Psalm 80

This is Asaph’s prayer to God on behalf of the northern kingdom (“Israel,” “Samaria”) after it was taken captive by Assyria in 722-21 bc. While “Joseph” can refer to the whole nation (77:15; 80:1), the mention in verse 2 of Ephraim and Manasseh (Joseph’s sons) and Benjamin (Joseph’s brother) suggests that the northern kingdom is meant. These are the children and grandchildren of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, was located in Ephraim. The temple was still standing in Jerusalem (v. 1), and the fall of Samaria should have been a warning to Judah not to disobey the Lord. That Asaph would pray for Samaria and ask God for restoration and reunion for the whole nation indicates that some of the old rivalries were ending and that some of the people of Judah were concerned over “the affliction of Joseph” (Amos 6:6). It’s unfortunate that it sometimes takes dissension, division, and destruction to bring brothers closer together. Joseph and his brothers are a case in point. The refrain “Restore us” (vv. 3, 7, 19 niv) marks out the three requests Asaph made to the Lord for both kingdoms.