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PSALMS 86

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STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NASB NKJV NRSV TEV NJB
A Psalm of Supplication and Trust
MT Intro

 

A Prayer of David

 Prayer for Mercy, with Meditation on the Excellencies of the
Lord		 Prayer for Deliverance from Personal Enemies A Prayer For Help Prayer in Time of Trial
(Verse numbers from LXX)
86:1-5 86:1-5 86:1-7 86:1-2 86:1-2b
        86:2c-4
      86:3-5  
        86:5-6
86:6-10 86:6-7   86:6-7  
        86:7-8
  86:8-10 86:8-11 86:8-10  
        86:9-10
86:11-13 86:11-13   86:11-13 86:11
    86:12-13   86:12-13
86:14-17 86:14-15 86:14-17 86:14-17 86:14
        86:15-16a
  86:16-17     86:16b-17
        86:18

READING CYCLE THREE (see
“Bible
Interpretation Seminar”)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the
light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not
relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare
your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is
the key to following the original author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every
paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Third paragraph, etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

  1. This is categorized as a “personal lament.” A righteous follower of YHWH calls on his righteous
    God to act on his behalf.

     

    1. righteous author, Ps. 86:1,2,3,4
    2. righteous God, Ps. 86:5,6

     

  2. This Psalm has a surprising universal element in Ps. 86:9 (cf. Ps. 22:27; 46:10; 47:9;
    57:5,11; 64:9; 65:8; 66:1-7; 67:2-5; 98:3; 99:2-3 102:15). This verse is the theological
    center of the chiasm (i.e., a Hebrew poetic structure).

     

  3. A possible outline would be:
    1. author’s theological complaint, Ps. 86:1-7
    2. hymn of praise to God, Ps. 86:8-10
      1. His transcendence
      2. His uniqueness (monotheism)
    3. hymn of praise to God, Ps. 86:11-17, for His immanence

     

  4. There are 15 IMPERATIVES OF REQUEST in this Psalm.
    1. incline Your ear, Ps. 86:1 – BDB 639, KB 692, Hiphil IMPERATIVE,
      cf. Ps. 17:6; 31:2; 71:2; 102:2; same VERB in IMPERFECT
      in Ps. 88:2
    2. answer me, Ps. 86:1 – BDB 772, KB 851, Qal IMPERATIVE
    3. preserve my soul, Ps. 86:2 – BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal IMPERATIVE, cf. Ps. 25:20
    4. save, Ps. 86:2 – BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil IMPERATIVE, cf. Ps. 28:9; 31:16;
      59:2; 71:2
    5. be gracious, Ps. 86:3 – BDB 335, KB 334, Qal IMPERATIVE
    6. make glad the soul, Ps. 86:4 – BDB 970, KB 1333, Piel IMPERATIVE
    7. give ear, Ps. 86:6 – BDB 24, KB 27, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
    8. give heed, Ps. 86:6 – BDB 904, KB 1151, Hiphil IMPERATIVE
    9. teach me, Ps. 86:11 – BDB 34, KB 436, Hiphil IMPERATIVE, cf. Ps. 25:4,12; 27:11
    10. unite my heart, Ps. 86:11 – BDB 402, KB 405, Piel IMPERATIVE
    11. turn to me, Ps. 86:16 – BDB 815, KB 937, Qal IMPERATIVE
    12. be gracious to me, Ps. 86:16 – same as #5
    13. 13.grant strength, Ps. 86:16 – BDB 678, KB 733, Qal IMPERATIVE
    14. save, Ps. 86:16 – same as #4
    15. show me a sign, Ps. 86:17 – BDB 793, KB 889, Qal IMPERATIVE

     

  5. Notice the VOCATIVES.
    1. O Lord (YHWH), Ps. 86:1, 3, 6, 11, 17
    2. O You my God (Eloah), Ps. 86:2
    3. O Lord (Adon), Ps. 86:4, 5, 8, 9, 15
    4. O God (Elohim), Ps. 86:10,14
    5. O Lord my God (Eloah), Ps. 86:12; Eloah also in Ps. 86:
    6. O grant (no name/title) giver, Ps. 86:16b

      The other names/titles used are

    7. God (El), Ps. 86:15
    8. Your name (BDB 1027), Ps. 86:9, 11, 12

      These all reflect a vibrant prayer for help to Israel’s Deity!

  6. The structure of individual Psalms is difficult to categorize. If this Psalm is an acrostic
    (see NASB Study Bible, p. 829), then Ps. 86:9 is the central key verse. To me, Ps. 86:8 is
    theologically the key verse and Ps. 86:9 is the logical extension. Monotheism was the uniqueness
    of Israel in the ANE (with two brief exceptions, one in Egypt and one in Assyria).

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH’S
ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

SPECIAL
TOPIC: MONOTHEISM

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 86:1-5
 1Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me;
 For I am afflicted and needy.
 2Preserve my soul,
for I am a godly man;
 O You my God, save Your
servant who trusts in You.
 3Be gracious to me,
O Lord,
 For to You I cry all day long.
 4Make glad the soul
of Your servant,
 For to You, O
Lord, I lift up my soul.
 5For You, Lord, are
good, and ready to forgive,
 And abundant in lovingkindness
to all who call upon You.

86:1 “Incline” This is a metaphor derived from the VERB “to bend” or “to turn”
(BDB 639, KB 692). It calls on YHWH to hear His servant’s plea (cf. Ps. 86:3,4,6,7).

▣ “O Lord“ This is YHWH (i.e., the name is defined in Exod. 3:14,
see SPECIAL TOPIC: Names
for Deity). This is the covenant name for Deity. It is a form of the VERB “to be.”

There is a play between YHWH (Ps. 86:1,3,6,11), Elohim (Ps. 86:2,10,12) and
Adon (Ps. 86:4,8, 9,12). These represent different concepts of deity.

  1. YHWH ‒ God as Savior, Redeemer
  2. Elohim ‒ God as Creator, Sustainer, Provider
  3. Adonai ‒ God as master, owner, husband

▣ “answer” This was not a prayer for information but the assurance of God’s personal
presence and care. The psalmist has experienced this and, for whatever reason, does not now! It is a
plea for God to act in a visible way.

  1. to deliver (Ps. 86:7)
  2. to witness (Ps. 86:8-10)

▣ “For I am afflicted and needy” This phrase (BDB 776 and BDB 2) could be understood in
a spiritual sense to refer to the faithful remnant (see
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE REMNANT, THREE
SENSES, cf. Ps. 34:6; 35:10; 40:17; 70:5). In this Psalm it is possibly a reference to the King.

86:2 “Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man” There are two terms used to describe the psalmist.

  1. soul ‒ lit. nephesh, BDB 659, cf. Ps. 86:4 (twice), 13,14; see notes online at
    Ps. 3:2 and Gen. 35:18
  2. godly one/man ‒ BDB 339, see notes online at Ps. 16:10; 50:5

This begins a series of reasons why God should act on the psalmist’s behalf.

  1. he is godly, Ps. 86:2 (hasid, BDB 339, faithful to the covenant, related to
    hesed, BDB 339)
  2. he trusts in YHWH, Ps. 86:2
  3. he prays to YHWH, Ps. 86:3,4,5
  4. because God is also hesed, Ps. 86:5,15

In the OT, death was not seen as a reunion with God but a place of silence and
joylessness. The psalmist wants to praise God in worship. The concept of what happens in the
afterlife is developed (i.e., progressive revelation) in the NT. Thank God for Jesus and the NT!

▣ “save” In the OT this referred to physical deliverance. See
SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION
(OLD TESTAMENT TERM) (OT).

▣ “who trusts in You” See notes online at Ps. 4:5.

86:3 “to You I cry all day long” This referred to prayer throughout the day (cf. Ps. 22:2;
25:5; 88:9).

86:4 “I lift up my soul” This is an idiom for recognizing YHWH’s place of power (i.e., on high, in
heaven, cf. Ps. 123:1) and offering one’s total self to Him (cf. Ps. 25:1; 143:8; Lam. 3:41).

The cultural background could be

  1. sacrifices were lifted to YHWH
  2. Jewish prayer was offered with the head, eyes, and hands lifted to heaven

86:5 This is a summary of the character of YHWH (cf. Ps. 86:10,15). There are several of these
summaries throughout the OT (cf. Exod. 34:6; Jonah 4:2; Neh. 9:17; Joel 2:13; Ps. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8).

Man’s hope is in the settled, loving character of YHWH. He is

  1. good ‒ BDB 373 II (cf. 1 Chr. 16:34; 2 Chr. 5:13; 7:3; 30:18; Ezra 3:11; Ps. 25:8; 34:8;
    100:5; 106:1; 107:1; 118:1,25; 135:3; 136:1; Jer. 33:11; Nah. 1:7)
  2. ready to forgive ‒ BDB 699, ADJECTIVE found only here (cf. Neh. 9:17;
    Ps. 130:4 for usages for the related NOUN)
  3. abundant in lovingkindness ‒ BDB 912 I CONSTRUCT BDB 338 (cf. Exod. 34:6;
    Neh. 9:17; Ps. 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2), see
    SPECIAL
    TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (HESED)
  4. great, Ps. 86:10 ‒ BDB 152 (cf. Ps. 77:13)
  5. do wondrous deeds, Ps. 86:10 ‒ BDB 810, see
    SPECIAL
    TOPIC: Wonderful Things
  6. merciful, Ps. 86:15 ‒ BDB 933
  7. gracious, Ps. 86:15 ‒ BDB 337
  8. slow to anger, Ps. 86:15 ‒ cf. same parallel verses as #3
  9. abundant in faithfulness/truth, Ps. 86:15 ‒ cf. same parallel verses as #3

▣ “to all who call upon You” The scope of YHWH’s love and offer of acceptance is surprising
in an OT Psalm. The same universal promise is repeated in Ps. 86:9. God welcomes all who approach Him
in faith and worship. See
SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH’s Eternal
Redemptive Plan.

“Calling upon” God was an act of faith expressed in public worship in Joel 2:32 and quoted
by Paul in Rom. 10:9-13. See
SPECIAL TOPIC: What
Does It Mean to “Receive,” “Believe,” “Confess/Profess,” and “Call Upon?”

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 86:6-10
 6Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
 And give heed to the voice of
my supplications!
 7In the day of my
trouble I shall call upon You,
 For You will answer me.
 8There is no one
like You among the gods, O Lord,
 Nor are there any works like
Yours.
 9All nations whom
You have made shall come and worship before You, O
Lord,
 And they shall glorify Your
name.
 10For You are great
and do wondrous deeds;
 You alone are God.

86:6-7 These are parallel to Ps. 86:1. They express the psalmist’s confidence in YHWH’s personal
presence and care.

86:7 “In the day of my trouble” The psalmist’s plight is described further in Ps. 86:14. These
enemies are described in several ways.

  1. arrogant men have risen up against me
  2. an assembly of violent men have sought my life (nephesh, see note online at Gen. 35:18)
  3. they have not set You before them
  4. those who hate me, Ps. 86:17b

86:8 “There is no one like You” This is an affirmation of monotheism (cf. Ps. 86:10b), see
SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM.
This reflects Exod. 15:11.

▣ “among the gods” This is the Hebrew term elohim, used of spiritual beings
(angels). This term is also used of human judges in the OT. See
SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY.

▣ “Nor are there any works like Yours” YHWH is the God of creation. He is the only creator,
all other beings are created. He is the God who acts. The idols of the nations cannot see, hear, or act!

86:9 “All nations whom You have made shall come” If there is only one creator God and all humans
are made in His image (Gen. 1:26-27) and God has promised to redeem all fallen humans (Gen. 3:15), then
God’s love for all humans must be the focus of God’s redemptive activities. See
SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH’s Eternal
Redemptive Plan.

This verse expresses the assertion that YHWH created the nations (cf. Deut. 32:8 in the
LXX, which asserts YHWH gave each nation a national angel, cf. Deut. 29:26; Daniel 10).

▣ “they shall glorify Your name” Gentiles responding in faith and worship will glorify
YHWH’s love and redemption (cf. Isa. 66:23c).

If Ps. 86:14-15 refers to rebellious Jews, the contrast with believing Gentiles is even
more powerful!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 86:11-13
 11Teach me Your way,
O Lord;
 I will walk in Your truth;
 Unite my heart to fear Your
name.
 12I will give thanks
to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
 And will glorify Your name
forever.
 13For Your
lovingkindness toward me is great,
 And You have delivered my soul
from the depths of Sheol.

86:11-13 This stanza calls on YHWH (two IMPERATIVES) to provide what His
faithful follower needs—instruction and a united, pure heart. In return the follower will
“teach,” “walk,” “fear,” “give thanks,” and “glorify” YHWH. This is the covenant
order: God provides, faithful followers respond.

▣ “Your way. . .Your truth. . .Your name” These are obviously in a parallel relationship.
Biblical faith is

  1. a daily lifestyle
  2. cognitive truth
  3. a person to completely trust in/on

I usually say it is a person (Jesus) to welcome; truths about that person to believe
(the Bible); and a life like that person’s to live! All of these elements are necessary for a full,
complete, and mature biblical faith!

86:11,12 “Unite my heart. . .with all my heart” This is a Hebrew idiom for total allegiance
and dedication (i.e., Jer. 24:7; 32:39; Ezek. 11:33; 18:31; 36:26).

86:12 “I will give thanks. . .I will glorify” These two VERBS are
COHORTATIVES.

  1. give thanks ‒ BDB 392, KB 389, Hiphil IMPERFECT used in a
    COHORTATIVE sense
  2. glorify ‒ BDB 457, KB 455, Piel COHORTATIVE

▣ “Your name” Calling on YHWH’s name (i.e., His person, character) goes back to
Gen. 4:26 (cf. Gen. 12:8; 21:33; Ps. 80:18; 145:1-2; Dan. 9:19; Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:9-13). These
are acts of faith, worship, and thanksgiving. Faithful followers publicly call out to the invisible
God of creation and redemption.

SPECIAL TOPIC: What Does
It Mean to “Receive,” “Believe,” “Confess/Profess,” and “Call Upon?”

SPECIAL TOPIC: “The Name”
of YHWH

▣ “forever” See
SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER
(‘olam)

86:13 “delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol” The VERB (BDB 664, KB 717) is
a Hiphil PERFECT and, therefore, could be understood as past, present, or future
(only context can determine). Sheol is the holding place of the dead. The Jews buried their
loved ones, therefore, it was viewed phenomenologically as being in the center of the earth.

The psalmist’s reference has been understood in several ways.

  1. sickness
  2. covenant enemies (fellow Jews)
  3. external enemies (the surrounding nations)
  4. future end-time sense (eschatological)

The term “depths” is literally the ADJECTIVE “lowest” (BDB 1066,
cf. Deut. 32:22).

SPECIAL TOPIC: Where
Are the Dead?

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 86:14-17
 14O God, arrogant
men have risen up against me,
 And a band of violent men have
sought my life,
 And they have not set You
before them.
 15But You, O Lord,
are a God merciful and gracious,
 Slow to anger and abundant in
lovingkindness and truth.
 16Turn to me, and be
gracious to me;
 Oh grant Your strength to Your
servant,
 And save the son of Your
handmaid.
 17Show me a sign for
good,
 That those who hate me may see
it and be ashamed,
 Because You, O
Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

86:14 God’s faithful followers have enemies! Who these are is uncertain. Whoever they are, they
do not know nor recognize God or His people (cf. Ps. 54:3, similar in Ps. 36:1).

86:15 See notes at Psalm 86:5.

86:16 This is parallel to Ps. 86:1 and 3.

▣ “save the son of Your handmaid” This is an idiom for a godly family who serves YHWH
(i.e., Ps. 116:16).

86:17 Does this verse imply a plea for those of Ps. 86:14 to repent or is it a call for public
justice? Psalm 112:10 may relate to this verse.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

 

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are
responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You,
the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this
section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. How does the psalmist describe himself in Ps. 86:1-3?
  2. Explain how Ps. 86:8 fits Israel’s unique view of the oneness and onlyness of YHWH.
  3. Explain the universal emphasis of Ps. 86:9.
  4. List the names for deity used in this Psalm and their theological significance.
  5. Define monotheism and its implication to Ps. 86:5 and 9.
  6. List the characteristics of YHWH in Ps. 86:5, 10, 15.

 

Copyright © 2014 Bible
Lessons International

 

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