Psalms 80:13
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Jeremiah 4:7The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.Jeremiah 5:6Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
Historical Context
Wild boars were serious agricultural pests in ancient Palestine, particularly destructive to vineyards and grain fields. The designation of swine as unclean made them fitting metaphors for hostile Gentile nations devastating Israel. Various commentators identify the boar with different historical enemies: Assyria, Babylon, or regional powers like Aram. The dual threat—large predators and small creatures—suggests waves of attacks: major conquests followed by ongoing raids by minor powers, comprehensively devastating the land until nothing remained of former glory.
Questions for Reflection
- How do the 'unclean' predators (boar, wild beasts) devastating God's vineyard represent spiritual threats to God's people today?
- What is the proper response when both major threats (boars) and minor persistent attacks (wild beasts) simultaneously assault believers' spiritual vitality?
- How does recognizing that God allowed the hedge removal (verse 12) that permitted these attacks shape understanding of spiritual warfare and protection?
Analysis & Commentary
The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. This verse specifies the predators ravaging the exposed vineyard. "The boar out of the wood" (yekarsemenah chazir miyya'ar, יְכַרְסְמֶנָּה חֲזִיר מִיָּעַר) introduces destructive wild swine. Chazir (חֲזִיר) is swine/boar—unclean animal (Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8) that roots up vineyards, destroying roots and vines systematically. Karsem (כָּרְסֵם) means to gnaw, eat off—suggesting thorough, destructive feeding that ruins vines beyond immediate consumption. Boars from the forest represent powerful, unclean forces devastating God's holy vine.
"The wild beast of the field doth devour it" (veziz sadai yir'ennah, וְזִיז שָׂדַי יִרְעֶנָּה) adds comprehensive threat. Ziz (זִיז) is uncertain term, possibly referring to insects, small animals, or general designation for field creatures. The verb ra'ah (רָעָה) means to feed, graze, devour—suggesting the vineyard has become pasture for creatures that should never access it. Together, "boar" and "wild beast" represent all destructive forces—great and small—now feeding freely on what was God's protected possession.
The unclean animals (swine) devastating God's holy vine intensifies the tragedy: not only is Israel suffering, but unclean nations defile what was consecrated to Yahweh. The imagery anticipates Jesus's parable warning against casting pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6) and his lament over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-38). The comprehensive devastation—large predators and small creatures—suggests nothing remains to salvage without divine intervention.