Psalms 81

King James Version

Full text for Psalms Chapter 81

1¶ To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

2Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

3Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

4For this [was] a statute for Israel, [and] a law of the God of Jacob.

5This he ordained in Joseph [for] a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: [where] I heard a language [that] I understood not.

6I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.

7Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

8¶ Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

9There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

10I [am] the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

12So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: [and] they walked in their own counsels.

13Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, [and] Israel had walked in my ways!

14I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

15The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.

16He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Psalms 81 begins with a vibrant call to joyful worship of God, emphasizing the use of musical instruments on solemn feast days, as this was a statute for Israel. The psalm then transitions to God's voice, recounting His deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage and lamenting their subsequent disobedience. God expresses a deep desire for His people to hearken to Him, promising abundant blessings and victory over enemies if they would walk in His ways.

Medium Summary

The psalm opens with an exhortation to Israel to sing aloud and make a joyful noise unto God, their strength, utilizing the timbrel, harp, and trumpet. This act of worship is commanded for the new moon and appointed feast days, established as a divine statute and law for Israel since their exodus from Egypt. God then speaks, recalling how He removed their burden in Egypt and delivered them when they called in trouble, testing them at Meribah. He pleads with His people to listen to His testimony, warning against strange gods and reminding them that He is the LORD who brought them out of Egypt. However, God laments that Israel would not hearken to His voice, leading Him to give them up to their own desires. The psalm concludes with God's poignant wish that His people had obeyed Him, promising to subdue their enemies and provide them with the finest sustenance if they had walked in His ways.

Long Summary

Psalms 81, a Psalm of Asaph set to Gittith, commences with an urgent call for Israel to engage in joyful and loud worship of God, their strength, the God of Jacob. The psalmist instructs them to take up the psalm, timbrel, harp, and psaltery, and to blow the trumpet on the new moon and solemn feast days. This practice is underscored as a statute and law ordained by God for Israel, established as a testimony when He led them out of Egypt, a land where He heard an unfamiliar language. The psalm then shifts to God's direct address, where He recounts His mighty acts of deliverance, removing Israel's shoulder from the burden and freeing their hands from the pots of affliction in Egypt. He reminds them that He answered their cries in trouble and tested them at the waters of Meribah. God then earnestly appeals to His people, Israel, to hearken to His testimony, commanding them to have no strange god among them and to worship only Him, the LORD who brought them out of Egypt, promising to fill their needs if they would open their mouths wide. Yet, God laments that His people refused to listen to His voice and desired none of Him, leading Him to abandon them to their own stubborn hearts and counsels. The psalm concludes with a profound expression of God's longing for Israel's obedience, stating that if they had hearkened to Him and walked in His ways, He would have swiftly subdued their enemies and adversaries. He promises that those who hated the LORD would have submitted, and Israel's prosperity, with the finest wheat and honey from the rock, would have endured forever.

Core Concepts

  • Call to WorshipThe psalm begins with a command for Israel to sing aloud and make a joyful noise to God, using instruments like the timbrel, harp, and trumpet, particularly on feast days.
  • Divine OrdinancesThe celebration on the new moon and solemn feast days is presented as a statute and law ordained by God for Israel, established since their deliverance from Egypt.
  • God's Redemptive ActGod recounts His powerful act of freeing Israel from the burdens of Egyptian bondage and delivering them from trouble, even testing them at Meribah.
  • God's Plea and WarningThe LORD directly appeals to Israel to hearken to His voice, reminding them of His identity as their deliverer and strictly forbidding the worship of any strange god.
  • Israel's DisobedienceGod laments that His people refused to listen to His voice and chose to walk in their own counsels, leading Him to give them up to their own hearts' lusts.
  • Consequences of ObedienceGod expresses a longing for Israel's obedience, promising that if they had hearkened, He would have subdued their enemies, ensured their lasting prosperity, and provided them with abundant sustenance.