Psalms / Chapter 86

Psalms 86

17 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

The only psalm in Book III attributed to David, this is a prayer of deep personal need woven almost entirely from phrases found elsewhere in Scripture. David pleads for God's ear, confesses his dependence, asks for mercy, and declares God's uniqueness among all so-called gods. He petitions for instruction in God's way, for an undivided heart, and for a sign of God's favor. The psalm is simultaneously desperate and confident — every cry for help is anchored in a declaration of who God is.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

This psalm is a mosaic. Nearly every line echoes or quotes another biblical text — Exodus 34:6, Psalm 25, Psalm 27, Psalm 54, Isaiah 43, and others. Some scholars have called it derivative; a better reading is that David prays in the language of Scripture itself. He has so internalized God's word that his spontaneous prayer sounds like a concordance. The centerpiece is verse 11: 'Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.' The verb yached ('unite') appears only here in the Psalter — David asks God to gather his scattered heart into a single focus. The divided heart, pulled in multiple directions by desire and fear, needs to be made one.

Translation Friction

The Davidic attribution is unusual in Book III (Psalms 73-89), which is otherwise dominated by Asaphite and Korahite collections. Some scholars see this as a later insertion, while others view it as an intentional Davidic voice placed within the communal collections to remind the worshipping community that the king, too, is a suppliant before God. The phrase 'among the gods there is none like You' (v. 8) uses elohim in a way consistent with Psalm 82's divine council theology — the existence of other elohim is acknowledged, but their incomparability with YHWH is asserted.

Connections

Verse 15 quotes Exodus 34:6 nearly verbatim — the great self-revelation of God's character after the golden calf disaster. The petition 'teach me Your way' (v. 11) echoes Psalm 25:4 and 27:11. The declaration 'there is none like You among the gods' (v. 8) connects to Exodus 15:11, Deuteronomy 3:24, and Psalm 82. The request for an 'undivided heart' (v. 11) anticipates Ezekiel 11:19 and Jeremiah 32:39, where God promises to give His people 'one heart.' David's prayer becomes God's future promise.

Psalms 86:1

תְּפִלָּ֗ה לְדָ֫וִ֥ד הַטֵּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אׇזְנְךָ֣ עֲנֵ֑נִי כִּֽי־עָנִ֖י וְאֶבְי֣וֹן אָֽנִי׃

A prayer of David. Bend down Your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am afflicted and needy.

KJV Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb hatteh ('bend down, incline, turn') asks God to lower His ear — as if God is high and David is low, and the distance between them must be bridged by God stooping. The self-description ani ve-evyon ('afflicted and needy') is the language of the poor throughout the Psalter (cf. Psalms 40:18, 70:6). David, the king, identifies himself with the destitute — not as false humility but as theological reality: before God, even the king is a beggar.
Psalms 86:2

שׇׁמְרָ֣ה נַ֭פְשִׁי כִּֽי־חָסִ֣יד אָ֑נִי הוֹשַׁ֥ע עַ֝בְדְּךָ֗ אַתָּ֤ה ׀ אֱלֹהַ֬י הַבּוֹטֵ֬חַ אֵלֶֽיךָ׃

Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. Save Your servant, O my God — the one who trusts in You.

KJV Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word chasid ('devoted one, faithful one, one bound by chesed') describes David not as morally perfect but as covenantally loyal — bound to God by faithful love. The self-designation avdekha ('Your servant') appears repeatedly in this psalm (vv. 2, 4, 16), establishing David's posture: he is not demanding as a king but petitioning as a servant.
Psalms 86:3

חׇנֵּ֥נִי אֲדֹנָ֑י כִּ֥י אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ אֶקְרָ֥א כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You I call all day long.

KJV Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb chonneni ('be gracious to me, show me favor') from chanan is the plea for undeserved kindness. The address shifts to Adonai ('Lord, Master') rather than YHWH — the title of authority rather than the covenant name. The phrase kol hayyom ('all day long') indicates not a single prayer session but continuous, unceasing appeal.
Psalms 86:4

שַׂמֵּ֗חַ נֶ֣פֶשׁ עַ֭בְדֶּךָ כִּ֤י אֵלֶ֥יךָ אֲדֹנָ֗י נַפְשִׁ֥י אֶשָּֽׂא׃

Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

KJV Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb sammeach ('gladden, make joyful') is a Piel imperative — David asks God to cause joy, not merely permit it. The phrase nafshi essa ('my soul I lift up') echoes Psalm 25:1 verbatim. Lifting the soul is an act of total surrender — offering one's entire inner life to God as an upward gesture of dependence and trust.
Psalms 86:5

כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה אֲ֭דֹנָי ט֣וֹב וְסַלָּ֑ח וְרַב־חֶ֝֗סֶד לְכׇל־קֹרְאֶֽיךָ׃

For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in faithful love to all who call on You.

KJV For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

רַב־חֶסֶד rav chesed
"abounding in faithful love" — great, much, abundant; faithful love, loyal love, covenant devotion

rav chesed ('great in faithful love') is part of the divine self-description from Exodus 34:6. When David uses this phrase, he is quoting God's own words about Himself. The abundance of chesed is not measured — it overflows to all who call. The qualifier le-khol qore'ekha ('to all who call on You') makes the offer universal within the covenant: anyone who calls receives.

Translator Notes

  1. The adjective sallach ('forgiving, ready to pardon') appears only here and in Nehemiah 9:17 — it is an exceedingly rare word, applied exclusively to God. The phrase rav chesed ('abounding in faithful love') is drawn from the Exodus 34:6 self-revelation of God. David does not merely believe God is forgiving; he knows it from the tradition he has internalized.
Psalms 86:6

הַאֲזִ֣ינָה יְ֭הוָה תְּפִלָּתִ֑י וְ֝הַקְשִׁ֗יבָה בְּק֣וֹל תַּחֲנוּנוֹתָֽי׃

Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; attend to the voice of my pleas for mercy.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Two verbs of attentive hearing: ha'azinah ('give ear') and haqshivah ('attend, pay attention, listen carefully'). The word tachanunot ('pleas for mercy, supplications') from chanan carries the tone of begging — these are not formal requests but desperate appeals for grace.
Psalms 86:7

בְּי֣וֹם צָ֭רָתִי אֶקְרָאֶ֑ךָּ כִּ֖י תַעֲנֵֽנִי׃

In the day of my distress I call on You, for You will answer me.

KJV In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The confidence embedded in ki ta'aneni ('for You will answer me') transforms the plea into a declaration of trust. David does not call hoping God might answer; he calls knowing God will answer. The 'day of distress' (yom tsarati) is a recurring phrase in the Psalter (cf. 50:15, 77:3) — the moment when all human resources fail and only God remains.
Psalms 86:8

אֵין־כָּמ֖וֹךָ בָאֱלֹהִ֥ים ׀ אֲדֹנָ֑י וְאֵ֖ין כְּמַעֲשֶֽׂיךָ׃

There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, and nothing compares to Your works.

KJV Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase ein kamokha ('none like You') echoes Exodus 15:11 ('Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?') and Deuteronomy 3:24. Each occurrence makes the same comparative argument: other powers may exist, but they are not in the same category as YHWH. This is not henotheism (worshipping one god while acknowledging others as real threats) but incomparability theology: YHWH is so different from other elohim that comparison itself becomes absurd.
Psalms 86:9

כׇּל־גּוֹיִ֤ם ׀ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֗יתָ יָב֤וֹאוּ וְיִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ לְפָנֶ֣יךָ אֲדֹנָ֑י וִֽיכַבְּד֖וּ לִשְׁמֶֽךָ׃

All the nations You have made will come and bow down before You, O Lord, and glorify Your name.

KJV All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The universalism of this verse is striking in a Davidic psalm: kol goyim asher asita ('all nations that You have made'). David envisions every nation — not just Israel — coming to worship before God. The verb yishtachavu ('bow down, prostrate themselves') is the most physical form of worship: forehead to ground. And vikhabbedu li-shmekha ('they will glorify Your name') — the nations will add weight (kavod) to God's reputation. This anticipates the universal vision of Isaiah 2:2-4 and Psalm 87.
Psalms 86:10

כִּ֤י גָד֣וֹל אַ֭תָּה וְעֹשֵׂ֣ה נִפְלָא֑וֹת אַתָּ֖ה אֱלֹהִ֣ים לְבַדֶּֽךָ׃

For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

KJV For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase attah Elohim levaddekha ('You alone are God') is the strongest monotheistic declaration in the psalm. After acknowledging other elohim in verse 8, David now asserts that YHWH alone deserves the title. The word nifla'ot ('wondrous things, miracles') from pala ('to be wonderful, to be beyond comprehension') describes acts that exceed human understanding — the exodus, creation, deliverance.
Psalms 86:11

הוֹרֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֨ה ׀ דַּרְכֶּ֗ךָ אֲהַלֵּ֥ךְ בַּאֲמִתֶּ֑ךָ יַחֵ֥ד לְ֝בָבִ֗י לְיִרְאָ֥ה שְׁמֶֽךָ׃

Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name.

KJV Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

יַחֵד לְבָבִי yached levavi
"unite my heart" — to make one, to unify, to gather together; my heart, my mind, my will

yached from yachad ('to be one, to unite') asks God to do what David cannot do for himself: make his divided will into a single will. The heart (levav) in Hebrew is the seat of thought, will, and decision — not primarily emotion. A divided heart is a will pulled in multiple directions, unable to commit fully to God. David's prayer is for integration: one heart, one direction, one fear.

Translator Notes

  1. The verb yached appears only here in the Psalter and is exceedingly rare in the Hebrew Bible. Its singularity is appropriate: the request itself is singular. An undivided heart is the rarest and most necessary condition for genuine worship. Kierkegaard's famous phrase 'purity of heart is to will one thing' is a commentary on this verse whether he knew it or not.
Psalms 86:12

אוֹדְךָ֤ ׀ אֲדֹנָ֣י אֱלֹהַי֮ בְּכׇל־לְבָ֫בִ֥י וַאֲכַבְּדָ֖ה שִׁמְךָ֣ לְעוֹלָֽם׃

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever.

KJV I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The response to the prayer for a united heart (v. 11) is a vow of wholehearted praise: be-khol levavi ('with all my heart'). The heart that was fragmented and needed uniting will, once healed, praise with its full capacity. The phrase akhabdah shimkha le-olam ('I will glorify Your name forever') commits to permanent, ongoing honor — the united heart does not waver back into division.
Psalms 86:13

כִּֽי־חַסְדְּךָ֣ גָ֭דוֹל עָלָ֑י וְהִצַּ֥לְתָּ נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י מִשְּׁא֥וֹל תַּחְתִּיָּֽה׃

For Your faithful love toward me is great, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

KJV For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase she'ol tachtiyyah ('the lowest Sheol, the depths of the underworld') is the superlative of death — not merely dying but descending to the deepest pit. David's deliverance was not from minor trouble but from the very bottom of the abyss. The greatness of chesed is measured by the depth of the rescue: the further you fell, the greater the love that pulled you out.
Psalms 86:14

אֱ‍ֽלֹהִ֗ים זֵ֭דִים קָמ֣וּ עָלַ֑י וַעֲדַ֥ת עָ֝רִיצִ֗ים בִּקְשׁ֥וּ נַפְשִֽׁי וְלֹ֤א שָׂמ֖וּךָ לְנֶגְדָּֽם׃

O God, the arrogant have risen against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life — they do not set You before them.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word zedim ('arrogant, insolent, presumptuous') describes those who act without regard for any authority above themselves. The adat aritsim ('assembly of ruthless ones') is a violent group organized for oppression. Their defining characteristic: ve-lo samukha le-negdam ('they have not set You before them'). They have no awareness of God in their field of vision. The violence flows from the absence of God-consciousness — they are dangerous because they are godless.
Psalms 86:15

וְאַתָּ֣ה אֲ֭דֹנָי אֵל־רַח֣וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַ֝פַּ֗יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת׃

But You, O Lord, are a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love and truth.

KJV But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם erekh appayim
"slow to anger" — long of nostrils, patient, forbearing, slow to become angry

erekh appayim literally means 'long of nostrils' — since anger in Hebrew is expressed through the nostrils (af, 'nostril' = 'anger'), long nostrils means anger takes a long time to travel from trigger to explosion. God's fuse is infinitely long. He is not quick-tempered; His patience outlasts human provocation.

Translator Notes

  1. The Exodus 34:6-7 formula is the most frequently quoted scripture within Scripture itself — it appears in Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Nahum 1:3, Psalms 103:8, 145:8, Nehemiah 9:17, and here. Each context adapts it slightly. David's version omits the judgment clause ('who will by no means clear the guilty') and retains only the mercy side — appropriate for a prayer of supplication rather than a creed about divine justice.
Psalms 86:16

פְּנֵ֥ה אֵלַ֗י וְחׇ֫נֵּ֥נִי תְּנָ֣ה עֻ֭זְּךָ לְעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ וְהוֹשִׁ֖יעָה לְבֶן־אֲמָתֶֽךָ׃

Turn to me and be gracious to me; give Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant.

KJV O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase ben amatekha ('son of Your maidservant') means someone born in the master's household — not an outsider who entered service but one born into it. David claims the deepest possible belonging: he is not merely God's servant by choice but by birth. He was born into God's household. The term parallels Psalm 116:16.
Psalms 86:17

עֲשֵׂה־עִ֭מִּי א֣וֹת לְטוֹבָ֑ה וְיִרְא֤וּ שֹׂנְאַ֣י וְיֵבֹ֗שׁוּ כִּֽי־אַתָּ֥ה יְ֝הוָ֗ה עֲזַרְתַּ֥נִי וְנִחַמְתָּֽנִי׃

Show me a sign of Your goodness, so that those who hate me will see it and be put to shame, because You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The ot le-tovah ('sign for good') is not a miraculous spectacle but a visible marker of God's favor — something the enemies can see with their own eyes that proves God is on David's side. The final verbs — azartani ('You helped me') and nichamtani ('You comforted me') — shift to the perfect tense, as if David is already speaking from the other side of deliverance. He ends the psalm in the past tense of answered prayer, confident that what he has asked for is already accomplished.
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