Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 86 (MT) / Psalm 85 (LXX) is the only Davidic psalm in Book III — a personal prayer of an afflicted servant with a remarkable density of quotations from other OT texts (Exodus 34:6 at v. 15, Isaiah 66:1 at v. 9 content, Deuteronomy 4:35 at v. 10). Verse 11's 'teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name' is one of the Psalter's most-quoted prayers for inner-integration. The psalm's v. 9 'all the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord' is foundational for Gentile-inclusion theology.
Notable Variants
86:15 Exodus 34:6 citation — the divine-character-revelation formula; 86:9 'all the nations shall come and worship before you' as universal-worship eschatology → Rev 15:4; 86:11 'teach me your way … unite my heart' as inner-integration prayer.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 86 = LXX Ps 85. 17 verses. Only Davidic psalm in Book III.
A prayer of David. Bend down Your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am afflicted and needy.
'Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy' tracks MT. Self-designation as poor-and-needy (anī ve-evyon) — the anawim-identity the NT-Beatitudes extend.
Guard my life, for I am devoted to You. Save Your servant, O my God — the one who trusts in You.
'Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you — you are my God' tracks MT. 'GODLY' (chasid / hosios) — covenant-faithful. The 'my God' confession — John 20:28's 'my Lord and my God' (Thomas) fulfills.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You I call all day long.
'Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day' tracks MT.
Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
'Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul' tracks MT. LIFT-UP-MY-SOUL prayer-posture.
For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in faithful love to all who call on You.
'For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you' tracks MT. GOOD-FORGIVING-ABOUNDING divine-character. Romans 10:12 ('the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him') echoes 'abounding to all who call upon.'
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; attend to the voice of my pleas for mercy.
'Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace' tracks MT.
In the day of my distress I call on You, for You will answer me.
'In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me' tracks MT.
There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, and nothing compares to Your works.
'There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours' tracks MT. MONOTHEISTIC-INCOMPARABILITY formula — Exodus 15:11 ('who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?'), Ps 89:6. The rhetorical-polytheistic acknowledgment serves monotheistic-praise.
All the nations You have made will come and bow down before You, O Lord, and glorify Your name.
'All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name' tracks MT. UNIVERSAL-WORSHIP eschatology. Revelation 15:4 ('who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? … all nations will come and worship you,' panta ta ethnē hēxousin kai proskynēsousin enōpion sou) cites this verse almost verbatim — making the psalm the direct source of Revelation's final-worship vision.
For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
'For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God' tracks MT. 'YOU ALONE ARE GOD' (monos su ei theos) — the shema-monotheism signature. John 17:3 ('eternal life, that they may know YOU THE ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent') extends.
Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name.
'Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name' tracks MT. UNITE-MY-HEART prayer. The 'unite' (yached / henōson) — from the root of echad ('one') in the Shema — prays for inner-integration: heart's divided-loyalties gathered into single-fear-of-God. One of the Psalter's most-prayed prayer-for-wholeness.
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forever.
'I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever' tracks MT.
For Your faithful love toward me is great, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
'For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol' tracks MT. SHEOL-DELIVERANCE (Ps 16:10 pattern) — pre-resurrection post-mortem-rescue hope.
O God, the arrogant have risen against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life — they do not set You before them.
'O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seek my life, and they do not set you before them' tracks MT.
But You, O Lord, are a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love and truth.
'But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness' tracks MT. EXODUS 34:6 CITATION. The divine-character-revelation formula from Sinai, preserved across Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalms 103:8, 145:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, Nahum 1:3. This is the Hebrew Bible's most-cited self-description of God. Its nine-attribute catalogue (merciful, gracious, slow-to-anger, abounding-in-chesed, in-emet) defines OT-theology's divine-character-summary.
Turn to me and be gracious to me; give Your strength to Your servant and save the son of Your maidservant.
'Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant' tracks MT. 'SON OF YOUR MAIDSERVANT' (ben-amathekha / hyios tēs paidiskēs sou) — covenant-belonging-by-descent through a believing mother. Remarkably, Psalm 116:16 uses the identical phrase; both psalms thus share this unusual-self-designation.
Show me a sign of Your goodness, so that those who hate me will see it and be put to shame, because You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
'Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me' tracks MT. Sign-of-favor petition — Matthew 12:38–42's 'sign of Jonah' response engages the seek-a-sign tradition.