Psalm 80:15
And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.
And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted,.... The word "Cannah" is only used in this place, and the first letter of it is larger than usual, to keep in perpetual remembrance, as is thought by some {t}, the bringing of this vine out of Egypt, and the great things done for it in the land of Israel; and the letter, being crooked, may denote the oppression of this vine by various calamities. The Targum renders the word, a branch or shoot; and Kimchi, according to the scope of the place, a plant; and observes, that others interpret it an habitation or dwelling place; and so may be understood of Jerusalem, or the temple. Aben Ezra takes it to be an adjective, and to signify "prepared" or "established", which is said of this vine, Psalms 80:9. It is an Egyptian word used by the psalmist, treating of the vine brought out of Egypt, and signifies a plant; hence the ivy is by the Greeks called cenosiriv the plant of Osiris {u}; the clause carries in it a reason or argument, enforcing the above petition, taken from this vine being of the Lord's planting, as in Psalms 80:8 and therefore his own honour and glory were concerned in it:
and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself: meaning the same thing, and the same people whom he confirmed in the land of Canaan, and made strong for his service and glory. The word {w} translated "branch" signifies a son, as Israel was, to the Lord, son and firstborn. The Targum understands it of Christ, and paraphrases it thus,
"and for the King Messiah, whom thou hast strengthened for thyself;''
that is, for the sake of Christ, whom thou hast appointed to work out the salvation of thy people by his great strength, and who was to come from this vine, or descend from Israel; for the sake of him destroy it not, nor suffer it to be destroyed; and is the same with the Son of man, Psalms 80:17, and so it is read in a manuscript.
{t} Vid. Buxtorf. Tiberias, c. 14.
{u} Plutarch de lsid. & Osir.
{w} Nb le "super filium", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus; "propter filium", Junius & Tremellius, Michaelis.