Psalms 80:10

10 Covered have been hills [with] its shadow, And its boughs [are] cedars of God.

Psalms 80:10 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 80:10

The hills were covered with the shadow of it
Alluding to the land of Canaan, which was a mountainous and hilly country, at least some part of it; hence we read of the hill country of Judea, ( Luke 1:39 ) and to the nature of vines, which delight to grow on hills and mountains F16: in a figurative sense this may denote the subjection of kings and kingdoms, comparable to hills, to the Israelites in the times of David and Solomon, ( 2 Samuel 8:1 ) ( 1 Kings 4:21 1 Kings 4:24 ) and the exaltation of the church of Christ, in the latter day, over the hills and mountains, ( Isaiah 2:2 ) . The Targum is,

``the mountains of Jerusalem were covered with the shadow of the house of the sanctuary, and of the houses of the schools:''

and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars;
to these the righteous are compared, ( Psalms 92:13 ) , the Targum is,

``the doctors, the mighty preachers, who are like to the strong cedars:''

the words may be rendered, "the boughs thereof cover the goodly cedars", or "cedars of God" F17; that is, overrun and overtop the goodly cedars; alluding to vines running and growing upon high and goodly trees; and so may denote, as before, the power of Israel over the princes and potentates of the earth, comparable to cedars, the most excellent; as things most excellent have often the name of God added to them; see ( Psalms 104:16 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F16 "Bacchus amat colles----" Virgil Georgic. l. 2. v. 113.
F17 (la yzra hypne) "rami ejus cedros Dei", Tigurine version; so Sept. "et ramia ejus cedri Dei", Musculus, Cocceius; "palmitibus ejus cedri altissimae operiebantur", Piscator, De Dieu; "ramis ejus opertae sunt cedri Dei", Michaelis.

Psalms 80:10 In-Context

8 A vine out of Egypt Thou dost bring, Thou dost cast out nations, and plantest it.
9 Thou hast looked before it, and dost root it, And it filleth the land,
10 Covered have been hills [with] its shadow, And its boughs [are] cedars of God.
11 It sendeth forth its branches unto the sea, And unto the river its sucklings.
12 Why hast Thou broken down its hedges, And all passing by the way have plucked it?
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.