Psalm 80:10
The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
The hills were covered with the shadow of it,.... Alluding to the land of Canaan, which was a mountainous and hilly country, at least some part of it; hence we read of the hill country of Judea, Luke 1:39 and to the nature of vines, which delight to grow on hills and mountains {p}: in a figurative sense this may denote the subjection of kings and kingdoms, comparable to hills, to the Israelites in the times of David and Solomon, 2 Samuel 8:1 and the exaltation of the church of Christ, in the latter day, over the hills and mountains, Isaiah 2:2. The Targum is,
"the mountains of Jerusalem were covered with the shadow of the house of the sanctuary, and of the houses of the schools:''
and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars; to these the righteous are compared, Psalms 92:13, the Targum is,
"the doctors, the mighty preachers, who are like to the strong cedars:''
the words may be rendered, "the boughs thereof cover the goodly cedars", or "cedars of God" {q}; that is, overrun and overtop the goodly cedars; alluding to vines running and growing upon high and goodly trees; and so may denote, as before, the power of Israel over the princes and potentates of the earth, comparable to cedars, the most excellent; as things most excellent have often the name of God added to them; see Ps 104:16.
{p} "Bacchus amat colles----" Virgil Georgic. l. 2. v. 113.
{q} la yzra hypne "rami ejus cedros Dei", Tigurine version; so Sept. "et ramia ejus cedri Dei", Musculus, Cocceius; "palmitibus ejus cedri altissimae operiebantur", Piscator, De Dieu; "ramis ejus opertae sunt cedri Dei", Michaelis.