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Psalms 86

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Plea for Mercy and Protection 1–4

1
A Prayer of David. Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. ​
2
Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. ​
3
Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
4
Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

The Foundation of God's Goodness 5–7

5
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. ​
6
Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7
In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

The LORD's Unrivaled Majesty 8–10

8
Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. ​
9
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. ​
10
For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

Prayer for Guidance and a Unified Heart 11–13

11
Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. ​
12
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
13
For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. ​

Deliverance from Violent Foes 14–17

14
O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.
15
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. ​
16
O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
17
Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 86

Verse 1

poor and needy — 'Ani and 'ebyon, afflicted and destitute, the pair David uses of himself in Ps 40:17; 70:5 and 109:22. 'Bow down thine ear' is the plea of Ps 31:2. The heading 'A Prayer of David' (tephillah) stands over only two psalms, this and Ps 17.

Verse 2

for I am holy — Chasid, from chasad, to be kind: the one who belongs to the LORD's covenant kindness, rendered 'godly' in Ps 4:3 and 'saints' in Ps 31:23, 'O love the LORD, all ye his saints'. David pleads that standing and rests it on 'thy servant that trusteth in thee' (batach).

Verse 5

ready to forgive — Sallach, an adjective from salach, to pardon; it occurs only here in the Old Testament. Neh 9:17 says the same of the LORD, 'a God ready to pardon'. 'Plenteous in mercy' (rab chesed) is from the proclamation of Ex 34:6, and it is offered 'unto all them that call upon thee'.

Verse 8

Among the gods — The line answers Ex 15:11, 'Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?' The nations' gods 'are idols: but the LORD made the heavens' (Ps 96:5). The comparison is in works: 'neither are there any works like unto thy works', as v.10 goes on, 'thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.'

Verse 9

All nations whom thou hast made — The nations are the LORD's making: he 'hath made of one blood all nations of men' (Acts 17:26). 'Worship' is shachah, to bow down, and 'glorify' is kabad. John hears the song in Rev 15:4, 'all nations shall come and worship before thee'.

Verse 11

unite my heart — Yachad, to make one. It occurs elsewhere only at Gen 49:6, 'be not thou united', and Isa 14:20, 'joined'. Here the prayer is for a heart gathered to 'fear thy name', as the LORD promises in Jer 32:39, 'one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever'.

Verse 13

the lowest hell — 'Hell' is sheol, the place of the dead, rendered 'grave' in Gen 37:35. 'Lowest' is tachtiy, the word in Deut 32:22, 'the lowest hell', and in Ps 88:6, 'the lowest pit'. The verb is past: 'thou hast delivered my soul', as in Ps 56:13, 'from death'.

Verse 15

full of compassion, and gracious — The proclamation of Ex 34:6: 'merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.' It returns in Neh 9:17, Ps 103:8 and Joel 2:13. 'Longsuffering' is literally 'long of anger' ('arek, 'aph); 'mercy and truth' are chesed and 'emeth.

Verse 17

a token for good — 'Oth, a sign, which the KJV renders 'token' in 'the token of the covenant' (Gen 9:12) and the blood on the Passover houses, 'for a token' (Ex 12:13). Gideon asks 'a sign' with the same word (Judg 6:17). The enemies are to 'see it, and be ashamed' (bush); 'holpen' is 'azar, to help.