Psalm 85 5

Psalm 85:5 kjv

Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?

Psalm 85:5 nkjv

Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?

Psalm 85:5 niv

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

Psalm 85:5 esv

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

Psalm 85:5 nlt

Will you be angry with us always?
Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?

Psalm 85 verses

Psalm 85 5 Meaning

Psalm 85:5 is a passionate rhetorical question posed by the psalmist on behalf of the community, expressing a fervent plea for God's divine anger to cease. It articulates a fear that divine judgment, which has been experienced, might persist indefinitely, even across generations. The verse calls upon God’s character, implicitly contrasting an unending wrath with His demonstrated mercy and covenant faithfulness. It underscores a deep longing for an end to divine displeasure and the restoration of full favor.

Psalm 85 5 Context

Psalm 85 is a post-exilic psalm of communal lament and prayer, likely uttered after a return from Babylonian captivity but facing lingering hardships or a sense of incomplete restoration. The psalm opens (Ps 85:1-3) with grateful remembrance of God's past mercies—He restored the captives, forgave their iniquity, and turned away His fierce anger. This recollection sets the stage for the present distress. Immediately following this historical praise, the psalmist pleads (Ps 85:4) for a new turning by God, for renewed spiritual and material revival. Verse 5 springs from this context of a community that has experienced judgment (exile) and believes in God’s restorative power, yet still perceives residual divine displeasure or incomplete favor. It is a desperate plea asking if God's punitive judgment will endure indefinitely, contrasting the memory of past forgiveness with their current unresolved state. The psalm then transitions to an expression of hopeful expectation for God’s reply and future salvation (Ps 85:8-13), underscoring that the question in verse 5 is not despair but an earnest appeal to a covenant-keeping God.

Psalm 85 5 Word analysis

• Wilt Thou be angry? (Hebrew: Hǎ-laʿaḏ teʾěnap̄-bānū)

  • Wilt Thou...: The interrogative particle Hǎ- (הֲ) introduces a direct question, indicating uncertainty and a yearning for an answer. It is a plea, not merely a theological query.
  • be angry: From the Hebrew verb anaph (אַנַף), which literally means to "snort" or "breathe hard through the nostrils," figuratively representing strong indignation or displeasure. This vividly portrays intense divine emotion, a righteous response to sin. The imperfect tense teʾěnap̄ suggests ongoing or habitual anger.
  • forever?: Hebrew laʿaḏ (לָעַד). This adverb denotes eternity, perpetuity, or for a long, indefinite duration. Its use here amplifies the psalmist's concern about the unending nature of God's displeasure. This challenges God’s character known for mercy. It implicitly contrasts with His mercy, which is declared to last le'olam (forever) and to "a thousand generations."

• Wilt Thou draw out Thine anger? (Hebrew: hăṯiməšōḵə ʾappəḵā)

  • Wilt Thou draw out: From the Hebrew verb mashak (מָשַׁךְ), meaning "to draw, drag, prolong, extend, or lengthen." This term describes stretching something over time or space. The interrogative hǎ- is repeated, emphasizing the profound concern about the duration of the anger. It’s a plea for its termination.
  • Thine anger: Hebrew ʾappəḵā (אַפְּךָ), using the noun aph (אַף), which literally means "nose" or "nostril." This is a common Hebrew idiom for anger, wrath, or fury, originating from the visible physical manifestation of intense anger, such as rapid or fiery breathing from the nose. It's an anthropomorphic expression depicting the heat and intensity of God’s holy indignation. The suffix kā (כָ) means "Your." This idiom is more vivid than a generic term for wrath.

• to all generations? (Hebrew: ləḏōr wāḏōr)

  • to all generations: Literally to generation and generation (לְדֹר וָדֹר). This powerful idiom indicates continuity through an indefinite succession of generations, conveying extreme longevity or perpetuity. Its inclusion escalates the psalmist’s concern from mere prolonged individual suffering to potential hereditary consequences or an ongoing national burden for successive generations, in contrast to God’s covenant mercy that endures to thousands of generations (Deut 7:9).

• Word Group Analysis:

  • "Wilt Thou be angry with us forever? Wilt Thou draw out Thine anger to all generations?": The verse presents a powerful rhetorical parallelism. The two clauses, nearly identical in their interrogative structure and emphasis on eternity/duration (laʿaḏ and ləḏōr wāḏōr), reinforce the gravity of the communal plea. This double question functions as an urgent cry, not doubt, expressing deep concern about the persistence of divine judgment and appealing to God's ultimate nature as merciful and covenant-keeping, rather than eternally wrathful.

Psalm 85 5 Bonus Section

The structure of Psalm 85 often leads scholars to view it as an example of responsive worship, potentially used in liturgical settings. The move from remembering past mercies (1-3) to a present plea for deliverance (4-7) and finally to confident expectation of future blessing (8-13) models a pattern of lament evolving into hopeful faith. Verse 5 is critical to this transition, marking the height of the communal anguish and the turning point where the community fully articulates their deepest fear—that God’s wrath would persist perpetually. This intense, almost confrontational questioning (using hǎ- twice) serves not to challenge God’s existence or power, but rather to appeal to the very essence of His revealed character as a God who does not retain His anger forever but delights in steadfast love (Mic 7:18). This verse serves as a powerful reminder that divine wrath, in the biblical context, is distinct from capricious anger; it is a just response to sin, but often limited by divine compassion and grace, intended to lead to repentance and restoration, not eternal damnation for the repentant.

Psalm 85 5 Commentary

Psalm 85:5 encapsulates the yearning of a community under divine discipline, grappling with the perception of enduring wrath despite acknowledging past forgiveness. It articulates the fundamental tension between God's righteous anger against sin and His enduring nature of mercy and steadfast love. The psalmist's urgent questioning highlights the biblical truth that while God does execute justice through temporal judgment, His wrath is not perpetual for those who are in covenant with Him and seek His face. This verse is a testament to the community's theological understanding that God's character ultimately bends towards compassion and that His punitive actions have a specific purpose and duration, serving to call His people back to Himself rather than destroy them. It underscores that lasting judgment is antithetical to His covenant faithfulness. This plea implicitly reminds God of His promise to forgive and restore, paving the way for the psalm's pivot to hope in divine salvation. Practically, this verse echoes the cry of believers facing trials, trusting that God’s discipline, though painful, is purposeful and will not last endlessly, encouraging continued petition for mercy and revival.