1. An appeal to Israel's Shepherd 80:1-3

80:1-2 The psalmist appealed to Yahweh as the Shepherd of His people Israel (cf. 23:1; 28:9).¹⁴⁵He also referred to Him as sitting enthroned above the cherubim in the temple (cf. 99:1). Ephraim was the leading tribe in the North and Benjamin the leader in the South. Manasseh was the leader in Transjordan in the East.

80:3 This cry for restoration is a refrain that the writer also used in verses 7 and 19. The figure of the face shining on another suggests favorable inclination toward that one (cf. 4:6; Num. 6:25).