Sing Aloud to God, Our Strength
Psalm 81 summary: what it means
Psalm 81 starts as a call to worship. Sing aloud, shout for joy, bring the tambourine, lyre and harp, and blow the trumpet at the New Moon and on the feast day. The psalm says this is a statute given to Israel. Then, from verse 6, the voice changes. God himself speaks, recalling how he freed his people from their burden in Egypt and answered them in trouble.
God's speech is an appeal. He asks his people to listen, to have no foreign god, and to open their mouths wide so he can fill them. But they did not listen, so he let them follow their own stubborn hearts. The psalm ends with what could have been: enemies subdued, and his people fed with the finest wheat and honey from the rock.
Listen to Psalm 81 (audio)
1:51 · AI voice · All psalms audio
Psalm 81: Sing Aloud to God, Our Strength
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-81
Psalm 81 commentary: explained verse by verse
Sing aloud to God, our strength!Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob!
Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
The psalm opens with a call to sing aloud and shout for joy to the God of Jacob. God is named our strength, so the praise is shared from the first line.
Also read Psalm 52:7, Psalm 66:1, Jeremiah 31:7, Matthew 22:32
Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine,the pleasant lyre with the harp.
Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
Also read Psalm 95:1-2, James 5:13, Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5:19
Blow the trumpet at the New Moon,at the full moon, on our feast day.
Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
The trumpet is to be blown at the New Moon, at the full moon and on the feast day. The verse ties the worship to set times.
Also read 1 Chronicles 16:6, Colossians 2:16, 2 Chronicles 13:14, Leviticus 23:24-25
For it is a statute for Israel,an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
The reason for the festival is given: it is a statute for Israel and an ordinance of the God of Jacob. The celebration is presented as commanded, not optional.
He 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.
This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
The statute was set up in Joseph as a covenant when God went out over the land of Egypt. The verse ends with a line the psalm does not explain: I heard a language that I didn't know. What follows in verse 6 is spoken in God's voice.
Also read Deuteronomy 28:49, Exodus 13:14-16, Exodus 11:4, 1 Corinthians 14:21-22
“I removed his shoulder from the burden.His hands were freed from the basket.
I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
God now speaks. He says he removed the burden from his people's shoulder and freed their hands from the basket, pictures of heavy labour brought to an end.
Also read Isaiah 10:27, Exodus 1:14, Matthew 11:29, Exodus 6:6
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.” Selah.
Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
God recalls three things: they called in trouble and he delivered them, he answered from the secret place of thunder, and he tested them at the waters of Meribah. Rescue and testing are listed side by side.
Also read Exodus 14:30-31, Exodus 14:24, Exodus 17:2-7, Exodus 20:18-21
“Hear, my people, and I will testify to you,Israel, if you would listen to me!
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
The speech turns from memory to appeal. God asks his people to hear him, and the words if you would listen to me show the answer is not certain.
Also read Psalm 81:13, Psalm 50:7, Deuteronomy 5:27, Acts 20:21
There shall be no strange god in you,neither shall you worship any foreign god.
There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
Also read Psalm 44:20, Exodus 20:3-5, 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, Deuteronomy 6:14
I am the LORD, your God,who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
God names himself as the LORD who brought them up out of Egypt. Then comes the offer: open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. The picture is of being ready to receive rather than of earning.
Also read Jeremiah 11:4, Exodus 20:2, Revelation 21:6, Ephesians 3:19-20
But my people didn’t listen to my voice.Israel desired none of me.
But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
Also read Proverbs 1:30, Zechariah 7:11, Deuteronomy 32:15, Deuteronomy 32:18
So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts,that they might walk in their own counsels.
So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
Because Israel did not listen, God let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, to walk in their own counsels. The consequence described is being left to their own way.
Also read Jeremiah 44:16-17, Exodus 11:9, Acts 7:42, Romans 1:24
Oh that my people would listen to me,that Israel would walk in my ways!
Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
The tone becomes longing: oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways. God speaks as someone who wants a different outcome.
Also read Luke 19:41-42, Isaiah 48:18, Deuteronomy 32:29, Matthew 23:37
I would soon subdue their enemies,and turn my hand against their adversaries.
I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
Also read Amos 1:8, Numbers 14:45, Judges 2:20-23, Zechariah 13:7
The haters of the LORD would cringe before him,and their punishment would last forever.
The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
If Israel had listened, those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. The verse continues the picture of what could have been.
Also read Isaiah 65:22, Psalm 18:44-45, Romans 8:7, Romans 1:30
But he would have also fed them with the finest of the wheat.I will satisfy you with honey out of the rock.”
He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.
The psalm ends with provision. God would have fed them with the finest of the wheat and satisfied them with honey out of the rock. The last line switches to I will satisfy you, so the offer is still spoken directly to the listener.
Also read Judges 14:18, Judges 14:8-9, Job 29:6, 1 Samuel 14:25-26
A prayer from Psalm 81
God, our strength, I sing aloud to you. You removed the burden from your people's shoulders and freed their hands from the basket. When they called in trouble, you delivered them. You are the LORD, our God, who brought your people up out of the land of Egypt. You say, Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Help me to listen to your voice and walk in your ways, and not follow the stubbornness of my own heart. Keep me from any strange god. Feed me with the finest of the wheat, and satisfy me with honey out of the rock. Amen.
Psalm 81 Bible study questions
- In verses 6 and 7, what does God say he did for his people?
- According to verses 11 and 12, what happened when the people did not listen?
- Verse 10 says Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it; what might that invitation mean for you?
- Verse 13 sounds like a longing, Oh that my people would listen to me; how does that shape the way you picture God in this psalm?
- Psalm 95:8 also recalls Meribah in the wilderness; how does it compare with the testing mentioned in Psalm 81:7?
Questions about Psalm 81
What does Psalm 81 mean?
It begins as a call to celebrate a feast, then becomes God's own speech recalling the rescue from Egypt, pleading with his people to listen, and describing what he would have given them if they had.
Who wrote Psalm 81?
The heading attributes it to Asaph and addresses it to the Chief Musician, on an instrument of Gath.
What does Psalm 81:10 mean?
God reminds his people that he brought them out of Egypt and tells them to open their mouths wide so that he can fill them.
What does Psalm 81:16 mean?
It describes what God would have done if his people had listened: fed them with the finest of the wheat and satisfied them with honey out of the rock.
What does Psalm 81:3 mean?
It calls for the trumpet to be blown at the New Moon, at the full moon and on the feast day, tying the worship to set times.
How does the King James Version word Psalm 81:16?
The KJV reads "He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee."
Psalm 81 KJV: the King James Version
Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.1
Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.2
Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.3
For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.4
This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.5
I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.6
Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.7
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;8
There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.9
I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.10
But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.11
So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.12
Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!13
I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.14
The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.15
He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.16
Psalm 81 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
Show the text
1 לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀ עַֽל־הַגִּתִּ֬ית לְאָסָֽף׃
2 הַ֭רְנִינוּ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים עוּזֵּ֑נוּ הָ֝רִ֗יעוּ לֵאלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃
3 שְֽׂאוּ־זִ֭מְרָה וּתְנוּ־תֹ֑ף כִּנּ֖וֹר נָעִ֣ים עִם־נָֽבֶל׃
4 תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֝כֵּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ׃
5 כִּ֤י חֹ֣ק לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל ה֑וּא מִ֝שְׁפָּ֗ט לֵאלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃
6 עֵ֤דוּת ׀ בִּֽיה֘וֹסֵ֤ף שָׂמ֗וֹ בְּ֭צֵאתוֹ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם שְׂפַ֖ת לֹא־יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶשְׁמָֽע׃
7 הֲסִיר֣וֹתִי מִסֵּ֣בֶל שִׁכְמ֑וֹ כַּ֝פָּ֗יו מִדּ֥וּד תַּעֲבֹֽרְנָה׃
8 בַּצָּרָ֥ה קָרָ֗אתָ וָאֲחַ֫לְּצֶ֥ךָּ אֶ֭עֶנְךָ בְּסֵ֣תֶר רַ֑עַם אֶבְחָֽנְךָ֨ עַל־מֵ֖י מְרִיבָ֣ה סֶֽלָה׃
9 שְׁמַ֣ע עַ֭מִּי וְאָעִ֣ידָה בָּ֑ךְ יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל אִם־תִּֽשְׁמַֽע־לִֽי׃
10 לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֣ה בְ֭ךָ אֵ֣ל זָ֑ר וְלֹ֥א תִ֝שְׁתַּחֲוֶ֗ה לְאֵ֣ל נֵכָֽר׃
11 אָנֹכִ֨י ׀ יְה֘וָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ הַֽ֭מַּעַלְךָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הַרְחֶב־פִּ֝֗יךָ וַאֲמַלְאֵֽהוּ׃
12 וְלֹא־שָׁמַ֣ע עַמִּ֣י לְקוֹלִ֑י וְ֝יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֹא־אָ֥בָה לִֽי׃
13 וָֽ֭אֲשַׁלְּחֵהוּ בִּשְׁרִיר֣וּת לִבָּ֑ם יֵ֝לְכ֗וּ בְּֽמוֹעֲצוֹתֵיהֶֽם׃
14 ל֗וּ עַ֭מִּי שֹׁמֵ֣עַֽ לִ֑י יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל בִּדְרָכַ֥י יְהַלֵּֽכוּ׃
15 כִּ֭מְעַט אוֹיְבֵיהֶ֣ם אַכְנִ֑יעַ וְעַ֥ל צָ֝רֵיהֶ֗ם אָשִׁ֥יב יָדִֽי׃
16 מְשַׂנְאֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה יְכַֽחֲשׁוּ־ל֑וֹ וִיהִ֖י עִתָּ֣ם לְעוֹלָֽם׃
17 וַֽ֭יַּאֲכִילֵהוּ מֵחֵ֣לֶב חִטָּ֑ה וּ֝מִצּ֗וּר דְּבַ֣שׁ אַשְׂבִּיעֶֽךָ׃
Psalm 81 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 80 there.
Show the text
1 Unto the end, for the winepresses, a psalm for Asaph himself.
2 Rejoice to God our helper: sing aloud to the God of Jacob.
3 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel: the pleasant psaltery with the harp.
4 Blow up the trumpet on the new moon, on the noted day of your solemnity.
5 For it is a commandment in Israel, and a judgment to the God of Jacob.
6 He ordained it for a testimony in Joseph, when he came out of the land of Egypt: he heard a tongue which he knew not.
7 He removed his back from the burdens: his hands had served in baskets.
8 Thou calledst upon me in affliction, and I delivered thee: I heard thee in the secret place of tempest: I proved thee at the waters of contradiction.
9 Hear, O my people, and I will testify to thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me,
10 There shall be no new god in thee: neither shalt thou adore a strange god.
11 For I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
12 But my people heard not my voice: and Israel hearkened not to me.
13 So I let them go according to the desires of their heart: they shall walk in their own inventions.
14 If my people had heard me: if Israel had walked in my ways:
15 I should soon have humbled their enemies, and laid my hand on them that troubled them.
16 The enemies of the Lord have lied to him: and their time shall be for ever.
17 And he fed them with the fat of wheat, and filled them with honey out of the rock.
Psalm 81 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 80.
Show the text
1 In finem, pro torcularibus. Psalmus ipsi Asaph.
2 Exsultate Deo adjutori nostro; jubilate Deo Jacob.
3 Sumite psalmum, et date tympanum; psalterium jucundum cum cithara.
4 Buccinate in neomenia tuba, in insigni die solemnitatis vestræ:
5 quia præceptum in Israël est, et judicium Deo Jacob.
6 Testimonium in Joseph posuit illud, cum exiret de terra Ægypti; linguam quam non noverat, audivit.
7 Divertit ab oneribus dorsum ejus; manus ejus in cophino servierunt.
8 In tribulatione invocasti me, et liberavi te. Exaudivi te in abscondito tempestatis; probavi te apud aquam contradictionis.
9 Audi, populus meus, et contestabor te. Israël, si audieris me,
10 non erit in te deus recens, neque adorabis deum alienum.
11 Ego enim sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de terra Ægypti. Dilata os tuum, et implebo illud.
12 Et non audivit populus meus vocem meam, et Israël non intendit mihi.
13 Et dimisi eos secundum desideria cordis eorum; ibunt in adinventionibus suis.
14 Si populus meus audisset me, Israël si in viis meis ambulasset,
15 pro nihilo forsitan inimicos eorum humiliassem, et super tribulantes eos misissem manum meam.
16 Inimici Domini mentiti sunt ei, et erit tempus eorum in sæcula.
17 Et cibavit eos ex adipe frumenti, et de petra melle saturavit eos.
Printable Psalm 81: free, large print and PDF
Print Psalm 81 for free: the whole psalm or only the verses you tick. Choose regular, large or extra large print, and a plain page, a framed sheet to hang on the wall or a verse card, in the World English Bible or the King James Version. To keep a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window. Nothing to sign up for.
Psalm 81 at a glance
| Verses | 16 |
| Heading in the text | For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. By Asaph. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to Asaph, addresses it to the Chief Musician, and includes the words on an instrument of Gath. |
| Type | Praise and Historical |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 80 |
Read Psalm 81 when you are facing
Psalm 81 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 81 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 81 belongs
Psalms of AsaphBook 3 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source