Psalms 80:6

Psa 80:6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.

Ver. 6. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours] We have as many enemies as neighbours, all striving to enslave us. We are crushed between them as corn is between millstones.

And our enemies laugh among themselves] Make them merry in our misery, revel in our ruins.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7. (Psa 80:6) Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours, and our enemies amuse themselves (at our expense). The future verbs imply a probable continuance of this humiliating treatment unless God interpose to put an end to it, and thus suggest a reason for his doing so. Makest us, literally puttest, settest up. See above, on Psa 44:13. A strife, a subject of contention, perhaps in reference to the emulous desire of their neighbours to insult and aggravate their sufferings. Here, as in Psa 44:13; Psa 79:4, these neighbours are the circumjacent nations, who always triumphed in the time of Israel's calamities (Amo 1:9; Amo 1:11, Oba 1:12). The literal translation of the last words is will mock (or scoff) for them, i.e. for themselves, for their own gratification, and at their own discretion, as they will.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Our neighbors have continual strife and war against us.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 6. Thou makest us a strife] The neighbouring districts have a controversy about us; we are a subject of contention to them. A people so wonderfully preserved, and so wonderfully punished, is a mystery to them. They see in us both the goodness and severity of God. Or, all the neighbouring nations join together to malign and execrate us. We are hated by all; derided and cursed by all.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(6) A strife—i.e., an object of contention. In no other sense could Israel be a strife to neighbouring nations. For the bearing of this on the date of the psalm see its Introduction.

Laugh among themselves.—Literally, for themselves. But LXX. and Vulg. read, “at us.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. a strife &c.] An object of contention (Jer_15:10): the petty states round about (Psa_79:4; Psa_79:12), Edomites, Arabians, and the like, quarrel among themselves for our territory. Lagarde conjectures that we should read mânôd, shaking (of the head), for mâdôn, strife, as in Psa_44:14, which would suit the parallelism better.

laugh among themselves] Rather, to their heart’s content, so, laugh scornfully. Cp. Psa_79:4.

P.B.V. ‘laugh us to scorn’ follows LXX, Vulg., Jer.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours,.... Either obliges us to contend with them for our defence and safety; or having given us into their hands, they strive and contend one with another about dividing the spoil:

and our enemies laugh among themselves; at us, and because there is no help for us in God, as they imagine; or at God himself, as Kimchi, saying he cannot save as.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Thou makest us a strife - An occasion of strife or wrangling; that is, of strife among themselves, to see who will get the most of our spoils; or of contention, to see which could do most to aggravate their sufferings, and to bring disgrace and contempt upon them. They were emulous with each other in the work of desolation and ruin.

Unto our neighbors - The surrounding nations. See Psa 79:4.

And our enemies laugh among themselves - Over our calamities. They exult; they glory; they triumph in our ruin.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

A strife, i.e. the object or matter of their strife or contention; either,

1. They strive one with another who shrill do us most mischief, or take our spoils to themselves; or,

2. They are perpetually quarrelling with us, and seeking occasions against us. Our neighbours, who used and ought to live peaceably and kindly with us. Laugh among themselves; insult over us, and take pleasure in our miseries.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 6. "Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours." Always jealous and malicious, Edom and Moab exulted over Israel's troubles, and then fell to disputing about their share of the spoil. A neighbour's jeer is ever most cutting, especially if a man has been superior to them, and claimed to possess more grace. None are unneighbourly as envious neighbours.

"And our enemies laugh among themselves." They find mirth in our misery, comedy in our tragedy, salt for their wit in the brine of our tears, amusement in our amazement. It is devilish to sport with another's griefs; but it is the constant habit of the world which lieth in the wicked one to make merry with the saints' tribulations; the seed of the serpent follow their progenitor and rejoice in evil.

None.

None.

Psalms 80:7*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours—Thou makest us an object, or butt, of contention. We appear to our neighbours as though thou hadst a controversy with us. Or, it may mean, that by not coming to their help, and turning them back to a better state, God held up to the scorn and derision of the neighbouring nations the intestine quarrels of the Hebrew family, thus prolonging the shame of their dissensions. But whether the “strife” lay between the people and their God, or between the different branches of their own brotherhood, the petty nations around them, who always wished them evil, looked on and laughed among themselves. So is it ever with the world when the Church is distracted with divisions and factions.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours. A great invasion, Assyrian or Babylonian, was always a signal to the near neighbours of Israel Syria, Moab, Ammon, Edom to indulge in hostilities. (see 2Ki_24:2) And our enemies laugh among themselves. (comp. Psa_44:13 Psa_79:4)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

You have fed them bread of tears in Egypt.

and You have given them to drink tears in large measure Heb. שליש. In Babylon, where they were for seventy years, a third (שליש) of the two hundred and ten of Egypt. I learned this from the work of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan. It may also be interpreted as regards the kingdom of Greece, which represents the third trouble. If you ask, is that [not] the fourth, because Persia and Media came before, all the seventy years of the Babylonian exile are only one exile. Menachem (p. 175) interprets שליש as the name of a drinking vessel. So he explained (Isa. 40:12): “and He measured with a ‘shalish’ the dust of the earth.” Our Sages explained it (Mid. Ps. 80: 4) as referring to the three tears that Esau shed, concerning whom it is said (Gen. 27:34): “and he cried a cry.” That is one. “A great one.” That is two. “And a bitter one.” That is three. Because of them, he merited to live by his sword, as it is said (Gen. 27:40): “and it will come to pass when you complain, etc.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.