Psalm 81

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Beginning of the psalm in an English-language book

The 81st psalm is a biblical psalm from the third book of the psalter . The first verse ascribes its authorship to the Levite Asaf . The hint “to sing on the Gittit ”, which is also to be found at the beginning of Psalm 8 and 84 , is not considered to be clearly interpretable. This could be a reference to an instrument or a way of performing or a melody.

According to the Greek number of the Septuagint , which is also used by the Latin Vulgate , the psalm bears the number 80.

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The psalm begins with a call to solemn praise of God . The main part consists of admonitions, which are addressed to the congregation that is gathered for the feast. In the midst of the celebration of this festival, a prophet preaches a message from God warning the people. From verse 7 onwards, the prophetic message is carried out as a direct speech from God. It reminds of the deliverance from Egypt and the revelation of the law on Sinai. This memory is transferred directly to the call to the present church not to hang on to foreign gods , but only to God the Lord . The last four verses deal with the apostasy from God's ways and the connection with the need under which the people suffer. God would be ready to help his people, but people are often not ready to accept God's help.

Explanations of terms

The festival described is probably the festival of tabernacles . The terms Jacob and Joseph are used as synonyms for the people of Israel . The term carrying cage (or load cage in the standard translation ) in verse 7 alludes to the forced labor that the Israelites had to do in Egypt. Clay and bricks were transported in the baskets. The concept of honey from the rock in verse 17 either refers to honeycombs of wild bees nesting there or to syrup made from grapes on rocky, steep slopes.

Web links

Commons : Psalm 81  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Lutherbibel standard edition with Apocrypha Revised 2017 , German Bible Society , Stuttgart 2016, ISBN 978-3-438-03310-9 , p. 335 (explanations of facts and words; keyword: "Gittit")
  2. a b Stuttgart Explanatory Bible. 2nd Edition. German Bible Society , Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-438-01121-2 , pp. 727f