TRV
Translation
Geneva Bible (1599)
Wilt thou not turne againe and quicken vs, that thy people may reioyce in thee?
Young's Literal Translation
Dost Thou not turn back? Thou revivest us, And Thy people do rejoice in Thee.
In the KJVVerse 15,278 of 31,102
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Commentary on Psalms 85 verses 1–7
1 ¶ To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
The church, in affliction and distress, is here, by direction from God, making her application to God. So ready is God to hear and answer the prayers of his people that by his Spirit in the word, and in the heart, he indites their petitions and puts words into their mouths. The people of God, in a very low and weak condition, are here taught how to address themselves to God.
I. They are to acknowledge with thankfulness the great things God had done for them (Psa 85:1-3): "Thou has done so and so for us and our fathers." Note, The sense of present afflictions should not drown the remembrance of former mercies; but, even when we are brought very low, we must call to remembrance past experiences of God's goodness, which we must take notice of with thankfulness, to his praise. They speak of it here with pleasure, 1. That God had shown himself propitious to their land, and had smiled upon it as his own: "Thou hast been favourable to thy land, as thine, with distinguishing favours." Note, The favour of God is the spring-head of all good, and the fountain of happiness, to nations, as well as to particular persons. It was by the favour of God that Israel got and kept possession of Canaan (Psa 44:3); and, if he had not continued very favourable to them, they would have been ruined many a time. 2. That he had rescued them out of the hands of their enemies and restored them to their liberty: "Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob, and settled those in their own land again that had been driven out and were strangers in a strange land, prisoners in the land of their oppressors." The captivity of Jacob, though it may continue long, will be brought back in due time. 3. That he had not dealt with them according to the desert of their provocations (Psa 85:2): "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, and not punished them as in justice thou mightest. Thou hast covered all their sin." When God forgives sin he covers it; and, when he covers the sin of his people, he covers it all. The bringing back of their captivity was then an instance of God's favour to them, when it was accompanied with the pardon of their iniquity. 4. That he had not continued his anger against them so far, and so long, as they had reason to fear (Psa 85:3): "Having covered all their sin, thou hast taken away all thy wrath;" for when sin is set aside God's anger ceases; God is pacified if we are purified. See what the pardon of sin is: Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, that is, "Thou hast turned thy anger from waxing hot, so as to consume us in the flame of it. In compassion to us thou hast not stirred up all thy wrath, but, when an intercessor has stood before thee in the gap, thou hast turned away thy anger."
II. They are taught to pray to God for grace and mercy, in reference to their present distress; this is inferred from the former: "Thou hast done well for our fathers; do well for us, for we are the children of the same covenant." 1. They pray for converting grace: "Turn us, O God of our salvation! in order to the turning of our captivity; turn us from iniquity; turn us to thyself and to our duty; turn us, and we shall be turned." All those whom God will save sooner or later he will turn. If no conversion, no salvation. 2. They pray for the removal of the tokens of God's displeasure which they were under: "Cause thine anger towards us to cease, as thou didst many a time cause it to cease in the days of our fathers, when thou didst take away thy wrath from them." Observe the method, "First turn us to thee, and then cause thy anger to turn from us." When we are reconciled to God, then, and not till then, we may expect the comfort of his being reconciled to us. 3. They pray for the manifestation of God's good-will to them (Psa 85:7): "Show us thy mercy, O Lord! show thyself merciful to us; not only have mercy on us, but let us have the comfortable evidences of that mercy; let us know that thou hast mercy on us and mercy in store for us." 4. They pray that God would, graciously to them and gloriously to himself, appear on their behalf: "Grant us thy salvation; grant it by thy promise, and then, no doubt, thou wilt work it by thy providence." Note, The vessels of God's mercy are the heirs of his salvation; he shows mercy to those to whom he grants salvation; for salvation is of mere mercy.
III. They are taught humbly to expostulate with God concerning their present troubles, Psa 85:5, Psa 85:6. Here observe, 1. What they dread and deprecate: "Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? We are undone if thou art, but we hope thou wilt not. Wilt thou draw out thy anger unto all generations? No; thou art gracious, slow to anger, and swift to show mercy, and wilt not contend for ever. Thou wast not angry with our fathers for ever, but didst soon turn thyself from the fierceness of thy wrath; why then wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Are not thy mercies and compassions as plentiful and powerful as ever they were? Impenitent sinners God will be angry with for ever; for what is hell but the wrath of God drawn out unto endless generations? But shall a hell upon earth be the lot of thy people?" 2. What they desire and hope for: "Wilt thou not revive us again (Psa 85:6), revive us with comforts spoken to us, revive us with deliverances wrought for us? Thou hast been favourable to thy land formerly, and that revived it; wilt thou not again be favourable, and so revive it again?" God had granted to the children of the captivity some reviving in their bondage, Ezr 9:8. Their return out of Babylon was as life from the dead, Eze 37:11, Eze 37:12. Now, Lord (say they), wilt thou not revive us again, and put thy hand again the second time to gather us in? Isa 11:11; Psa 126:1, Psa 126:4. Revive thy work in the midst of the years, Hab 3:2. "Revive us again," (1.) "That thy people may rejoice; and so we shall have the comfort of it," Psa 14:7. Give them life, that they may have joy. (2.) "That they may rejoice in thee; and so thou wilt have the glory of it." If God be the fountain of all our mercies, he must be the centre of all our joys.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–7. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 17
“Restore us, O God of our salvations.” Why did the psalmist not say “our salvation” instead of “our salvations”? If we sinned just once, we would need only one salvation; but we have sinned many times and, therefore, are in need of many salvations. “Will you not instead, O God, give us life?” Until the Lord restores us to life, we are dead. “Show us, O Lord, your kindness, and grant us your salvation.” The Savior’s descent is the work of God’s mercy. He would not have come as a physician if most people were not sick. Because so many were sick, he came as Physician; because we were in need of compassion, he came as Savior.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 85
"O God, You shall turn us again, and make us alive" [Psalm 85:6]. Not as if we ourselves of our own accord, without Your mercy, turn unto You, and then You shall make us alive: but so that not only our being made alive is from You, but our very conversion, that we may be made alive. "And Your people shall rejoice in You." To their own evil they shall rejoice in themselves: to their own good they shall rejoice in You. For when they wished to have joy of themselves, they found in themselves woe: but now because God is all our joy, he that will rejoice securely, let him rejoice in Him who cannot perish. For why, my brethren, will you rejoice in silver? Either your silver perishes, or thou: and no one knows which first: yet this is certain, that both shall perish; which first, is uncertain. For neither can man remain here always, nor can silver remain here always: so too gold, so garments, so houses, so money, so broad lands, so, lastly, this light itself. Be not thou willing then to rejoice in these: but rejoice in that light which has no setting: rejoice in that dawn which no yesterday precedes, which no tomorrow follows. What light is that? "I," says He, "am the Light of the world." [John 8:12] He who says unto you, "I am the Light of the world," calls you to Himself. When He calls you, He converts you: when He converts you, He heals you: when He has healed you, you shall see your Converter, unto whom it is said, "Show us Your mercy, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation" [Psalm 85:7]: Your salvation, that is, Your Christ. Happy is he unto whom God shows His mercy. He it is who cannot indulge in pride, unto whom God shows His mercy. For by showing him His salvation He persuades him that whatever good man has, he has not but from Him who is all our good. And when a man has seen that whatever good he has he has not from himself, but from his God; he sees that everything which is praised in him is of the mercy of God, not of his own deserving; and seeing this, he is not proud; not being proud, he is not lifted up; not lifting himself up, he falls not; not falling, he stands; standing, he clings fast; clinging fast, he abides; abiding, he enjoys, and rejoices in the Lord his God. He who made him shall be unto him a delight: and his delight no one spoils, no one interrupts, no one takes away....Therefore, what says John in his Epistle? "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be." [1 John 3:2] Who would not rejoice, if suddenly while he was wandering abroad, ignorant of his descent, suffering want, and in a state of misery and toil, it were announced, You are the son of a senator: your father enjoys an ample patrimony on your family estate; I bid you return to your father: how would he rejoice, if this were said to him by some one whose promise he could trust? One whom we can trust, an Apostle of Christ, has come and said to us, You have a father, you have a country, you have an inheritance. Who is that father? "Beloved, we are the sons of God." [1 John 3:2] ...Therefore He promised us to show Himself unto us. Think, my brethren, what His beauty is. All those beautiful things which you see, which you love, He made. If these are beautiful, what is He Himself? If these are great, how great is He? Therefore from these things which we love here, let us the more long for Him: and despising these things, let us love Him: that by that very love we may by faith purify our hearts, and His vision, when it comes, may find our heart purified. The light which shall be shown unto us ought to find us whole: this is the work of faith now. This is what we have spoken here: "And grant us Your salvation:" grant us Your Christ, that we may know Your Christ, see Your Christ; not as the Jews saw Him and crucified Him, but as the Angels see Him, and rejoice.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS 8:15
"Why," they say, "does he not teach everyone?" If we reply that those whom he does not teach are not willing to learn, we shall be given this answer: "And what happens to that which is said to him, 'You will turn, O God, and bring us to life' "? Or if God does not make people willing who are not willing, why does the church, in accordance with the Lord's commandment, pray for its persecutors? For in this sense also the blessed Cyprian wanted it to be understood when we say, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," that is just as for those who have already believed and are in a sense "heaven," so too for those who do not believe and for this reason are still "earth." What then do we pray for those who do not will to believe, except that God shall work in them that they will? Certainly, the apostle spoke of the Jews when he said, "Brothers, the good will of my heart indeed, and my prayer to God, is for their salvation." What does he pray for those who do not believe, except that they may believe? For in no other way do they obtain salvation. Therefore if the faith of those who pray precedes the grace of God, then does the faith of those for whom we pray that they might believe precede the grace of God? Not at all, since this is the very thing that is sought for them, that to those who do not believe, that is, those who do not have faith, faith itself be given. Therefore, when the gospel is preached, some believe and some do not, but those who believe, when they hear the voice of the preacher from without, hear from the Father and learn within, while those who do not believe hear the external word but inwardly do not hear nor learn. That is to say, to the former it is given to believe, to the later it is not given.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
ON THE GIFT OF PERSEVERANCE 6:12
But [the objector might continue], "It is by his own will that each person abandons God and is deservedly abandoned by God." Who would ever deny this? And the reason why we ask not to be brought into temptation is that this may not happen. And if we are heard, then this indeed does not happen, because God does not allow it to happen. For nothing happens except what God either does himself or permits to occur. Therefore, he has the power both to turn wills from evil to good and to turn them back when they are inclined toward a fall, as well as to direct their steps in ways that are pleasing to him. It is not in vain that we say to him, "You will turn us, O God, and bring us to life." It is not said in vain, "Do not suffer my feet to be moved." It is not said in vain, "Give me not up, O Lord, from my desire, to the wicked." Finally, not to increase the number of citations, since more may well occur to you, it is not said in vain, "Bring us not into temptation." For whoever is not brought into temptation is evidently not brought into the temptation of his own evil will, and he who is not brought into the temptation of his own evil will is certainly not brought into any temptation at all.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
PREDESTINATION OF THE SAINTS 2:4
But against this error, why do we not instead listen to these words: "Who has first given to him, and what recompense shall be made to him? For of him, and by him and in him are all things." And therefore, that very beginning of our faith—from whom is it if not from him? For it is not the case that, with this excepted, all other things are from him, but "of him, and by him and in him are all things." But who would say that he who has already begun to believe does not merit anything from him in whom he has believed? From which it results that other divine gifts are said to be added in recompense to him who already has merit, and hence that God's grace is given according to our merits—a statement that Pelagius, when it was raised in objection to him, himself condemned, so that he might not be condemned. Therefore, whoever wishes in every way to avoid this condemnable opinion, let him understand that the apostle spoke truly when he said, "It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for him." Both of these he shows to be the gifts of God, because both he says are given. He does not say, "to believe in him more fully and perfectly," but "to believe in him." Nor does he say that he himself had obtained mercy in order to be more faithful, but to be faithful, because he knew that he had not first given the beginning of his faith to God, and had its increase returned to him by God, but had been made faithful by God, by whom he was also made an apostle. For the beginning of his faith is recorded in Scripture, and the account is very well known, for it is read in our churches on a solemn occasion. Thus, he felt an aversion to the faith to which he was laying waste and, being vehemently adverse toward it, he was suddenly converted to it by a more powerful grace, converted by him to whom, as the one who would do it, the prophet said, "You will turn and bring us to life." Thus, not only from one who refused to believe did he become a willing believer, but even from a persecutor he came to suffer persecution in defense of that faith that he had persecuted. For it was given him by Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 85:6 is a fervent communal plea for divine intervention, crying out for God to restore spiritual vitality and national flourishing to His people. Emerging from a period of post-exilic disappointment and spiritual languishing, the psalmist expresses a deep yearning for God to rekindle their faith and joy, recognizing that true rejoicing can only stem from a renewed relationship with the Almighty and the experience of His life-giving presence. This verse encapsulates both a confession of need and an expectant hope in God's sovereign power to bring about profound spiritual transformation and renewal.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 85:6 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its impassioned plea. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question ("Wilt thou not revive us again?"). This is not a question seeking information but rather a forceful and impassioned plea, expressing both the psalmist's deep yearning and a confident expectation that God, true to His character, will indeed act. It serves to intensify the prayer and emphasize the people's utter dependence on God's initiative for spiritual renewal. There is also an implicit Cause and Effect or Purpose Clause linking the two halves of the verse: God's act of "reviving us" is the cause, and "that thy people may rejoice in thee" is the intended effect or ultimate purpose. This highlights the teleological nature of God's work – He revives for the sake of His own glory and the joy of His people in Him. The verse also functions as a form of Interrogative Prayer, a direct address to God that conveys both vulnerability and hopeful anticipation, demonstrating the community's humble yet earnest reliance on divine grace.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The plea in Psalms 85:6 for God to "revive us again" touches upon a profound theological truth: God is the ultimate source of life, both physical and spiritual. When humanity, or a community, experiences spiritual languishing, it is a departure from the vibrant life God intends. True revival, therefore, is always a sovereign act of God, a fresh outpouring of His Spirit that quickens hearts, renews faith, and restores a right relationship with Him. The purpose of this divine quickening is not self-gratification or material gain but a deeper, more authentic joy found in God. This joy is not dependent on external circumstances but springs from an intimate communion with the Creator, fulfilling the ultimate purpose of humanity to glorify and enjoy Him forever. This theme resonates throughout Scripture, emphasizing God's desire for His people to live abundantly and find their ultimate delight in Him.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 85:6 remains a timeless and potent prayer for believers today, both individually and corporately. It calls us to a profound self-assessment, urging us to honestly recognize when our spiritual lives, or the collective life of our communities, have grown cold, stagnant, or devoid of the vibrant joy that should characterize God's people. This verse models a fervent, dependent prayer for God to intervene, to breathe His life-giving Spirit into us once more, rekindling our love, faith, and zeal. It reminds us that true spiritual awakening is not something we can manufacture through programs or human effort, but is a sovereign act of God, often in response to desperate, humble prayer. The ultimate aim of this revival is not merely comfort, prosperity, or even personal happiness, but a deeper, more profound joy in God Himself. When God revives, His people are enabled to truly delight in Him, finding their satisfaction and purpose in His presence, His character, and His eternal purposes. This leads to a life lived in hopeful expectation, trusting that God will indeed hear and respond to the cries of His people for renewal and transformation.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is 'revival' in this verse primarily about personal spiritual experience or national restoration?
Answer: In the Old Testament context, particularly for a post-exilic psalm like Psalm 85, the concept of "revival" (Hebrew: châyâh) often encompassed both personal spiritual vitality and the restoration of the nation as a whole. The well-being of the individual was deeply intertwined with the covenantal relationship and flourishing of the community of Israel. Therefore, the plea "revive us again" implies a corporate spiritual quickening that would lead to national renewal and the full manifestation of God's blessings upon His people and their land. This would naturally include individual spiritual awakening, as a nation is comprised of individuals. Today, the principle applies to both: individuals can experience personal spiritual renewal (e.g., Psalms 51:10), and the church, as God's people, can experience corporate revival, a widespread movement of God's Spirit that brings renewed faith, repentance, and zeal (e.g., 2 Chronicles 7:14).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 85:6 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the very embodiment of God's life-giving power and the source of all true spiritual revival. Humanity, dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), stood in desperate need of God to "revive us again." Christ, through His atoning death and glorious resurrection, provides the ultimate quickening, bringing us from spiritual death to abundant life (John 10:10). The Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent from the Father, is the active agent of this revival, regenerating hearts and indwelling believers, making them alive to God (John 6:63). Consequently, the purpose of this revival—"that thy people may rejoice in thee"—is perfectly realized in Christ. Our deepest and most enduring joy is found in Him, for He is the one who reconciles us to God and grants us access by faith into this grace (Romans 5:11). The New Testament consistently exhorts believers to "Rejoice in the Lord always" (Philippians 4:4), a joy that is not dependent on fleeting circumstances but on our unbreakable union with Christ and the indwelling Spirit. He is the ultimate answer to the psalmist's plea, bringing not just a temporary quickening, but eternal life and an unshakeable joy in God.