The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 81
In brief
Psalm 81 is a song of Asaph. It invites us to sing to God, our strength, with tambourine, harp, lyre and trumpet, for a feast set in Israel. Then God speaks: he reminds his people that he delivered them from Egypt and asks for listening and exclusive faithfulness. Israel did not listen, and God let them follow their own counsel. The psalm ends on God's regret: if my people would listen to me, I would feed them with the finest wheat.
The chapter in 3 parts
1Sing aloud to God, our strength! Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob!
2Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp.
3Blow the trumpet at the New Moon, at the full moon, on our feast day.
4For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5He appointed it in Joseph for a covenant, when he went out over the land of Egypt, I heard a language that I didn’t know.
6“I removed his shoulder from the burden. His hands were freed from the basket.
7You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.”
8“Hear, my people, and I will testify to you, Israel, if you would listen to me!
9There shall be no strange god in you, neither shall you worship any foreign god.
10I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11But my people didn’t listen to my voice. Israel desired none of me.
12So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels.
13Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
14I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their adversaries.
15The haters of Yahweh would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.
16But he would have also fed them with the finest of the wheat. I will satisfy you with honey out of the rock.”
Key verses
Sing aloud to God, our strength! Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob!
The song is addressed to God our strength. Shared praise is born from who he is, not only from what he gives.
You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.”
God reminds them that he answered his people in their distress. The memory of deliverance is a basis for trust.
I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
After recalling who he is, God invites: open your mouth wide and he will fill it. It is an invitation to ask with confidence, having only him as God.
Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
A cry from God: if only my people would listen to me. The psalm reveals a God who longs for the good of his people and regrets their deafness.
But he would have also fed them with the finest of the wheat. I will satisfy you with honey out of the rock.”
The psalm ends with the picture of the finest wheat and honey from the rock, a sign of what God would have given to an attentive people.
Test your knowledge
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 81
What does Psalm 81 mean?
Psalm 81 joins feast and warning. It invites us to sing for the past deliverance, then reminds us that God expects listening and faithfulness. Israel did not listen, and the psalm lets us hear God's regret: he wanted to satisfy them with his good gifts.
What does open your mouth wide and I will fill it mean?
In verse 10, God, who brought his people up out of Egypt, invites them to ask with confidence. The picture is that of a chick opening its beak. It does not promise everything we desire: it invites us to expect from him alone, without turning to other gods (verse 9).
How can I pray Psalm 81?
Sing or read verses 1 to 3 to thank God, your strength. Then remember a specific deliverance in your life, as in verse 7. Ask him to teach you to listen to him, as in verse 13, and open your mouth to ask him with confidence.
World English Bible translation — public domain.