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Advent Season · Fourth Sunday of Advent · Year C

Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (4)

Restore Us, O God

December 19, 2027

The Christ Child as the Good Shepherd, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
The Christ Child as the Good Shepherd, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1660J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
A Spanish devotional picture of the child as shepherd, leaning on a lamb among broken columns, painted to be prayed in front of rather than admired.Know that the Lord is God; it is he that made us, and we are his, the sheep of his pasture.Bartolomé Esteban MurilloSeville's leading painter (1617-1682), known for a warm, soft handling that made his religious pictures the most copied in Spain for two centuries.J. Paul Getty Museum, Los AngelesFounded on an oil fortune and endowed well enough to buy against anyone, with European painting at the Getty Center above Los Angeles.J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Roman Lectionary
GospelLuke 1:39-45Lk 1:39-45
Second ReadingHeb. 10:5-10Heb 10:5-10
First ReadingMic. 5:1-4aMi 5:1-4a
Responsorial PsalmPs. 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (4)Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (4)

Overview & Insights

“Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” (Psalm 80:7)

The occasion underlying this corporate prayer psalm appears to be one of extreme national distress: passers-by ravage as they please, burning and destroying (vv. 12–13, 16). The people experience sorrow and strife (vv. 5–6). The question “How long?” implies that this tragedy has persisted for some time. As with most psalms, historical details are omitted so the psalm can be used for any similar national emergency (see the Additional Note).

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Take it further: Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 (4)

Commentary

Psalm 80 Commentary: Restore Us, O Lord God of HostsPs 80 Commentary: Restore Us, O Lord God of Hosts Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik's verse by verse study of the plea for the Shepherd of Israel to restore his people.

Psalm 80:1 CommentariesPs 80:1 Commentaries BibleHub

Classic commentators compiled verse by verse on Israel's prayer for restoration.

Background & Word Study

Psalms 80 - SefariaPs 80 - Sefaria Sefaria

Hebrew text of Psalm 80 with English and traditional Jewish commentary.

Psalm 80:1 InterlinearPs 80:1 Interlinear BibleHub

Hebrew text of the psalm word by word with parsing and Strong's numbers.

The Church Fathers

Psalms 80 - Catena Bible & CommentariesPs 80 - Catena Bible & Commentaries Catena

Patristic comments on Israel's plea for the Shepherd's restoring face.

Questions preachers ask

What is the vine in Psalm 80?

The psalm remembers Israel as a vine God brought out of Egypt and planted, now broken down, and pleads for God to look down from heaven and restore it, sharing the vineyard image of the Isaiah reading.

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