Psalm 81:16
New International Version
But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

New Living Translation
But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

English Standard Version
But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Berean Standard Bible
But I would feed you the finest wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

King James Bible
He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

New King James Version
He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you.”

New American Standard Bible
“But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

NASB 1995
“But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

NASB 1977
“But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat; And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Amplified Bible
“But I would feed Israel with the finest of the wheat; And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Christian Standard Bible
But he would feed Israel with the best wheat. “I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But He would feed Israel with the best wheat.” I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.”

American Standard Version
He would feed them also with the finest of the wheat; And with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee.

Contemporary English Version
But I would feed you with the finest bread and with the best honey until you were full."

English Revised Version
He should feed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I satisfy thee.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But I would feed Israel with the finest wheat and satisfy them with honey from a rock."

Good News Translation
But I would feed you with the finest wheat and satisfy you with wild honey."

International Standard Version
But I will feed Israel with the finest wheat, satisfying you with honey from the rock.

Majority Standard Bible
But I would feed you the finest wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.?

NET Bible
"I would feed Israel the best wheat, and would satisfy your appetite with honey from the rocky cliffs."

New Heart English Bible
And he would have fed him with the finest wheat, and satisfied you with honey from the rock."

Webster's Bible Translation
He would have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock I should have satisfied thee.

World English Bible
But he would have also fed them with the finest of the wheat. I will satisfy you with honey out of the rock.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He causes him to eat of the fat of wheat, "" And I satisfy you [with] honey from a rock!

Young's Literal Translation
He causeth him to eat of the fat of wheat, And with honey from a rock I satisfy thee!

Smith's Literal Translation
And he shall cause them to eat from the fat of wheat, and from the rock with honey will I satisfy thee.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he fed them with the fat of wheat, and filled them with honey out of the rock.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he fed them from the fat of the grain, and he saturated them with honey from the rock.

New American Bible
But Israel I will feed with the finest wheat, I will satisfy them with honey from the rock.”

New Revised Standard Version
I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He has fed them also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock has he satisfied them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He fed him from the fatness of the wheat and honey from the rock satisfied him.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They should also be fed with the fat of wheat; And with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he fed them with the fat of wheat; and satisfied them with honey out of the rock.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Sing for Joy to God, Our Strength
15Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience, and their doom would last forever. 16But I would feed you the finest wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Cross References
Deuteronomy 32:13-14
He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag, / with curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of the finest grapes you drank the wine.

Exodus 3:8
I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Isaiah 55:2
Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.

Job 29:6
when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

Numbers 14:8
If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and He will give it to us.

Ezekiel 20:6
On that day I swore to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands.

Jeremiah 31:14
I will fill the souls of the priests abundantly, and will fill My people with My goodness,” declares the LORD.

Nehemiah 9:25
They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.

Proverbs 24:13-14
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. / Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off.

Isaiah 1:19
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land.

Matthew 4:4
But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

John 6:31-35
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” / Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. / For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ...

John 6:49-51
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. / This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. / I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

Revelation 2:17
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

1 Corinthians 10:3-4
They all ate the same spiritual food / and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.


Treasury of Scripture

He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied you.

fed

Psalm 147:14
He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.

Deuteronomy 32:13,14
He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; …

Joel 2:24
And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

finest of the wheat.

Judges 14:8,9,18
And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion…

1 Samuel 14:25,26
And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground…

Job 29:6
When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

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Psalm 81
1. An exhortation to a solemn praising of God
4. God challenges that duty by reason of his benefits
8. God, exhorting to obedience, complains of their disobedience, which proves their own hurt.














But I would feed you
This phrase indicates a divine promise and a conditional offer from God. The Hebrew root for "feed" is "אָכַל" (akal), which means to eat or consume. In the biblical context, feeding often symbolizes God's provision and care for His people. Historically, God's provision is seen in the manna provided to the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16). This phrase underscores God's desire to nurture and sustain His people, offering them not just physical sustenance but spiritual nourishment as well.

the finest wheat
The term "finest wheat" refers to the best and most nutritious grain available. In Hebrew, "חֵלֶב חִטָּה" (chelev chittah) is used, where "chelev" means fat or finest, and "chittah" means wheat. Wheat was a staple in ancient Israel, symbolizing abundance and prosperity. This phrase suggests that God desires to provide His people with the best, reflecting His generosity and the richness of His blessings. It also points to the spiritual abundance found in a relationship with God, where He offers the finest spiritual truths and wisdom.

with honey from the rock
This phrase is both poetic and symbolic. "Honey" in Hebrew is "דְּבַשׁ" (devash), representing sweetness and delight. "Rock" is "צוּר" (tsur), often symbolizing strength and stability. The imagery of honey coming from a rock suggests an unexpected source of sweetness and provision, highlighting God's miraculous ability to provide for His people in seemingly impossible situations. Historically, this could allude to the land of Canaan, described as a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8), symbolizing God's promise of a bountiful inheritance.

I would satisfy you
The Hebrew root for "satisfy" is "שָׂבַע" (sava), meaning to be full or to have enough. This phrase emphasizes God's ability to fulfill the deepest needs and desires of His people. Satisfaction here is not just physical but also spiritual, indicating a state of contentment and peace that comes from trusting in God's provision. In a broader scriptural context, this satisfaction is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus declares Himself the bread of life, promising that those who come to Him will never hunger or thirst (John 6:35).

(16) Finest of the wheat.--See margin, and comp. Psalm 147:14. The construction of this verse is matter of difficulty. Properly we should render, And he fed them with the finest of the wheat, and with honey out of the rock satisfied thee. The change of person is harsh, though perhaps it may be illustrated by Psalm 22:27, &c, but the past tense seems out of keeping with the context. The conclusions of Psalms 77, 78 are hardly analogous. The pointing should be slightly changed to give, "And I would feed them also," &c

Verse 16. - He should have fed them also; rather, he should feed. With the finest of the wheat; literally, with the fat of the wheat (comp. Deuteronomy 32:14 and Psalm 147:14). And with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee; rather, would I satisfy thee. The expression, "honey out of the rock," is taken from Deuteronomy 32:13. It evidently means "honey of the best" - native honey, stored by the bees in clefts of the rocks. Of course, both the "wheat" and the "honey" are metaphors, which we are to regard as shadowing forth all temporal and spiritual blessings.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But I would feed you
וַֽ֭יַּאֲכִילֵהוּ (way·ya·’ă·ḵî·lê·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

the finest
מֵחֵ֣לֶב (mê·ḥê·leḇ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2459: Fat, richest, choice part

wheat;
חִטָּ֑ה (ḥiṭ·ṭāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2406: Wheat

with honey
דְּבַ֣שׁ (də·ḇaš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1706: Honey, syrup

from the rock
וּ֝מִצּ֗וּר (ū·miṣ·ṣūr)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6697: A cliff, a rock, boulder, a refuge, an edge

I would satisfy you.”
אַשְׂבִּיעֶֽךָ׃ (’aś·bî·‘e·ḵā)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7646: To be sated, satisfied or surfeited


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OT Poetry: Psalm 81:16 But he would have also fed them (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 81:15
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