USB ~ Psalms 81

An Admonition to Fidelity

1 For the leader; “upon the gittith.”† Of Asaph.

2 Sing joyfully to God our strength; a raise loud shouts to the God of Jacob!

3 Take up a melody, sound the timbrel, the pleasant lyre with a harp.

4 †Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast. b

5 For this is a law for Israel, an edict of the God of Jacob, c

6 He made it a decree for Joseph when he came out of the land of Egypt.

7 †I heard a tongue I did not know: “I removed his shoulder from the burden;† his hands moved away from the basket.† d

8 In distress you called and I rescued you; I answered you in secret with thunder; At the waters of Meribah† I tested you: e Selah

9 ’Listen, my people, I will testify against you If only you will listen to me, Israel! f

10 There shall be no foreign god among you;† g you shall not bow down to an alien god.

11 ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth that I may fill it.’

12 But my people did not listen to my words; Israel would not submit to me.

13 So I thrust them away to the hardness of their heart; ‘Let them walk in their own machinations.’h

14 O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways, i

15 In a moment I would humble their foes, and turn back my hand against their oppressors. j

16 Those who hate the LORD will try flattering him, but their fate is fixed forever.

17 But Israel I will feed with the finest wheat, I will satisfy them with honey from the rock.” k

Footnotes

†. Psalm 81 At a pilgrimage feast, probably harvest in the fall, the people assemble in the Temple in accord with the Sinai ordinances (Ps 81:2-6). They hear a divine word (mediated by a Temple speaker) telling how God rescued them from slavery in Egypt (Ps 81:7-9), gave them the fundamental commandment of fidelity (Ps 81:9-11), which would bring punishment if they refused to obey (Ps 81:12-13). But if Israel repents, God will be with them once again, bestowing protection and fertility (Ps 81:14-16).

†. 81:1 Upon the gittith: probably the title of the melody to which the Psalm was to be sung or a musical instrument.

†. 81:4 New moon. . . full moon: the pilgrimage feast of harvest began with a great assembly (Lv 23:24; Nm 29:1), used the new moon as a sign (Nm 29:6), and included trumpets (Lv 23:24).

†. 81:7 I heard a tongue I did not know: a Temple official speaks the word of God (Ps 81:5b-16), which is authoritative and unlike merely human words (cf. Nm 24:4, 16).

†. 81:7 I removed his shoulder from the burden: A reference to the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The basket: for carrying clay to make bricks, cf. Ex 1:14.

†. 81:8 Meribah: place of rebellion in the wilderness; cf. Ex 17:7; Nm 20:13.

†. 81:10 There shall be no foreign god among you: as in Ps 50 and 95, Israel is challenged to obey the first commandment of fidelity to God after the proclamation of the exodus.

81:2 Ps 43:4; 68:26; 149:3; 150:3-4; Jdt 16:1.
81:4 Lv 23:24; Nm 29:1.
81:5 Ex 23:14ff.
81:7 Ex 1:14; 6:6.
81:8 Ps 95:8; Ex 2:23ff; 17:7; 19:16; Nm 20:13; 27:14.
81:9 Ex 1:14; 6:6.
81:10-11 Ex 20:2-6; Dt 5:6-10.
81:13 Jer 3:17; 7:24.
81:14 Is 48:18.
81:15 Lv 26:7-8.
81:17 Ps 147:14; Dt 32:13-14.