Psalm 80 (79):16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You will cultivate no other plant except this one; You are complete. For this is the very lineage of Abraham, the lineage through which all nations will find blessing: (Gen. 22:18) it is the root from which the wild olive branches are grafted. Perfect this vineyard which Your right hand has established. But how does He bring it to perfection? It is through the Son of Man, whom You have fortified within Yourself. What could be clearer? Why do you still await our explanations in dialogue? Would it not be better for us to join you in exclaiming in awe, ‘Perfect this vineyard which Your right hand has planted, and perfect it through the Son of Man?’ Which Son of Man? The one whom You have empowered in Yourself. A mighty fortress: create as many as you are able. For no other foundation can any man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 3:11)

You will accomplish what Your right hand has established. Since You are the one who has set it in place, it has grown and thrived.

O God of might, look down from heaven and behold this vine; let Your mighty hand fulfill its purpose and establish it. I implore You, O sovereign Lord, consider the desolation of the vine and grant healing to those who suffer, for Your care has previously made it flourish. The prophet refers to Your hand as Providence. Upon the Son of Man, whom You have strengthened for Yourself, the prophet highlights that it is from this very vine that the Lord Christ emerged, pleading for the grapes to be nurtured for the sake of the temple derived from them, which he explicitly identifies as the Son of Man. Similarly, in the sacred Gospel, the Lord identifies Himself as the Son of Man, associating Himself with our visible nature.

See vv. 15 And behold the Son of Man, whom You have strengthened for Yourself. Here, the common action must be understood: take notice. The Lord declares to look upon the Son of Man, a title the Jews attributed to Zerubbabel, who was empowered by God during the reign of King Darius. In that encounter, he triumphed over the two young men through his insightful question, demonstrating that both women and truth prevail in all matters: thus, he asserts that while women may overcome, truth is the ultimate victor (2 Ezra 3:12). By earning admiration for his wise counsel, he obtained the king’s permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city. However, we Christians refer to the Son of Man as the divinely recognized Word, or, as Theodoret describes Him, the Sovereign Christ.

The prophet appeals to God to arrive not solely as a cultivator, but also as a healer, for it is the nature of a healer to make an inquiry and bring restoration. Thus, the prophet implores Him to come as both a healer and a cultivator to restore the vineyard, to eliminate the destructive pest, and to prune the excessive branches that hinder its fruitfulness. But which vineyard is he speaking of? He clarifies that it is not that vineyard whose protective barrier has been torn down and given over to adversaries, but rather for the branch of the Lord that is destined to emerge from it.

O Lord God of might, turn Your gaze from heaven, observe this vine, and tend to it, perfecting it by the planting of Your right hand. For You alone sow the good seed; You alone, though through human labor, cultivate, nurture, multiply, and sustain the genuine and bountiful fruit. You alone, though working with us, establish the dwelling place: this man-made sanctuary where humanity resides in Your presence, and the heavenly abode where You delight to dwell within us.

In the image of a praying individual, the prophet instructs the Israelites that although God may temporarily conceal His presence and seem distant, they should not lose hope. If they turn to Him seeking guidance, He will eventually restore His relationship with them, notwithstanding His current sternness. The faithful approach God, bringing nothing of their own merit and not seeking to elevate themselves; they simply plead for His gaze, asking Him to consider them once more and to renew His grace.

Ultimately, this represents the realization of prophecy, particularly relating to Christ our Lord, as expressed in this psalm, which was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit for David to compose. It reflects on the Jews who have transitioned from goodness to the despair of repentance against God, alongside those who have shifted from wickedness to faith, from sinfulness to righteousness. This particularly pertains to those faithful believers who have been led away from the errors of sin and now follow their Good Shepherd, Christ, the true God.