Discovery BoxPsalms 80:8-14 
Context80:8 You uprooted a vine 1 from Egypt;
you drove out nations and transplanted it.
80:9 You cleared the ground for it; 2
it took root, 3
and filled the land.
80:10 The mountains were covered by its shadow,
the highest cedars 4 by its branches.
80:11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, 5
and its shoots the Euphrates River. 6
80:12 Why did you break down its walls, 7
so that all who pass by pluck its fruit? 8
80:13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it; 9
the insects 10 of the field feed on it.
80:14 O God, invincible warrior, 11 come back!
Look down from heaven and take notice!
Take care of this vine,
1 sn The vine is here a metaphor for Israel (see Ezek 17:6-10; Hos 10:1).
2 tn Heb “you cleared away before it.”
3 tn Heb “and it took root [with] its roots.”
4 tn Heb “cedars of God.” The divine name אֵל (’al, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.
5 tn Heb “to [the] sea.” The “sea” refers here to the Mediterranean Sea.
6 tn Heb “to [the] river.” The “river” is the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. Israel expanded both to the west and to the east.
7 sn The protective walls of the metaphorical vineyard are in view here (see Isa 5:5).
8 tn Heb “pluck it.”
9 tn The Hebrew verb כִּרְסֵם (kirsem, “to eat away; to ruin”) occurs only here in the OT.
10 tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word translated “insects,” which occurs only here and in Ps 50:11, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic, and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.
11 tn Heb “O God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also vv. 4, 7 for a similar construction.
