HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  85.4–7 The prayer itself that God may grant forgiveness and favor in the present distress.

  85.8–13 The word of the Lord, declared in this situation, is an announcement of salvation by the psalmist or possibly by a priest or prophet. The message is one of peace or well-being (v. 8), which is then elaborated in the following verses.

  85.9 Fear. See note on 34.7.

  85.10–13 Steadfast love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace are divine attributes here personified as messengers or servants who meet in concord (v. 10), fill and cover the earth (v. 12), and go before the Lord as heralds before a king (v. 13). Cf. 89.14.

  PSALM 86

  Supplication for Help against Enemies

  A Prayer of David.

  1Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,

  for I am poor and needy.

  2Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;

  save your servant who trusts in you.

  You are my God; 3be gracious to me, O Lord,

  for to you do I cry all day long.

  4Gladden the soul of your servant,

  for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

  5For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,

  abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.

  6Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer;

  listen to my cry of supplication.

  7In the day of my trouble I call on you,

  for you will answer me.

  8There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,

  nor are there any works like yours.

  9All the nations you have made shall come

  and bow down before you, O Lord,

  and shall glorify your name.

  10For you are great and do wondrous things;

  you alone are God.

  11Teach me your way, O LORD,

  that I may walk in your truth;

  give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

  12I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,

  and I will glorify your name forever.

  13For great is your steadfast love toward me;

  you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

  14O God, the insolent rise up against me;

  a band of ruffians seeks my life,

  and they do not set you before them.

  15But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,

  slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

  16Turn to me and be gracious to me;

  give your strength to your servant;

  save the child of your serving girl.

  17Show me a sign of your favor,

  so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,

  because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

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  86.1–17 An individual’s prayer for help.

  86.1–7 A series of petitions for God’s attention (vv. 1, 6–7) and help (vv. 2–4) are grounded in a number of reasons justifying the prayer and God’s help. The reasons have to do with the plight of the psalmist (vv. 1b, 7a), the devotion of the psalmist (vv. 2a, 2b, 3b, 4b), and the nature of God (vv. 2b, 5, 7b).

  86.8–13 Praise and thanksgiving for God’s help.

  86.8–10 Hymnic exaltation of the power and glory of God.

  86.8 See Ex 15.11; Deut 33.26.

  86.11 A prayer for guidance.

  86.12–13 A vow of thanksgiving in anticipation of deliverance by God.

  86.13 Sheol. See note on 6.5.

  86.14–17 The prayer for help is renewed; the reasons set forth are rooted in God’s gracious character (vv. 15, 17b).

  86.14 The enemies of the psalmist are often characterized as arrogant and indifferent toward God.

  86.15 The psalmist characterizes God in terms of the ancient confessional and liturgical formula of Ex 33.19; 34.6; Num 14.18; Pss 103.8; 145.8. Cf. 86.5.

  86.16 Child of your serving girl, a synonym for your servant; cf. 116.16.

  PSALM 87

  The Joy of Living in Zion

  Of the Korahites. A Psalm. A Song.

  1On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

  2the LORD loves the gates of Zion

  more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

  3Glorious things are spoken of you,

  O city of God.

  Selah

  4Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;

  Philistia too, and Tyre, with Ethiopiaa—

  “This one was born there,” they say.

  5And of Zion it shall be said,

  “This one and that one were born in it”

  for the Most High himself will establish it.

  6The LORD records, as he registers the peoples,

  “This one was born there.”

  Selah

  7Singers and dancers alike say,

  “All my springs are in you.”

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  a Or Nubia; Heb Cush

  87.1–7 A song in praise of Zion. Korahites. See note on 42.1–43.5.

  87.1–3 Praise of Zion, or Jerusalem, as God’s beloved city. Holy mount, lit. “hills of holiness,” possibly reflecting the fact that Jerusalem is built on several hills, but maybe referring to a more mythological notion of primeval mountains. The dwellings of Jacob, probably the other towns and cities. City of God. See 46.4; 48.1, 8. Selah. See note on 3.2.

  87.4–6 Zion is the mother city of all who know the Lord, wherever they are born.

  87.4 The places may represent proselytes to the worship of the God of Israel, or Israelites who have been dispersed to those countries and cities, or both. Rahab, the name of an ancient mythological monster defeated by the Lord, later used as a poetic name for Egypt (89.10; Job 26.12; Isa 30.7; 51.9).

  87.5 Most High. See Deut 32.8, where this epithet is used to designate God as the one who allotted the nations.

  87.6 The LORD records probably refers to the book of life or the book of remembrance, in which are recorded the names of the faithful worshipers of the Lord (Ex 32.32–33; Ps 69.28; Isa 4.3; Dan 12.1; Mal 3.16; Rev 3.5; 13.8; 20.12, 15; 21.27).

  87.7 Although the verse is unclear, the singers and dancers are probably worshipers or those on pilgrimage, and springs is an image of blessing. For springs welling up on the pilgrimage to Zion, see 84.6. For water flowing through Jerusalem as a symbol of life, see 46.4; Ezek 47.1–12; Zech 14.8; Rev 22.1–2.

  PSALM 88

  Prayer for Help in Despondency

  A Song. A Psalm of the Korahites. To the leader: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.

  1O LORD, God of my salvation,

  when, at night, I cry out in your presence,

  2let my prayer come before you;

  incline your ear to my cry.

  3For my soul is full of troubles,

  and my life draws near to Sheol.

  4I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;

  I am like those who have no help,

  5like those forsaken among the dead,

  like the slain that lie in the grave,

  like those whom you remember no more,

  for they are cut off from your hand.

  6You have put me in the depths of the Pit,

  in the regions dark and deep.

  7Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

  and you overwhelm me with all your waves.

  Selah

  8You have caused my companions to shun me;

  you have made me a thing of horror to them.

  I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

  9my eye grows dim through sorrow.

  Every day I call on you, O LORD;

  I spread out my hands to you.

  10Do you work wonders for the dead?

  Do the shades rise up to praise you?

  Selah

  11Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,

  or your faithfulness in Abaddon?

  12Ar
e your wonders known in the darkness,

  or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

  13But I, O LORD, cry out to you;

  in the morning my prayer comes before you.

  14O LORD, why do you cast me off?

  Why do you hide your face from me?

  15Wretched and close to death from my youth up,

  I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.a

  16Your wrath has swept over me;

  your dread assaults destroy me.

  17They surround me like a flood all day long;

  from all sides they close in on me.

  18You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me;

  my companions are in darkness.

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  a Meaning of Heb uncertain

  88.1–18 A prayer for help that is relentless in complaint against God and does not see any assurance of deliverance. Korahites. See note on 42.1–43.5. To the leader. See note on 4.1–8. According to Mahalath Leannoth. Meaning unknown, possibly a melody. Maskil. See note on 32.1–11. Heman the Ezrahite, a wise man (1 Kings 4.31) or leader of a guild of temple musicians (1 Chr 6.33; 15.19; 25.1–8).

  88.1–9a Near death and deserted by friends, the psalmist attributes that plight to God’s wrath.

  88.1–2 A plea for God to hear the persistent prayer.

  88.3–6 Sheol, Pit. See notes on 6.5; 16.10.

  88.7 Selah. See note on 3.2.

  88.9b–12 The plea to be heard is followed again by the fear of death and questions designed to urge God’s help by pointing out that in the realm of death and Sheol not only is the psalmist cut off from God, but God cannot be praised and glorified. Abaddon, “ruin” in Hebrew, a term for the netherworld.

  88.13–18 Questions and assertions complaining of God’s abandonment and the effects of God’s wrath. If the plight of the psalmist is sickness, it is understood as the result of divine punishment. The psalmist is again depicted as near death and suffering the loss of community and companionship.

  88.13 The morning was the time when God was expected to help (cf. 46.5; 90.14; 143.8).

  88.14 Hide your face. See notes on 10.1; 27.9.

  PSALM 89

  God’s Covenant with David

  A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

  1I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD,a forever;

  with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.

  2I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;

  your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

  3You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

  I have sworn to my servant David:

  4‘I will establish your descendants forever,

  and build your throne for all generations.’”

  Selah

  5Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,

  your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.

  6For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?

  Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,

  7a God feared in the council of the holy ones,

  great and awesomeb above all that are around him?

  8O LORD God of hosts,

  who is as mighty as you, O LORD?

  Your faithfulness surrounds you.

  9You rule the raging of the sea;

  when its waves rise, you still them.

  10You crushed Rahab like a carcass;

  you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

  11The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours;

  the world and all that is in it—you have founded them.

  12The north and the southc—you created them;

  Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.

  13You have a mighty arm;

  strong is your hand, high your right hand.

  14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

  steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

  15Happy are the people who know the festal shout,

  who walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance;

  16they exult in your name all day long,

  and extold your righteousness.

  17For you are the glory of their strength;

  by your favor our horn is exalted.

  18For our shield belongs to the LORD,

  our king to the Holy One of Israel.

  19Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said:

  “I have set the crowne on one who is mighty,

  I have exalted one chosen from the people.

  20I have found my servant David;

  with my holy oil I have anointed him;

  21my hand shall always remain with him;

  my arm also shall strengthen him.

  22The enemy shall not outwit him,

  the wicked shall not humble him.

  23I will crush his foes before him

  and strike down those who hate him.

  24My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him;

  and in my name his horn shall be exalted.

  25I will set his hand on the sea

  and his right hand on the rivers.

  26He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,

  my God, and the Rock of my salvation!’

  27I will make him the firstborn,

  the highest of the kings of the earth.

  28Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him,

  and my covenant with him will stand firm.

  29I will establish his line forever,

  and his throne as long as the heavens endure.

  30If his children forsake my law

  and do not walk according to my ordinances,

  31if they violate my statutes

  and do not keep my commandments,

  32then I will punish their transgression with the rod

  and their iniquity with scourges;

  33but I will not remove from him my steadfast love,

  or be false to my faithfulness.

  34I will not violate my covenant,

  or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

  35Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness;

  I will not lie to David.

  36His line shall continue forever,

  and his throne endure before me like the sun.

  37It shall be established forever like the moon,

  an enduring witness in the skies.” Selah

  38But now you have spurned and rejected him;

  you are full of wrath against your anointed.

  39You have renounced the covenant with your servant;

  you have defiled his crown in the dust.

  40You have broken through all his walls;

  you have laid his strongholds in ruins.

  41All who pass by plunder him;

  he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

  42You have exalted the right hand of his foes;

  you have made all his enemies rejoice.

  43Moreover, you have turned back the edge of his sword,

  and you have not supported him in battle.

  44You have removed the scepter from his hand,f

  and hurled his throne to the ground.

  45You have cut short the days of his youth;

  you have covered him with shame.

  Selah

  46How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?

  How long will your wrath burn like fire?

  47Remember how short my time is—g

  for what vanity you have created all mortals!

  48Who can live and never see death?

  Who can escape the power of Sheol?

  Selah

  49Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,

  which by your faithfulness you swore to David?

  50Remember, O Lord, how your servant is taunted;

  how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples,h

  51with which your enemies taunt, O LORD,
>
  with which they taunted the footsteps of your anointed.

  52Blessed be the LORD forever. Amen and Amen.

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  a Gk: Heb the steadfast love of the LORD

  b Gk Syr: Heb greatly awesome

  c Or Zaphon and Yamin

  d Cn: Heb are exalted in

  e Cn: Heb help

  f Cn: Heb removed his cleanness

  g Meaning of Heb uncertain

  h Cn: Heb bosom all of many peoples

  89.1–18 A hymn of praise to God as creator and as the one who chose David and his descendants to be kings forever. Maskil. See note on 32.1–11. Ethan the Ezrahite, a sage (1 Kings 4.31) or temple musician (1 Chr 15.17, 19).

  89.3–4 For the choice of David and his line as a perpetual dynasty, see vv. 19–37; 2 Sam 7.8–16. Covenant…chosen one. Cf. 132.11–12.

  89.4 This verse gives the content of the covenant or oath referred to in v. 3. Selah. See note on 3.2.

  89.5–7 Holy ones, the host of heavenly beings (cf. v. 6) who are understood to make up the divine assembly surrounding the heavenly throne of God. They serve as a court or council in which the Lord utters the divine decrees. On this conception, see 1 Kings 22.19–23; Job 1–2; Ps 82; Jer 23.18, 21–22.

  89.9–10 The creative work of God is seen in terms of a defeat of the powers of chaos. Rahab. See note on 87.4.

  89.12 The north and the south may be either directions, signifying the whole universe, or terms for mountains. The Hebrew term for “north” is Zaphon, also the name of a mountain that was the abode of the Canaanite god Baal. It may represent the abode of God here (cf. note on 48.2). The Hebrew term for “south” is yamin. It is not the name of a mountain but has been identified by some as referring to the Amanus range in Lebanon. Tabor, a mountain in northern Israel, south of the Sea of Galilee. Hermon, a mountain in Syria, frequently mentioned in the Bible because of its great height (cf. 42.6; 133.3).

  89.14 Righteousness and justice are here divine attributes seen as supports for the divine throne and thus as characterizing God’s rule. Steadfast love and faithfulness are other characteristics of God here personified as companions or servants who lead the way of the Lord (cf. 85.10–11).