The Psalmist in his prayer complaineth of the miseries of the church. God's former favours are turned into judgments: he prayeth for deliverance.
To the chief musician upon Shoshannim-Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.
Title. מזמור ףּלאס עדות שׁשׁנים אל למנזח lamnatseach el shoshanniim eiduth leasaph mizmor.] The author of this psalm, under the figure of a vine, represents the deplorable state of the Jewish nation, and begs of God, at length to take compassion on them, and to protect some young prince, whom he seemed to have raised up and inspirited with vigour for a restoration. See Psalms 80:17. This young prince seems to be Josiah, by the character of vigour, by the reformation's seeming to depend upon him, Psalms 80:18 and by the author's praying God to appear in their favour, in the face of all the tribes, which, in his time, we know, were assembled together at Jerusalem: just at that time, probably, this hymn was composed. Others think, that it was written upon the invasion of Judea by Sennacherib. It is plain however from the first verse, that it was composed while the temple was standing. At the same time it is certain, that the spiritual mind will view the whole in an infinitely higher sense, as relating to Christ and his church. See the REFLECTIONS.
Psalms 80:1. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims— i.e. those two sacred emblematical figures which were set in the most holy place, upon the mercy-seat; before which the high-priest sprinkled the blood upon the great day of atonement.