📖 Psalms — Chapter 81 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Psalms 81:1 RSing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
Psalms 81:2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
Psalms 81:3 RBlow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
Psalms 81:4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
Psalms 81:5 This he ordained Rin Joseph for a testimony, when he went out Tthrough the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
Psalms 81:6 RI removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands Twere delivered from the pots.
Psalms 81:7 Thou Rcalledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of TMeribah. Selah.
Psalms 81:8 RHear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
Psalms 81:9 RThere shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.
Psalms 81:10 RI am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Psalms 81:11 But my Rpeople would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.
Psalms 81:12 So RI gave them up Tunto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
Psalms 81:13 ROh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!
Psalms 81:14 RI should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
Psalms 81:15 RThe haters of the LORD should have Tsubmitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
Psalms 81:16 He should have Rfed them also with the Tfinest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 81:1–7 — Celebrate the God who delivered Israel
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Singing, instruments, and the appointed feast recall God’s deliverance from Egypt. The remembered burden and answered cry make worship an act of grateful remembrance. Meribah also recalls that deliverance did not remove the need to trust God.
Key Truth: Let remembered deliverance lead to thankful worship.
Check What You Remember
1. Who is called our strength? (Psalms 81:1)
Find it in Psalms 81:1 (KJV).
2. What instrument is blown at the appointed feast? (Psalms 81:3)
Find it in Psalms 81:3 (KJV).
3. At what waters did God prove Israel? (Psalms 81:7)
Find it in Psalms 81:7 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 81:8–12 — Hear God and refuse strange gods
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
God calls his people to listen and worship him alone. The invitation to open their mouths pictures dependence on his provision. Israel’s refusal ends in being given over to its own desires and counsel, showing the seriousness of persistent rejection.
Key Truth: Listen to the Lord rather than making desire your guide.
Check What You Remember
1. What kind of god must Israel not worship? (Psalms 81:9)
Find it in Psalms 81:9 (KJV).
2. From what land did the Lord bring them? (Psalms 81:10)
Find it in Psalms 81:10 (KJV).
3. Whose counsels did they follow? (Psalms 81:12)
Find it in Psalms 81:12 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 81:13–16 — The provision Israel resisted
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The closing appeal describes what faithful listening would have meant for Israel: subdued enemies and satisfying provision. Wheat and honey portray God’s care for his covenant people. This historical appeal invites trust and obedience; it does not turn worship into a promise of personal wealth.
Key Truth: God’s call to obedience is joined to his generous care.
Check What You Remember
1. In whose ways should Israel have walked? (Psalms 81:13)
Find it in Psalms 81:13 (KJV).
2. What would God have subdued? (Psalms 81:14)
Find it in Psalms 81:14 (KJV).
3. What sweet food is named from the rock? (Psalms 81:16)
Find it in Psalms 81:16 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Deuteronomy 6:4 — Israel is called to acknowledge the Lord as the one God.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
What competing counsel distracts you from listening to God, and what deliverance can you remember with thanks?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does the feast recall release from burdens?
2. How does exclusive worship accompany promised provision?
3. What follows the refusal to hear?
4. How does the wished-for listening lead to protection?
5. How do wheat and honey express the closing provision?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
Loading your notes…
Chapter Navigation