And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Psalms 86:15
Psalm 86:15 is part of a prayerful song attributed to David, one of the most significant figures in the Old Testament as a king of Israel and a man after God's own heart. The verse is embedded within a larger context of supplication, where David is crying out to God for help in his distress, appealing to God's character and faithfulness.
In this verse, David extols several key attributes of God: compassion, graciousness, longsuffering, and abundant mercy and truth. These qualities are central to the Hebrew understanding of God's nature, emphasizing His patience and willingness to forgive, as well as His steadfast love and faithfulness. The historical context of this Psalm likely reflects a time of personal crisis for David, perhaps during his flight from Absalom or from Saul, where he found himself in desperate need of divine intervention and reassurance.
The themes of Psalm 86:15 resonate with the broader biblical narrative, which consistently portrays God as a deity who is slow to anger, rich in kindness, and unwavering in His covenant commitments. This verse serves as a reminder of God's steadfast character, offering comfort and hope to the faithful, and inviting them to trust in His enduring goodness and truth. It also underscores the relational aspect of God's interaction with humanity, highlighting that despite human frailty and sin, God's response is one of mercy and loving-kindness. This understanding of God's nature is foundational to Jewish and Christian theology, emphasizing divine benevolence as a source of strength and refuge for believers throughout the ages.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
Strong's Number: H136 There are 910 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אֲדֹנָי Transliteration: ʼĂdônây Pronunciation: ad-o-noy' Description: an emphatic form of אָדוֹן; the Lord (used as a proper name of God only); (my) Lord.
Strong's Number: H410 There are 307 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אֵל Transliteration: ʼêl Pronunciation: ale Description: shortened from אַיִל; strength; as adjective, mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity); God (god), [idiom] goodly, [idiom] great, idol, might(-y one), power, strong. Compare names in '-el.'
Strong's Number: H7349 There are 13 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: רַחוּם Transliteration: rachûwm Pronunciation: rakh-oom' Description: from רָחַם; compassionate; full of compassion, merciful.
Strong's Number: H2587 There are 13 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: חַנּוּן Transliteration: channûwn Pronunciation: khan-noon' Description: from חָנַן; gracious; gracious.
Strong's Number: H750 There are 82 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אָרֵךְ Transliteration: ʼârêk Pronunciation: aw-rake' Description: from אָרַךְ; long; long(-suffering, -winged), patient, slow (to anger).
Strong's Number: H639 There are 306 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אַף Transliteration: ʼaph Pronunciation: af Description: from אָנַף; properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire; anger(-gry), [phrase] before, countenance, face, [phrase] forebearing, forehead, [phrase] (long-) suffering, nose, nostril, snout, [idiom] worthy, wrath.
Strong's Number: H7227 There are 439 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: רַב Transliteration: rab Pronunciation: rab Description: by contracted from רָבַב; abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality); (in) abound(-undance, -ant, -antly), captain, elder, enough, exceedingly, full, great(-ly, man, one), increase, long (enough, (time)), (do, have) many(-ifold, things, a time), (ship-)master, mighty, more, (too, very) much, multiply(-tude), officer, often(-times), plenteous, populous, prince, process (of time), suffice(-lent).
Strong's Number: H2617 There are 241 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: חֵסֵד Transliteration: chêçêd Pronunciation: kheh'-sed Description: from חָסַד; kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) beauty; favour, good deed(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing.
Strong's Number: H571 There are 395 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אֶמֶת Transliteration: ʼemeth Pronunciation: eh'-meth Description: contracted from אָמַן; stability; (figuratively) certainty, truth, trustworthiness; assured(-ly), establishment, faithful, right, sure, true (-ly, -th), verity.