The Book of Psalms

Psalm 86

Psalm LXXXVI · Vol. II, pp. 1042–1043

1 David imploreth God's aid because of his need and religious faith, 5 and of the power and goodness of God. 11 He prayeth for grace, and promiseth praise for past mercies. 14 Complaining of the proud, he craveth some token of God's favour.

Margin referencesNotes ↓

A prayer of¹ David.

1 Bow down^a thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I^b am poor and needy.

B.C. cir. 1021 or 1057.

1 Or, being a psalm of.

a 2 Ki.19.16. Ps.31.2; 130.2; 143.1.

b Ps.40.17; 72.12-14; 102.17.

2 Preserve^c my soul; for I am holy:² O thou my God, save thy servant that ^dtrusteth in thee.

c Ps.16.1; 119.94; 4.3. 2 Ch.14.11.

2 Or, one whom thou favourest.

d Is.26.3.

3 Be merciful unto me, O LORD: ^efor I cry unto thee daily.³

e Lu.18.1-7; 11.8. Ps.65.2. Ep.6.18.

3 Or, all the day.

4 Rejoice^g the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O LORD, do ^hI lift up my soul.

g Ps.51.12. Is.61.3; 65.18.

h Ps.25.1; 143.8; 10.14; 62.8.

Vol. II, p. 1043

5 Forⁱ thou, LORD, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

A.M. cir. 2983 or 2947. B.C. cir. 1021 or 1057.

i ver.13,15. Joel 2.13,18. Ps.69.13,16; 130.7; 145.9; 73.1; 103.17. Ex.34.6,7. Mi.7.18,19. La.3.22-26.

6 Give^j ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

j ver.1. Ps.4.1; 5.1; 143.1,7. Da.9.18,19.

7 In ^kthe day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

k Ps.55.16; 50.15; 91.15; 18.6; 22.5; 34.4,6; 102.17.

8 Among^l the gods⁴ there is none like unto thee, O LORD; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

l Ex.15.11. Ps.35.10; 89.6,8; 92.5; 72.18; 136.4. Is.40.18,25.

4 Among the kings of the earth, and the principalities of heaven.—C.

9 Allⁿ nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O LORD; and shall glorify thy name.

n Ps.22.27-31; 72.8; 66.1,4; 67.7. Is.11.9,10; 59.19; 66.23.

10 For^o thou art great, and doest wondrous things: ^pthou art God alone.⁵

o Job 11.7. De.3.24. Ps.147.5; 72.18; 77.14. Re.15.3,4; 19.1.

p De.6.4; 4.39; 32.39. Is.37.16; 44.6. Mar.12.29. 1 Co.8.4. Ep.4.6.

5 This is not an assertion of the sole Deity of the Father, but of that unity of Godhead, in which the Son and the Father 'are one,' Jn.10.30. In this sense he is 'God alone,' as distinguished from all that are 'called gods.'—C.

11 Teach^q me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart⁶ to fear thy name.

q Ps.25.4; 5.8; 119.33; 143.8. Je.10.23. Jn.17.20,21. 1 Co.6.17.

6 Unite my heart. Unite those affections and desires which in others are so scattered in pursuit of vanities—unite them all in one centre—the fear (the holy reverence) of thy name.—C.

12 I^r will praise thee, O LORD my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

r Ps.104.33; 34.1; 145.1,2; 146.1,2. 1 Co.10.31; 6.20.

13 For^s great is thy mercy toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest ⁷hell.⁸

s Ps.103.4,8,11. Is.38.17. 1 Th.1.10.

7 Or, grave.

8 A prophetic anticipation of the glorious resurrection of Jesus.—C.

14 O God, the ^tproud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent⁹ men have sought after my soul, and ^uhave not set thee before them.

t Ps.119.51,69,85; 140.5; 54.3; 22.12,16.

9 Heb. terrible.

u Ps.10.4,11,13; 14.4. Eze.8.12; 9.9.

15 But^v thou, O LORD, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

v Ex.34.6,7. Nu.14.18. Ne.9.17. Ps.103.8; 130.4; 145.8; 85.10. Joel 2.13. Ro.5.20,21. Ep.2.4,7. Tit.3.4,5.

16 O^x turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; ^ygive thy strength unto ^zthy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

x Ps.25.16; 69.16; 101.2; 90.13; 56.1; 57.1.

y Ps.28.8. Zec.10.12. Is.45.24; 40.31.

z Ps.119.94; 116.16. Is.63.16-19.

17 Show me ^aa token¹ for good; ^bthat they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, ^chast holpen me, and comforted me.

a 2 Co.5.5. Ex.34.5,6. Ps.41.10. Is.7.14; 38.22.

1 Even such a token the Father gave, when he answered him from heaven, to glorify him before his disciples and the people, Jn.12.28-30.—C.

b Mi.7.8-10. Ps.109.26-31.

c Ps.18.18,19; 40.1-3; 103.1-5; 116.1-7.

Notes

Ver. 2. I am holy. 'Thy favoured one' (Mudge). 'Thy gracious saint' (Ainsworth). But, however it may be translated, the confident assertion of the purity of his personal character, proves the speaker either to be a self-deceiving Pharisee, sporting a righteousness he did not possess, or 'Jesus Christ the righteous,' 'the Holy One of Israel.' The former he could not be, the latter therefore he must be. C.

Reflections.—While I here behold Jesus as the holy but sacrificial servant of his Father, imploring his favours and triumphing in his praise, let me, in every case, pour forth importunate prayers; place all my confidence in God; lodge all my complaints and requests with him; and ascribe to him the glory of his own perfections, and of all my own and the people's deliverances.