Psalm 81:8
New International Version
Hear me, my people, and I will warn you— if you would only listen to me, Israel!

New Living Translation
“Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!

English Standard Version
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

Berean Standard Bible
Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!

King James Bible
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

New King James Version
“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me!

New American Standard Bible
“Hear, My people, and I will admonish you; Israel, if you would listen to Me!

NASB 1995
“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

NASB 1977
“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

Legacy Standard Bible
Hear, O My people, and I will testify against you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

Amplified Bible
“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you— O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

Christian Standard Bible
Listen, my people, and I will admonish you. Israel, if you would only listen to me!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Listen, My people, and I will admonish you. Israel, if you would only listen to Me!

American Standard Version
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!

Contemporary English Version
"Listen, my people, while I, the Lord, correct you! Israel, if you would only pay attention to me!

English Revised Version
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Listen, my people, and I will warn you. Israel, if you would only listen to me!

Good News Translation
Listen, my people, to my warning; Israel, how I wish you would listen to me!

International Standard Version
Listen, My people and I will warn you. Israel, if only you would obey me!

Majority Standard Bible
Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!

NET Bible
I said, 'Listen, my people! I will warn you! O Israel, if only you would obey me!

New Heart English Bible
"Hear, my people, and I will testify to you, Israel, if you would listen to me.

Webster's Bible Translation
Hear, O my people, and I will testify to thee; O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me;

World English Bible
“Hear, my people, and I will testify to you, Israel, if you would listen to me!
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Hear, O My people, and I testify to you, "" O Israel, if you listen to me:

Young's Literal Translation
Hear, O My people, and I testify to thee, O Israel, if thou dost hearken to me:

Smith's Literal Translation
Hear, O my people, and I will testify in thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hear to me;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Hear, O my people, and I will testify to thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me,

Catholic Public Domain Version
My people, listen and I will call you to testify. If, O Israel, you will pay heed to me,

New American Bible
‘Listen, my people, I will testify against you Selah If only you will listen to me, Israel!

New Revised Standard Version
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify about you. If you will listen to me;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Hear my people and I shall speak, and Israel, I shall testify of you if you will hear me.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Hear, O My people, and I will admonish thee: O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto Me!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Hear, my people, and I will speak to thee, O Israel; and I will testify to thee: if thou wilt hearken to me;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Sing for Joy to God, Our Strength
7You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah 8Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me! 9There must be no strange god among you, nor shall you bow to a foreign god.…

Cross References
Exodus 20:3
You shall have no other gods before Me.

Deuteronomy 5:7
You shall have no other gods before Me.

Isaiah 48:18
If only you had paid attention to My commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like waves of the sea.

Jeremiah 7:23
but this is what I commanded them: Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. You must walk in all the ways I have commanded you, so that it may go well with you.

Hosea 13:4
Yet I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, for there is no Savior besides Me.

1 Kings 18:21
Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.

2 Kings 17:35
For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them.

Isaiah 55:3
Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.

Jeremiah 11:4
which I commanded your forefathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey Me, and do everything I command you, and you will be My people, and I will be your God.’

Ezekiel 20:19
I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.

Matthew 4:10
“Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus told him. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”

Mark 12:29-30
Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. / Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

John 10:27
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Hebrews 3:7-8
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, / do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness,


Treasury of Scripture

Hear, O my people, and I will testify to you: O Israel, if you will listen to me;

hear

Psalm 50:7
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.

Deuteronomy 32:46
And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.

Isaiah 55:3,4
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David…

if thou wilt

Psalm 81:13
Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

Exodus 15:26
And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Deuteronomy 5:27
Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.

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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.














Hear, O My people, and I will warn you:
This phrase is a call to attention, emphasizing the importance of listening to God's voice. In the biblical context, God often addresses Israel as "My people," highlighting the covenant relationship established at Sinai (Exodus 19:5-6). The act of hearing is not just auditory but involves obedience and response. The warning implies a prophetic message, urging the people to heed God's instructions to avoid consequences. This echoes the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4, where Israel is called to hear and obey the Lord as the one true God.

O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
This lament expresses God's desire for His people to listen and follow His ways. Historically, Israel struggled with idolatry and disobedience, leading to periods of judgment and exile. The plea for listening is a recurring theme in the prophets, such as in Isaiah 55:3, where God invites His people to listen and live. The conditional "if only" suggests a missed opportunity for blessing and protection. This reflects the heart of God, who desires relationship and obedience, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who calls His followers to hear His voice (John 10:27).

Persons / Places / Events
1. God
The speaker in this verse, calling His people to listen and heed His warnings.

2. Israel
The chosen people of God, addressed directly in this verse, representing the community of believers.

3. Psalmist
Traditionally attributed to Asaph, who conveys God's message to the people.

4. Warnings
The admonitions and guidance God provides to His people for their well-being.

5. Listening
The act of heeding God's voice, which is central to the relationship between God and His people.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Listening to God
Listening to God is foundational to a faithful relationship with Him. It requires intentionality and openness to His guidance.

The Consequences of Ignoring God's Warnings
Ignoring God's warnings can lead to spiritual and physical consequences. Reflect on past experiences where ignoring divine guidance led to challenges.

The Role of Obedience in Faith
True listening involves obedience. Faith is demonstrated through actions that align with God's will.

God's Desire for a Relationship with His People
God calls His people to listen because He desires a close, personal relationship with them. This relationship is nurtured through communication and obedience.

The Call to Repentance and Renewal
Listening to God often involves repentance and a commitment to change. Embrace opportunities for spiritual renewal by heeding His voice.(8) Hear, O my people.--The Divine voice here repeats the warnings so frequently uttered during the desert-wandering.

Verse 8. - Hear, O my people (comp. vers. 11, 13). Israel is still "God's people," however rebellious (vers. 11, 12). God has not yet given them up. And I will testify unto thee; or, "protest unto thee" (Kay, Cheyne). O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; or, "if thou wouldst but hearken unto me!"

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Hear,
שְׁמַ֣ע (šə·ma‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

O My people,
עַ֭מִּי (‘am·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

and I will warn you:
וְאָעִ֣ידָה (wə·’ā·‘î·ḏāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular
Strong's 5749: To duplicate, repeat, to protest, testify, to encompass, restore

O Israel,
יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

if only
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

you would listen
תִּֽשְׁמַֽע־ (tiš·ma‘-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

to Me!
לִֽי׃ (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Poetry: Psalm 81:8 Hear my people and I will testify (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 81:7
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