Psalm 85 meaning explained in AI Summary

Psalm 85 is a beautiful prayer for restoration and peace, reflecting on God's past mercy while pleading for his present intervention. Here's a summary:

Part 1: Remembering God's Past Faithfulness (verses 1-3)

• The psalmist acknowledges God's past grace in restoring Israel from exile and forgiving their sins.
• This section celebrates God's mercy and lovingkindness.

Part 2: Pleading for God's Present Help (verses 4-7)

• The tone shifts to a heartfelt plea for God to show his favor again.
• The psalmist acknowledges the people's sinfulness and their need for God's forgiveness and restoration.
• There's a sense of longing for God's presence and blessing.

Part 3: Hoping in God's Future Promises (verses 8-13)

• The psalm ends on a note of hope and anticipation.
• The psalmist listens for God's voice, trusting in his promises of love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace.
• There's a vision of God's blessing flourishing in the land.

Overall Message:

Psalm 85 reminds us that even when we stray, God is merciful and eager to restore us. It encourages us to remember his past faithfulness, confess our need for him, and trust in his promises for the future. The psalm ultimately points to the beautiful harmony between God's attributes and the blessings they bring to his people.

Psalm 85 bible study ai commentary

This Psalm is a corporate prayer of a people who have experienced God's past deliverance but are currently facing hardship and a sense of divine disfavor. It moves beautifully from recalling God's past faithfulness (vv. 1-3) to a heartfelt plea for present revival (vv. 4-7), and finally to a confident, prophetic vision of future restoration where God's divine attributes are perfectly reconciled, and creation flourishes under His blessing (vv. 8-13).

Psalm 85 Context

This psalm is attributed to the "Sons of Korah," who were Levitical temple musicians. The historical context is widely understood to be post-exilic. The people have returned to the land of Judah from the Babylonian captivity (v. 1 "You restored the fortunes of Jacob"), but the promised glory and prosperity have not fully materialized. The Second Temple lacked the manifest Shekinah glory of Solomon's Temple, and the nation struggled with poverty and external threats. This creates a tension between the "already" of their return and the "not yet" of full restoration, driving their plea for a fresh work of God.

Psalm 85:1

LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.

In-depth-analysis

• This verse opens by establishing God’s past action as the basis for the present appeal.
• Favorable (Hebrew: rāṣāh): Means to be pleased with, to accept, or to take delight in. The psalmist reminds God of a time when His disposition towards the land was one of pleasure and grace.
• Restored the fortunes (Hebrew: šāḇtā šeḇîṯ): A common Old Testament idiom. While it can mean returning from captivity, it carries a broader sense of a full-scale reversal of calamity and restoration to a state of blessing and prosperity. The psalmist is remembering the decree of Cyrus and the return from Babylon.

Bible references

• Ps 126:1: "When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream." (Directly echoes the language of restoration from exile).
• Ezra 1:1-3: "The LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation... ‘Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up...’" (Historical fulfillment of the restoration).
• Jer 30:18: "Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings." (Prophetic promise of the event recalled here).

Cross references

Deut 30:3 (Promise of restoration), Job 42:10 (Personal restoration of fortunes), Ps 14:7 (Hope for restoration).

Psalm 85:2

You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah

In-depth-analysis

• The restoration was not merely physical but spiritual. Forgiveness is the foundation of true restoration.
• Forgave (Hebrew: nāśā’): Literally means "to lift" or "carry away." God did not just overlook sin; He actively removed its guilt.
• Covered (Hebrew: kāsāh): This word evokes the concept of atonement (kippur), where sin is covered from God’s sight, canceling its power to accuse. This was the function of the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement.
• Selah: A musical or liturgical notation, likely indicating a pause for reflection. Here, it invites the worshiper to meditate on the profound reality of God's complete forgiveness.

Bible references

• Col 2:13-14: "...having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands." (NT fulfillment of sin being completely removed).
• Ps 32:1: "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." (Uses the exact same two-fold language of forgiving and covering).
• Rom 4:7-8: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered..." (Paul quoting Psalm 32, solidifying this theme of imputation).

Cross references

Mic 7:18-19 (Casting sins into the sea), Lev 16:21-22 (Scapegoat carrying away iniquity), 1 Jn 1:9 (Forgiveness for believers).

Psalm 85:3

You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.

In-depth-analysis

• This verse concludes the review of God's past actions. The removal of sin (v. 2) directly leads to the removal of wrath.
• Withdrew (Hebrew: ’āsap): To gather up or take away. God collected all of His anger and put it away. It wasn't just reduced; it was removed.
• Turned (Hebrew: šûḇ): The same root that will be used for the plea "restore us" (v. 4). The psalmist affirms that God first turned from His anger before asking God to turn them back to Him.

Bible references

• Isa 12:1: "You will say in that day: 'I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me.'" (A song of praise for the turning of God's anger).
• Exod 32:12: "...Turn from your fierce wrath and relent from this disaster against your people." (Moses' plea, which God honored, showing the principle in action).
• 1 Thess 1:10: "...Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." (Christ as the ultimate deliverer from divine wrath).

Cross references

Num 25:11 (Phinehas turning away wrath), Jon 3:9 (Nineveh's hope), Ps 78:38 (God restrains His wrath).

Psalm 85:4

Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!

In-depth-analysis

• This is the pivot of the psalm, moving from memory to petition. The "but now" is implied.
• Restore us again (Hebrew: šûḇēnû): A powerful use of the verb šûḇ. It can mean "turn us back" (implying repentance) or "restore us" (implying revival). The people recognize that their full restoration requires a fresh turning, initiated by God.
• God of our salvation: The appeal is based on God's very nature and title. They are appealing to the One whose character is to save.

Bible references

• Lam 5:21: "Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old." (An almost identical plea from the context of exile).
• Ps 80:3: "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!" (A recurring refrain in Ps 80, showing this was a central prayer of the community).
• Jer 31:18: "'...Bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.'" (Highlights the theological truth that true repentance is a work of God's grace).

Cross references

Hos 14:1-2 (Plea for restoration), Ps 51:12 (Prayer to restore joy), Mal 4:6 (Turning hearts).

Psalm 85:5

Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?

In-depth-analysis

• Rhetorical questions expressing the community's anguish. They feel that God's displeasure is lingering unjustly long after the primary judgment (exile) has ended.
• The fear is that the current hardship represents a permanent state of disfavor, a curse passed down through generations.
• This reflects the human experience of feeling that a trial will never end, questioning God's long-term intentions.

Bible references

• Ps 77:7-9: "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? ... Has God forgotten to be gracious?" (A classic expression of lament and doubt).
• Isa 64:9: "Be not so terribly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people." (A similar plea from a community feeling the weight of God's anger).

Cross references

Ps 79:5 (How long, O LORD?), Ps 103:9 (He will not chide forever), Mic 7:18 (He does not retain anger forever).

Psalm 85:6

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?

In-depth-analysis

• This is the central request of the psalm. The community doesn't just want circumstances to change; they desire a spiritual reawakening.
• Revive us (Hebrew: təḥayyēnû): From the root ḥāyâ, to live. It means "to make alive" or "preserve life." They are praying for a fresh infusion of spiritual life from God.
• The purpose of revival is not their own comfort, but "that your people may rejoice in you." True revival reorients a people's joy back to God Himself, not just His gifts.

Bible references

• Hab 3:2: "O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, I fear. In the midst of the years revive it..." (A direct prayer for revival in a time of spiritual dormancy).
• Hos 6:2: "After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him." (A prophetic promise of resurrection and revival, ultimately fulfilled in Christ).
• Eph 2:4-5: "But God, being rich in mercy... even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ." (The ultimate revival and making alive from spiritual death).

Cross references

Ps 119:25 (Revive me according to your word), 2 Chr 7:14 (If my people pray...), Isa 57:15 (Revives the spirit of the lowly).

Psalm 85:7

Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.

In-depth-analysis

• This verse summarizes the plea by appealing to God's two foundational covenant attributes.
• Steadfast love (Hebrew: ḥeseḏ): God’s unwavering, loyal, covenant love. It is not based on feeling but on His promise and character. This is the basis of their confidence.
• Salvation (Hebrew: yešaʿ): His deliverance, help, and victory. They ask God to show His love by granting His salvation in their present situation.

Bible references

• Ps 130:7: "O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption." (Links hope directly to God's ḥeseḏ and redemptive power).
• Titus 3:4-5: "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works... but according to his own mercy." (NT expression of salvation rooted in God's kindness/love).

Cross references

Ps 51:1 (Plea based on ḥeseḏ), Jon 4:2 (God's character described), Ps 106:1 (God's ḥeseḏ endures forever).

Psalm 85:8

Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

In-depth-analysis

• The second major pivot. The psalmist shifts from petition to faithful expectation. He silences himself to listen for God's response, confident in what it will be.
• He will speak peace (Hebrew: šālôm): Not just the absence of conflict, but wholeness, well-being, prosperity, and right relationship with God.
• There is a condition: "but let them not turn back to folly" (kislāh - foolishness, arrogance, moral insensitivity). God’s peace is offered to a repentant people who do not return to their old ways.

Bible references

• Jn 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you." (Christ gives a divine šālôm that transcends circumstance).
• Eph 2:17: "And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near." (Christ's gospel is the proclamation of peace).
• 2 Pet 2:20-21: "For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world... they are again entangled in them... the last state has become worse for them than the first." (A stern warning against turning back to folly).

Cross references

Hab 2:1 (I will take my stand to see...), 1 Sam 3:10 (Speak, for your servant hears), Heb 12:25 (See that you do not refuse him who is speaking).

Psalm 85:9

Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

In-depth-analysis

• This is the content of God’s awaited word. Salvation is imminent for the reverent.
• Those who fear him: Those who hold God in awe, reverence, and obedience.
• That glory may dwell in our land: This is a profound statement. The ultimate goal of salvation is the restoration of God's manifest presence (kāḇôḏ - glory, weight, substance) among His people. This recalls the Shekinah glory that filled the Tabernacle (Exod 40:34) and Temple (1 Kgs 8:11) but was absent from the Second Temple. The psalmist longs for God Himself to make the land His home again.

Bible references

• Jn 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father..." (The ultimate fulfillment: God's glory dwelt in the land in the person of Jesus Christ).
• Zech 2:5: "And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst." (A prophetic promise of God's presence as both protection and glory).
• Hag 2:7, 9: "'And I will fill this house with glory... The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts." (A direct prophecy concerning the Second Temple, pointing toward a future, greater glory).

Cross references

Isa 46:13 (Salvation not far off), Rev 21:3 (God's dwelling place is with man), Luke 2:32 (A light for revelation...and glory to Israel).

Psalm 85:10

Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

In-depth-analysis

• A stunning piece of poetry personifying four of God’s key attributes, describing the result of His salvation.
• Steadfast love (ḥeseḏ) and faithfulness (’ĕmeṯ): God’s mercy and His truth/reliability are no longer in tension. His mercy in forgiving sin does not compromise His truthful requirement for justice.
• Righteousness (ṣeḏeq) and peace (šālôm): God’s perfect justice and the wholeness/peace of His people embrace. Normally, justice for sin would bring judgment, not peace. In God's salvation, His justice is fully satisfied in a way that produces peace.
• Polemics: This vision stands in stark contrast to pagan pantheons where gods were capricious and their attributes of justice and mercy were often at odds. The God of Israel is one whose character is perfectly integrated. Christian theology sees this verse as a beautiful prophecy of the cross. At the cross, God’s steadfast love for humanity was displayed, while His faithfulness to His own righteous law was upheld. The requirement of righteousness was met, leading to peace between God and man.

Bible references

• Rom 3:25-26: "...Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation... to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (The theological explanation of how righteousness and mercy meet in Christ).
• Isa 32:17: "And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever." (Directly linking righteousness and peace).
• Heb 7:2: "...he is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace." (Melchizedek as a type of Christ, who unites righteousness and peace).

Cross references

Ps 72:3 (Mountains bring peace, hills righteousness), Prov 3:3 (Tie love and faithfulness around your neck), Isa 53:5 (The chastisement that brought us peace was upon him).

Psalm 85:11

Faithfulness springs up from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.

In-depth-analysis

• This verse describes a renewed cosmos, a perfect harmony between heaven and earth.
• Faithfulness (’ĕmeṯ - truth, fidelity) springs up from the earth: Humanity, renewed and revived, responds to God with genuine truth and faithfulness. The land itself becomes fruitful with this virtue.
• Righteousness (ṣeḏeq) looks down from heaven: God's righteousness is no longer a sword of judgment but a favorable gaze of approval and blessing bestowed from above. This is the reversal of the curse of Eden, where the ground was cursed and humanity was exiled from God's presence.

Bible references

• Isa 45:8: "Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout..." (A powerful parallel image of righteousness coming from heaven to make the earth fruitful).
• Jas 3:18: "And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (The concept of righteousness as a crop that grows from the ground).

Cross references

Gen 1:31 (God saw that it was good), Amos 9:13 (Harvest overflowing), 2 Cor 5:21 (We become the righteousness of God).

Psalm 85:12

Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.

In-depth-analysis

• The spiritual reality of verses 10-11 leads to tangible, physical blessing.
• What is good: This is comprehensive—all forms of blessing, both spiritual and material.
• Land will yield its increase: A direct echo of the covenant blessings promised for obedience. The renewed relationship with God results in the healing and fruitfulness of creation itself.

Bible references

• Lev 26:4: "...then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit." (A foundational covenant promise for obedience).
• Zech 8:12: "For there shall be a sowing of peace. The vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew." (Post-exilic promise linking peace with agricultural prosperity).
• Gal 6:8-9: "...the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (A spiritual application of the sowing and reaping principle).

Cross references

Ps 67:6 (Land has yielded its harvest), Deut 28:1-14 (Covenant blessings), Ps 23:1 (The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want).

Psalm 85:13

Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

In-depth-analysis

• This final verse provides a powerful concluding image of God's renewed presence and activity.
• Righteousness will go before him: God’s own perfect righteousness is the vanguard of all His actions. It prepares His path. When God comes, He comes in righteousness.
• Make his footsteps a way: There are two complementary interpretations.
  1. God’s righteousness creates a path for God Himself to walk among His people.
  2. God’s righteousness creates a path (derek - a way, a road) for His people to follow in His footsteps.
• Ultimately, both are true in Christ. His righteous life prepared the way for salvation, and He now calls us to follow in His steps (1 Pet 2:21).

Bible references

• Isa 40:3: "A voice cries: 'In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" (The forerunner, John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus).
• Jn 14:6: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (Jesus is the 'way' that God's righteousness prepared).
• Ps 23:3: "He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." (God Himself makes the path of righteousness for His people to walk in).

Cross references

Isa 58:8 (Righteousness will go before you), Mic 2:13 (Their king passes on before them), Prov 4:18 (The path of the righteous).

Psalm chapter 85 analysis

• The Journey of Prayer: The psalm models a perfect prayer: it begins with gratitude for God's past works, moves to an honest lament and specific petition, and resolves into a confident faith that actively listens for and receives God's prophetic promise.
• The šûḇ Wordplay: The Hebrew root for "turn/restore" (šûḇ) is the structural and theological backbone of the psalm. The people recall God restored (šāḇtā) them (v.1), and that He turned (hešîḇôṯā) from His anger (v.3). Based on this, they plead for Him to restore/turn (šûḇēnû) them again (v.4), and then commit not to turn back (yāšûḇû) to folly (v.8). True restoration is a mutual turning.
• The Messianic Fulfillment: While rooted in the post-exilic experience, the psalm finds its ultimate completion in Jesus Christ. He is the one in whom "glory dwelt among us" (v. 9 // Jn 1:14). The cross is the place where God's mercy (ḥeseḏ) and truth (’ĕmeṯ) met, and where His righteousness (ṣeḏeq) was satisfied to bring peace (šālôm) between God and humanity (v. 10 // Rom 3:25-26). Jesus is the ṣeḏeq who goes before the Father and makes a "way" (derek) for us to follow (v. 13 // Jn 14:6).

Psalm 85 summary

Psalm 85 is a communal prayer for national and spiritual revival. It moves from acknowledging God's past forgiveness and restoration to a passionate plea for Him to end His present anger and "revive us again." The psalm culminates in a prophetic vision of complete salvation, where God's glory returns to the land and His attributes of mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace are perfectly reconciled in a restored creation, a vision ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ.