Psalm 81:5 kjv
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.
Psalm 81:5 nkjv
This He established in Joseph as a testimony, When He went throughout the land of Egypt, Where I heard a language I did not understand.
Psalm 81:5 niv
When God went out against Egypt, he established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say:
Psalm 81:5 esv
He made it a decree in Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a language I had not known:
Psalm 81:5 nlt
He made it a law for Israel
when he attacked Egypt to set us free.
I heard an unknown voice say,
Psalm 81 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 45:7-8 | God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive... | Joseph's purpose in Egypt ordained by God. |
| Gen 50:20 | You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish... | God's sovereign hand over Joseph's plight and the nation. |
| Ex 3:7-8 | The Lord said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people... come down to deliver them..." | God's awareness of Israel's suffering in Egypt. |
| Ex 6:2-7 | I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty... | God reveals Himself and His covenant name at the Exodus. |
| Ex 12:40-41 | The sojourning of the people of Israel who lived in Egypt was 430 years. And at the end... | The historical duration and precise moment of departure. |
| Ex 19:1-6 | In the third month... Israel came into the wilderness of Sinai... "You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians..." | Israel's arrival at Sinai where the law was given. |
| Ex 24:12 | The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain... that I may give you the tablets of stone..." | The giving of God's testimony/law on stone. |
| Deut 4:10-14 | The day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb... | Reminder of receiving God's laws at Sinai. |
| Deut 6:20-25 | "When your son asks you... ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes...'" | Israel commanded to remember and teach God's laws/testimonies. |
| Deut 31:19-21 | "Now therefore write this song... as a witness for me against the people of Israel." | Song as a witness/testimony for future generations. |
| Ps 78:5-7 | He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel... | God's testimonies established for His people. |
| Ps 105:16-24 | He called for a famine... He sent a man ahead of them, Joseph... | Divine purpose in sending Joseph to Egypt. |
| Isa 28:11 | For with stammering lips and another tongue he will speak to this people... | Echoes the idea of a foreign language, in a prophetic context. |
| Acts 7:9-14 | The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt... But God was with him... | Stephen's sermon recounts God's work through Joseph. |
| Rom 9:4-5 | They are Israelites... to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law... | The privileges given to Israel, including the law/covenant. |
| Gal 3:17-18 | The law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God... | The law's timing in relation to the Abrahamic covenant. |
| Heb 8:10 | "For this is the covenant that I will make... I will put my laws into their minds, and write them..." | The New Covenant's fulfillment of God's laws within hearts. |
| Heb 11:27 | By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king... | Moses' departure from Egypt by faith. |
| Gen 42:23 | They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. | Highlights the language barrier for Joseph's brothers in Egypt. |
| Neh 9:13-14 | "You came down on Mount Sinai... and you gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments..." | Affirmation of God giving laws to Israel after Egypt. |
| Ps 77:15 | You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. | God's deliverance of Jacob and Joseph's descendants. |
Psalm 81 verses
Psalm 81 5 Meaning
Psalm 81:5 describes God establishing His decree or testimony for Joseph, understood as a representation of the whole nation of Israel, as they left the land of Egypt. It highlights the divine establishment of the covenant and law at a time when the people, personified as Israel, were exposed to an alien language and culture, having been liberated from a land where they had endured the unfamiliar speech of their oppressors. This verse points to the foundational moments of Israel's national identity, rooted in God's redemptive work and His revealed Word.
Psalm 81 5 Context
Psalm 81 is a communal lament and a call to worship, likely associated with the Feast of Booths (Sukkot) or the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), a time for reflection on Israel's history and God's faithfulness. The psalm begins with joyous praise (vv. 1-4) and then recounts God's acts of deliverance, particularly the Exodus. Verse 5 serves as the historical foundation for the subsequent divine speech. It sets the scene of God intervening in the life of Joseph (representing Israel), leading them out of a land where they were strangers to both its culture and language. This liberation from Egyptian bondage, and the subsequent giving of the law at Sinai, underscores God's sovereignty and His special relationship with Israel, despite their future rebellion as detailed later in the psalm. The psalm stresses God's unfulfilled desire for Israel's obedience.
Psalm 81 5 Word analysis
- He: Refers to God, the divine subject of action, indicating His active initiation in Israel's history.
- made:
śām(שָׂם), Hebrew verb, meaning "placed," "set," "appointed," "established." It implies intentionality and permanence. God didn't just passively allow; He actively set this in motion. - it: Refers to the "testimony" that follows, indicating the specific object of God's placement or establishment.
- a testimony:
‘ēḏûṯ(עֵדוּת), Hebrew noun, derived from‘ēḏ(witness). It means "a witness," "a testimony," "a warning," or "a decree." It refers to God's revealed law or covenant, given as a standard for Israel. It functions as a public declaration of God's will and relationship with His people. - in Joseph:
bîhōṣēp̄(בִּיהוֹסֵף), Hebrew prepositionbə-(in, by, for) +Yôseph(Joseph). Joseph is a synecdoche for the Northern Kingdom, or Israel as a whole, specifically encompassing all the tribes, perhaps especially due to the prominence of Ephraim and Manasseh (Joseph's sons). It highlights God's historical care for Joseph leading to the preservation of Israel and their subsequent national formation. It connects the personal story of Joseph with the collective national experience. - when he went out: Refers to Joseph's family (Israel) collectively leaving Egypt, implying the Exodus.
- over the land of Egypt: Specifically denotes the geographical and political sphere of the oppressive nation, emphasizing God's deliverance from that domain.
- I heard: The speaker shifts from the divine "He" (God) to the collective "I" (Israel), a rhetorical device common in Hebrew poetry. It vividly expresses the people's personal experience of their foreign subjugation and the subsequent revelation.
- a language: Referring to Egyptian, the language of their oppressors and a foreign tongue that signifies their alienation and subservience.
- I did not know: Emphasizes the alien nature of the Egyptian experience—their culture, their oppression, and their language were all foreign to the Israelites. It underscores the complete reliance of Israel on God for understanding and deliverance from a world utterly strange to them. This phrase highlights the radical transition God effected.
Psalm 81 5 Bonus section
- The Psalm 81 is sometimes attributed to Asaph, a prominent musician and seer during King David's reign, indicating its function within temple liturgy and its pedagogical purpose.
- The use of "Joseph" in place of "Israel" or "Jacob" can sometimes reflect a Northern Kingdom perspective, as Joseph (through Ephraim and Manasseh) was the most prominent tribe in the North after the division of the kingdom. However, in this psalm, it most likely refers to the unified twelve tribes as they entered and exited Egypt.
- The phrase "where I heard a language I did not know" can be understood in two ways: literally referring to the Egyptian language which the enslaved Israelites were forced to live under, or metaphorically suggesting the profound alienation and despair they experienced—a situation so dire that even communication felt foreign, only God's voice breaking through.
Psalm 81 5 Commentary
Psalm 81:5 encapsulates the essence of God's redemptive historical act for Israel. God "made it a testimony in Joseph," signifying that the Exodus itself, along with the covenant law given at Sinai, serves as a permanent witness to God's character and His relationship with His people. This divine establishment occurred as Israel, represented by "Joseph," was delivered from the alien culture and incomprehensible language of Egypt. The shift in perspective from God ("He") to Israel ("I") immerses the listener into the nation's experience, underscoring their prior bewilderment and the profound nature of God's revelation. This testimony was not merely a set of rules but the foundation of Israel's national identity, reminding them that they were rescued by divine initiative and bound to God by a unique covenant. The "testimony" signifies God's own declaration, His terms for relationship, which provided meaning and order in a world previously dominated by unknown, oppressive sounds and systems.