Psalms 86:9-17

Context

86:9 All the nations, whom you created,

will come and worship you,¹ O Lord.

They will honor your name.

86:10 For you are great and do amazing things.

You alone are God.

86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live!²

Then I will obey your commands.³

Make me wholeheartedly committed to you!⁴

86:12 O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks with my whole heart!

I will honor your name continually!⁵

86:13 For you will extend your great loyal love to me,⁶

and will deliver my life⁷ from the depths of Sheol.⁸

86:14 O God, arrogant men attack me;⁹

a gang¹⁰ of ruthless men, who do not respect you, seek my life.¹¹

86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God.

You are patient¹² and demonstrate great loyal love and faithfulness.¹³

86:16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me!

Give your servant your strength!

Deliver your slave!¹⁴

86:17 Show me evidence of your favor!¹⁵

Then those who hate me will see it and be ashamed,¹⁶

for you, O Lord, will help me and comfort me.¹⁷

[86:9] ¹tn Or “bow down before you.”

[86:11] ²tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.

[86:11] ³tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.

[86:11] ⁴tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).

[86:12] ⁵tn Or “forever.”

[86:13] ⁶tn Heb “for your loyal love [is] great over me.”

[86:13] ⁷tn Or “for he will have delivered my life.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here.

[86:13] ⁸tn Or “lower Sheol.”

[86:14] ⁹tn Heb “rise up against me.”

[86:14] ¹⁰tn Or “assembly.”

[86:14] ¹¹tn Heb “seek my life and do not set you before them.” See Ps 54:3.

[86:15] ¹²tn Heb “slow to anger.”

[86:15] ¹³tn Heb “and great of loyal love and faithfulness.”

[86:16] ¹⁴tn Heb “the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 116:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.

[86:17] ¹⁵tn Heb “Work with me a sign for good.” The expression “work a sign” also occurs in Judg 6:17.

[86:17] ¹⁶tn After the imperative in the preceding line (“work”), the prefixed verb forms with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose or result.

[86:17] ¹⁷tn The perfect verbal forms are understood here as dramatic/rhetorical, expressing the psalmist’s certitude that such a sign from the Lord will be followed by his intervention. Another option is to understand the forms as future perfects (“for you, O Lord, will have helped me and comforted me”).