The Meaning of Psalms 80:2 Explained

Psalms 80:2

KJV: Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us.

YLT: Before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, Wake up Thy might, and come for our salvation.

Darby: Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy strength, and come to our deliverance.

ASV: Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy might, And come to save us.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Before  Ephraim  and Benjamin  and Manasseh  stir up  thy strength,  and come  [and] save  us. 

What does Psalms 80:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 80:1-7 - "turn Us Again, O God"
The ten tribes were in captivity, and the hearts of their brethren, still living at Jerusalem under the reign of David's line, seem to have turned with great longing toward them. This psalm is full of intercession on their behalf. Three times, at the turning-points of the psalm, the refrain is repeated that God would turn them again and cause them to be saved, Psalms 80:3; Psalms 80:7; Psalms 80:19. Note the ascending climax: God; God of Hosts; Jehovah, God of Hosts.
In Jacob's blessing of Joseph, God is appealed to as Shepherd, Genesis 48:15; Genesis 49:24. To sit enthroned above the cherubim is an emblem of omnipotence. Notice how the gentleness of the Shepherd blends with His almightiness. In the Wilderness march the three great tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh immediately followed the Ark, which was borne by the priests. This ancient litany surely befits the present condition of the Church, when she is rent by internal divisions, or infected with a spirit of skepticism and unable to exorcise the demons that possess society. Let us plead with God to enlighten us by His face and quicken us by His Spirit.' God must defend His cause, else there is no help for it. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 80

1  The psalmist in his prayer complains of the miseries of the church
8  God's former favors are turned into judgments
14  He prays for deliverance

What do the individual words in Psalms 80:2 mean?

Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh Stir up - Your strength and come [and] save us
לִפְנֵ֤י אֶפְרַ֨יִם ׀ וּבִנְיָ֘מִ֤ן וּמְנַשֶּׁ֗ה עוֹרְרָ֥ה אֶת־ גְּבֽוּרָתֶ֑ךָ וּלְכָ֖ה לִישֻׁעָ֣תָה לָּֽנוּ

לִפְנֵ֤י  Before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֶפְרַ֨יִם ׀  Ephraim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
וּבִנְיָ֘מִ֤ן  and  Benjamin 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בִּנְיָמִין 
Sense: Jacob’s and Rachel’s youngest son, Joseph’s full brother.
וּמְנַשֶּׁ֗ה  and  Manasseh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְנַשֶּׁה  
Sense: the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh.
עוֹרְרָ֥ה  Stir  up 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: עוּר 
Sense: to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
גְּבֽוּרָתֶ֑ךָ  Your  strength 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: גְּבוּרָה  
Sense: strength, might.
וּלְכָ֖ה  and  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
לִישֻׁעָ֣תָה  [and]  save 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יְשׁוּעָה  
Sense: salvation, deliverance.
לָּֽנוּ  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural