Psalm 85 12

Psalm 85:12 kjv

Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.

Psalm 85:12 nkjv

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

Psalm 85:12 niv

The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

Psalm 85:12 esv

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

Psalm 85:12 nlt

Yes, the LORD pours down his blessings.
Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.

Psalm 85 12 Cross References

VerseTextReference
Deut 28:12"The Lord will open to you his good treasury... to bless all the work..."God's blessing bringing prosperity
Lev 26:4"I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield..."Covenant blessings linked to land's yield
Ps 67:6"The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us."Similar wording, land yields because God blesses
Hos 2:21-22"I will respond to the heavens, and they shall respond to the earth..."God's response leading to natural fruitfulness
Joel 2:23-24"Be glad in the Lord... He will give the early rain... The threshing floors..."Spiritual repentance bringing material blessing
Isa 30:23"He will give the rain... the produce of the ground will be rich and plenteous."Future restoration includes fruitful land
Mal 3:10"bring the full tithe... if I will not open the windows of heaven..."Obedience leading to overflowing blessing
Ezek 34:26-27"I will send showers... There shall be showers of blessing... the land..."Restored covenant leading to physical bounty
Zech 8:12"for the seed shall be prosperous... the land shall yield its increase..."Promise of renewed prosperity and fruitfulness
Deut 7:13"He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless..."God's promise to bless produce and increase
2 Chr 7:13-14"if I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain... my people who are..."Relationship between repentance and land's yield
Neh 9:25"They captured fortified cities... and took possession... of all good things."God's provision of "good things"
Jer 31:12"They shall come and sing aloud... and shall flow to the goodness of the Lord..."The goodness of God manifesting in abundance
Pss 1:3"He is like a tree planted by streams... in its season yields its fruit..."Righteousness linked to spiritual fruitfulness
Gal 5:22-23"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience..."Spiritual "increase" and good from God
Jas 1:17"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from..."God as the source of all good things
Mt 6:33"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these..."Seeking God's kingdom leads to provision
2 Cor 9:8"God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency..."God's abounding grace provides sufficiency
Phil 4:19"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches..."God supplies all needs
Eph 4:8"When he ascended on high, he led a host of captives... he gave gifts..."God as the ultimate giver of good gifts
Isa 65:21-23"They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards..."God's restoration leading to fruitful labor

Psalm 85 verses

Psalm 85 12 Meaning

Psalm 85:12 expresses a firm confidence in the Lord's unwavering provision of blessings, particularly His ultimate "good" and the resulting fertility and productivity of the land. It articulates a hopeful expectation that divine favor, once restored, will manifest in tangible, agricultural abundance and overall prosperity, stemming from God's character as the benevolent giver of all good things.

Psalm 85 12 Context

Psalm 85 is a communal lament and prayer, likely composed after a period of national distress, possibly the Babylonian exile or a later return fraught with challenges. The psalm begins by recalling God's past favor (vv. 1-3), followed by a plea for present restoration and renewed mercy due to perceived divine anger (vv. 4-7). A pivotal shift occurs in verse 8, where the psalmist expresses confidence that God will speak peace and warns against returning to folly. This transition ushers in an expectation of salvation, where divine attributes like righteousness, peace, truth, and steadfast love interact (vv. 9-11). Verse 12 serves as a natural consequence and tangible manifestation of this spiritual and moral restoration: because God’s nature is good and because spiritual harmony has been restored, the physical land, too, will respond with bounty. It speaks to a holistic view of national well-being, where divine favor impacts both the spiritual realm and the physical environment.

Psalm 85 12 Word analysis

  • The LORD (YHWH): Refers to the covenant God of Israel. The emphasis is on His faithful character and commitment to His people, implying that His actions are consistent with His nature and promises.
  • will indeed give (gam natan): Gam means "also," "indeed," or "even." Natan means "to give," "to place," "to appoint." The inclusion of gam intensifies the certainty of the promise, suggesting not just a possibility but a sure outcome. It highlights divine initiative and generosity.
  • what is good (ha-tov): From the Hebrew word tov, meaning "good," "pleasant," "beneficial," "prosperous," "beautiful," or "righteous." It is a comprehensive term for well-being that goes beyond mere physical sustenance to encompass blessings in every dimension – spiritual, material, and social. It speaks to the holistic goodness emanating from God Himself.
  • and our land (ve-artzeinu): Eretz means "land" or "earth." The possessive "our" personalizes the expectation, connecting it directly to the community of faith and their promised inheritance. The land's productivity was intrinsically linked to Israel's covenant relationship with God.
  • will yield her increase (titen yevula): Natan again, here used for the land "giving" or "yielding." Yevul means "produce," "crop," "harvest," "fruit." This signifies agricultural abundance, the tangible result of God's blessing on the earth, ensuring sustenance and prosperity. It's an expression of the land fulfilling its divinely ordained purpose when God's favor is present.

Words-group by words-group analysis

  • "The LORD will indeed give what is good": This phrase establishes God as the sovereign and benevolent giver of all comprehensive good. It underlines His intentionality and the certainty of His promised blessings, indicating that prosperity originates from His character and will. This promise implies that any good experienced is not a mere natural occurrence but a direct act of divine favor.
  • "and our land will yield her increase": This clause demonstrates the direct, tangible result of God's "goodness" being poured out. The productivity of the land, essential for survival and prosperity in an agrarian society, becomes the physical manifestation of God's restored favor. It shows a symbiotic relationship: God gives His good, and in response, the created order (the land) yields its fruit. This also potentially served as a polemic against pagan beliefs that fertility depended on localized nature deities (like Baal); Psalm 85:12 emphatically asserts YHWH alone as the source of agricultural prosperity.

Psalm 85 12 Bonus section

The imagery in Psalm 85:12 resonates deeply with the Garden of Eden narrative, where a divinely blessed environment yields its fruit effortlessly. It paints a picture of Edenic conditions being restored, where labor is fruitful, and provision is abundant because God's good pleasure rests upon the land and its people. This verse, therefore, offers a foretaste of future eschatological promises where God’s perfect reign will ensure complete provision and flourishing, akin to the new heavens and new earth. The promise is both an immediate encouragement to a people longing for sustenance and a prophetic vision of complete, comprehensive restoration under God's righteous rule.

Psalm 85 12 Commentary

Psalm 85:12 beautifully encapsulates the theological principle that divine blessing leads to tangible prosperity. Following a profound section where God's attributes—steadfast love, truth, righteousness, and peace—are personified and united, this verse proclaims the earthly outcome of such spiritual reconciliation. "The LORD will indeed give what is good" reiterates His benevolent nature and His unwavering commitment to His covenant people. This "good" (tov) is holistic, extending beyond mere material well-being to encompass all forms of prosperity and blessing that flow from His gracious presence. The immediate, practical result is that "our land will yield her increase," highlighting agricultural abundance as a clear sign of God’s restored favor. In an ancient agrarian society, a bountiful harvest was critical for survival and a powerful symbol of national prosperity and divine pleasure. This verse teaches that when spiritual health is restored, when truth and righteousness characterize a people, God's comprehensive goodness descends, resulting in measurable and visible flourishing in all areas of life, affirming His provision and care for His creation.