) , or the Messiah, the Shepherd of Israel, and the Leader of his flock, and under whom the living creatures and cherubim are, (Ezekiel 1:26–28) , that he would shine forth in human nature; that this bright morning star would appear; that the dayspring from on high would visit men, and that the sun of righteousness would arise with healing in his wings; and that the glorious light of his Gospel would break forth, and the grace of God, the doctrine of it, appear and shine out unto all men, Jews and Gentiles.

Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your strength ,
&c.] Which Christ did in the public ministry of the word, speaking as one having authority, and not as the Scribes and Pharisees; and in the performance of miracles, openly, and in the sight of all; and in his sufferings and death for the salvation of his people; in which he appeared to be the mighty God, travelling in the greatness of his strength, and mighty to save.

These tribes design all Israel, before whom the above things were done; and the allusion is to these three tribes marching immediately after the Kohathites, who carried the ark on their shoulders in journeying, (Numbers 2:17–24) (10:21-24) which is called the Lord's strength, and the ark of his strength, (Psalms 78:61) (132:8) . The Targum in the king's Bible reads, to the children of Ephraim reading (ynbl) instead of (ynpl) ; see the Masorah, and (Proverbs 4:3) ,

and come and save us ;
come from heaven to earth, not by change of place, but by assumption of nature; this was promised and expected, and is here prayed for; Christ is now come in the flesh, which to deny is antichristian; and his end in coming was to save his people from their sins, from the curse and condemnation of the law, and wrath to come; and as he came on this errand, he is become the author of eternal salvation, in working out which he has shown his great strength.

Turn us again, O God
From our captivity, as the Targum, into our own land; or return us backsliding sinners to yourself by repentance; turn us, and we shall be turned; for the prayer shows it was not in their power, but must be effected by the grace of God; or restore our souls, which have been wandering, and them to their former flourishing and comfortable condition:

and cause your face to shine ;
grant your gracious presence, lift up the light of your countenance; favour with the manifestations of yourself, the enjoyment of you, and communion with you through Christ; indulge us with the discoveries of your love, the joys of salvation, the comforts of the Spirit, and larger measures of grace:

and we shall be saved ;
be in a very happy and comfortable condition; see (Psalms 4:6Psalms 4:7) .

O Lord God of hosts Aben Ezra and Kimchi observe, that the word "Elohe" is here understood, and the words to be read, "O Lord God, the God of hosts"; of the armies above and below, against whom there is no standing, nor any before him when he is angry:

how long will you be angry against the prayer of your people? which must be put up in a wrong manner, in a very cold and lukewarm way, without faith and love, and with wrath and doubting; or otherwise God is not angry with, nor sets himself against the prayer of his people; nor does he despise, but is highly delighted with it: or how long will you be angry with your people, and continue the tokens of your displeasure, though they pray, and keep praying, to you?

it is in the Hebrew text, "how long will you smoke ^F13 at the prayer of your people?" that is, cause your anger to smoke at it; in which it is thought there is an allusion to the smoke of the incense, to which prayer is compared; see (Psalms 141:2) (Revelation 8:3Revelation 8:4) , and denotes the acceptance of it with God through the mediation of Christ; but here his displicency at it, not being offered up through him, and by faith in him; such were the prayers of the Pharisees, (Matthew 6:5Matthew 6:7) (23:14) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: (tnve) "fumabis", Pagninus, Vatablus; "fumaturus es", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "fumasti", Montanus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis, & Ainsworth.

You feed them with the bread of tears
With tears instead of bread, having none to eat; or their bread is mingled with their tears, "dipped" therein, as the Targum; such was their constant grief, and the occasion of it, that they could not cease from tears while they were eating their meals, and so ate them with them ^F14 :

and give them tears to drink in great measure ;
or the wine of tears "three fold", as the Targum. Jarchi interprets it of the captivity of Babylon, which was the third part of the two hundred and ten years of Israel's being in Egypt; which exposition, he says, he learned from R. Moses Hadarsan; but he observes, that some interpret it of the kingdom of Grecia, which was the third distress: and so Kimchi and Arama explain it of the third captivity;

but Menachem, as Jarchi says, takes "shalish" to be the name of a drinking vessel, and so does Aben Ezra; the same it may be which the Latins call a "triental", the third part of a pint; unless the Hebrew measure, the "seah", which was the third part of an "ephah", is meant; it is translated a "measure" in (Isaiah 40:12) and seems to design a large one, and so our version interprets it; compare with this (Isaiah 30:20) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F14: "----lachrymisque suis jejunia pavit", Ovid. Metamorph. l. 4. Fab. 6.