ESTUDIO DEL CAPÍTULO
Psalms 81 — A Call to Hear and a Warning Unheeded
A festal psalm summons joyful worship, recounts God's redemption from Egypt, and pleads with Israel to listen—while lamenting that they have refused.
Escritura
- 1.Cantad con gozo a Dios, fortaleza nuestra; Al Dios de Jacob aclamad con júbilo.For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: Make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
- 2.Entonad canción, y tañed el pandero, El arpa deliciosa y el salterio.Raise a song, and bring hither the timbrel, The pleasant harp with the psaltery.
- 3.Tocad la trompeta en la nueva luna, En el día señalado, en el día de nuestra fiesta solemne.Blow the trumpet at the new moon, At the full moon, on our feast - day.
- 4.Porque estatuto es de Israel, Ordenanza del Dios de Jacob.For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
- 5.Lo constituyó como testimonio en José Cuando salió por la tierra de Egipto. Oí lenguaje que no entendía;He appointed it in Joseph for a testimony, When he went out over the land of Egypt, Where I heard a language that I knew not.
- 6.Aparté su hombro de debajo de la carga; Sus manos fueron descargadas de los cestos.I removed his shoulder from the burden: His hands were freed from the basket.
- 7.En la calamidad clamaste, y yo te libré; Te respondí en lo secreto del trueno; Te probé junto a las aguas de Meriba. SelahThou 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
- 8.Oye, pueblo mío, y te amonestaré. Israel, si me oyeres,Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!
- 9.No habrá en ti dios ajeno, Ni te inclinarás a dios extraño.There shall no strange god be in thee; Neither shalt thou worship any foreign god.
- 10.Yo soy Jehová tu Dios, Que te hice subir de la tierra de Egipto; Abre tu boca, y yo la llenaré.I am Jehovah thy God, Who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt: Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
- 11.Pero mi pueblo no oyó mi voz, E Israel no me quiso a mí.But my people hearkened not to my voice; And Israel would none of me.
- 12.Los dejé, por tanto, a la dureza de su corazón; Caminaron en sus propios consejos.So I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart, That they might walk in their own counsels.
- 13.¡Oh, si me hubiera oído mi pueblo, Si en mis caminos hubiera andado Israel!Oh that my people would hearken unto me, That Israel would walk in my ways!
- 14.En un momento habría yo derribado a sus enemigos, Y vuelto mi mano contra sus adversarios.I would soon subdue their enemies, And turn my hand against their adversaries.
- 15.Los que aborrecen a Jehová se le habrían sometido, Y el tiempo de ellos sería para siempre.The haters of Jehovah should submit themselves unto him: But their time should endure for ever.
- 16.Les sustentaría Dios con lo mejor del trigo, Y con miel de la peña les saciaría.He would feed them also with the finest of the wheat; And with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee.
Qué significa este pasaje
The psalm opens with an urgent summons to worship God with instruments, singing, and shouts of joy (vv. 1–3). The instruction to blow the trumpet at the new moon and full moon grounds this joy in Israel's liturgical calendar, not private feeling. Worship here is public, scheduled, and embodied—voice, hands, and breath all engaged.
The middle section turns to testimony. God appointed the feast as a statute in Joseph, recalling the exodus: the removal of the burden from the shoulder, the basket from the hands, the answer from the secret place of thunder, and the testing at the waters of Meribah (vv. 5–7). The poem compresses the whole story of redemption into a single memory that is to be rehearsed each time the feast returns.
The final movement moves from memory to warning. God pleads, 'Oh that my people would hearken unto me' (vv. 8–13). Because Israel would not listen, God 'let them go' after the stubbornness of their heart. Yet the offer still stands: if they would walk in God's ways, enemies would be subdued and the people would be fed with the finest of the wheat and honey from the rock (vv. 14–16). The psalm is therefore both rehearsal and ultimatum.
Contexto
The psalm is attributed to Asaph and is set 'for the Chief Musician… set to the Gittith,' indicating its use in the temple music ministry. Its references to the new moon, full moon, and 'our feast-day' locate the setting within Israel's appointed festivals, most naturally the Feast of Tabernacles (see the language of vv. 3–5). The note provided offers no additional commentary, so the reading here is drawn from the chapter text itself. The movement from celebration (vv. 1–5) to deliverance narrative (vv. 5–7) to admonition and lament (vv. 8–16) is the structural backbone that shapes how each part is understood.
Palabras clave del original
- H7442 The verb rānan rendered 'sing for joy' in v. 2 conveys a ringing, strident cry—not quiet contemplation but a loud public shout accompanying the festal worship described throughout vv. 1–3.
- H2706 The noun ḥōq ('statute') in v. 5 names the feast as a binding ordinance—something not optional but appointed by God. This is the same root behind the 'statute' language of vv. 4–5 that frames the feast as covenantal obligation rather than custom.
- H8628 The verb tāqaʿ ('blow') in v. 4 denotes a sharp, clattering sound. Applied to the ram's horn (šôpār) it signals more than music—it is the summons that gathers Israel to the feast described in vv. 3–4.
Versículos relacionados
- Exodus 20:2 The confession 'I am Jehovah thy God, Who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt' (v. 10) is the opening declaration of the Decalogue, anchoring the psalm's call to exclusive loyalty in the foundational act of redemption.
- Jeremiah 7:24 The language of Israel walking 'in the stubbornness of their heart' (v. 12) is echoed directly by Jeremiah's accusation, showing that the psalm's lament over unhearing Israel became a lasting pattern in Israel's prophetic tradition.
- Deuteronomy 32:13 The promise to feed Israel with 'honey out of the rock' (v. 16) recalls Moses' song, where the rock imagery already names the wilderness provision that the psalm turns into a future invitation.
Preguntas frecuentes
What feast does Psalm 81 have in view?
The chapter itself does not name the feast. It specifies only the new moon, the full moon, and 'our feast-day' (vv. 3–4). Some readers connect this language with the Feast of Tabernacles, but the psalm itself provides no explicit identification.
Why does God say 'I let them go after the stubbornness of their heart' (v. 12)?
Within the chapter, this statement follows immediately after 'my people hearkened not to my voice' (v. 11). God's action is framed as a consequence of persistent refusal: because Israel would not listen, God allowed them to follow their own counsels rather than forcing compliance.
Is the offer in vv. 13–16 still open at the end of the psalm?
The chapter ends with 'I would feed them… I would satisfy thee' (vv. 15–16). Because the lament of vv. 11–12 is followed by the renewed invitation of v. 13, the closing words read as a standing offer rather than a completed sentence—the psalm closes in appeal, not finality.