The Meaning of Psalms 81:16 Explained

Psalms 81:16

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

YLT: He causeth him to eat of the fat of wheat, And with honey from a rock I satisfy thee!

Darby: And he would have fed them with the finest of wheat; yea, with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied thee.

ASV: He would feed them also with the finest of the wheat; And with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Psalms 81:16 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 81:8-16 - "if Thou Wouldest Hearken Unto Me"
God wants our emptiness, which seems to Him like the gaping beak of the young fledgling, Psalms 81:10. Give me room! is his incessant appeal. It must be the wonder of eternity, and it will certainly be our regret when we come to review our life, that we have asked so little. Give me room! cries the river, as it comes with a rush to the plains. Give me room! cries the wind, as it searches into the narrow courts and alleys of the slums. Give me room! says the Spirit of God, as He breathes around the house of our heart, seeking by any tiny crack to enter.
In the closing Psalms 81:13-16, we have an enumeration of all the blessings which would be ours, if only we would open our mouths wide. God would constitute Himself as our champion in subduing our enemies-the temptations from without and the inward warrings of selfishness and passion. He would give us unbroken and enduring blessedness. He would allow us to eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, which are meat and drink indeed. He would surely satisfy us with the sweet honey of His love. Let us begin to claim these benefits! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 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

What do the individual words in Psalms 81:16 mean?

And He would have fed them with the finest of wheat and from the rock with honey I would have satisfied you
וַֽ֭יַּאֲכִילֵהוּ מֵחֵ֣לֶב חִטָּ֑ה וּ֝מִצּ֗וּר דְּבַ֣שׁ אַשְׂבִּיעֶֽךָ

וַֽ֭יַּאֲכִילֵהוּ  And  He  would  have  fed  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
מֵחֵ֣לֶב  with  the  finest 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֵלֶב  
Sense: fat.
חִטָּ֑ה  of  wheat 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חִטָּה  
Sense: wheat.
וּ֝מִצּ֗וּר  and  from  the  rock 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צוּר 
Sense: rock, cliff.
דְּבַ֣שׁ  with  honey 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דְּבַשׁ  
Sense: honey.
אַשְׂבִּיעֶֽךָ  I  would  have  satisfied  you 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׂבַע  
Sense: to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited.