by using the metaphor “Israel is a vine.”48 Addressing God, he invites God to think about his relationship with Israel on the basis of this metaphor: You brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it. It took deep root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. It sent out its branches to the sea, and its roots to the River. (Ps 80:9–12 [8–11]) The metaphor highlights God’s responsibilities