What Does Psalm 80:17 Mean in the King James?
Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The human held under God’s hand is strengthened for belonging to God, not for standing alone.
THE MEANING
Your strength is not outside your human nature: this verse places a human under God’s hand and describes that person as strengthened for God’s own purpose. The support is intimate and directional, upon the person, for the One who gives strength. Your ground-bound human life can be upheld without ceasing to be human.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that your strength must prove you belong only to yourself, or that human weakness disqualifies you from being held. Here, strength is received and directed toward God.
THE ROOT
אִמַּצְתָּ
ʾimmaṣtā
GROWS FROM
אמץ
ʾ-m-ṣ
To be strong; to strengthen or make firm.
The strength in this verse comes from the root אמץ (amats, to strengthen), also used for strengthening someone whose knees are giving way. The word holds strength together with support: the human is made strong under God’s hand, for God.
ALSO GROWS
te'amets: Strengthen; make firm.
תְּאַמֵּץ
The same root strengthens knees that are buckling, showing strength as support that meets the body at its point of failing.
ve'imtsu: Be strong; take courage.
וְאִמְצוּ
The root can describe strength received as courage, connecting the person upheld here with the capacity to stand.
בֶּן־אָדָם
ben-ʾadam
GROWS FROM
אדם
ʾ-d-m
Human being; the word-family connects Adam with adamah, ground or soil.
“Son of man” keeps the figure fully human: strength rests on a ground-born person, not on someone removed from human life. The Adam and adamah word-family holds humanity and the ground together beneath the image of God’s hand.
ALSO GROWS
adam: Human; ground-being.
אָדָם
The human figure here belongs to the shared, earthly condition named by adam.
adamah: Ground; soil.
אֲדָמָה
The ground-word family keeps the strengthened human embodied and earthbound.
THE PATTERN
Scripture presents strength as support that meets human weakness and enables life under God’s power.
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.THE THREAD
Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.“Made strong” here and “strengthened” in Job 4:4 come from אמץ (amats, to strengthen). The shared root makes the support concrete: strength meets a person as they are falling, even at the level of unsteady knees.
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