Chapter Eighty-Five

This psalm contains David’s prayer to God for deliverance from the dangers he experienced during persecution by enemies. The commonality of describing his condition and the absence of any exact historical references to when the psalm originated give equal grounds to consider it written either during the persecution from Saul or from Absalom. The latter is more probable, because David calls those who rose against him a “mob of rebels” (Ps 85:14), which were all his enemies in the rebellion of Absalom, because they marched against their lawful king.

Hear and protect me, O Lord, who places hope only in Your mercy, for You are good to all who call upon You (1–6). In the day of sorrow I turn to You, as the one true God, before whom all nations shall bow (7–10). Teach me, O Lord, to follow Your truth and I will praise You for Your salvation (11–13). Rebellious enemies have risen against me and I turn to You, most merciful: have mercy, save me and shame my enemies (14–17).

Psalm 85:1. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear me, for I am poor and needy. “Poor and needy” – I find myself in a calamitous, materially destitute condition and helpless.

Psalm 85:4. Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul, Grant me joy, save me from enemies. I seek protection from You, for I have dedicated my life to You alone (“to You I lift up my soul”) and entrust it to You.

Psalm 85:7. In the day of my sorrow I call upon You, because You will hear me. Because my hope in You is sincere and deep, I am confident that You will hear my prayer.

Psalm 85:8. There is none among the gods like You, O Lord, and there are no deeds like Your deeds. Psalm 85:9. All nations whom You have made shall come and bow down before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name, Psalm 85:10. for You are great and work wonders, – You, God, are You alone. Contain a clear and precise confession of David’s faith – You, O Lord, are the one and true God, immeasurably surpassing the gods of the pagans. This truth, held now only by the Hebrews, will in time become the possession of the whole world and all nations.

Psalm 85:11. Teach me, O Lord, Your way, and I will walk in Your truth; make firm my heart in the fear of Your name. “Teach me, O Lord, Your way” (Church Slavonic) – teach me to follow Your commandments. – “Make firm my heart in the fear of Your name” – let reverence before You be the foundation of my inner life. In these few words is vividly expressed David’s pious disposition, which finds happiness and joy of life in constant and unbroken piety. The word “make firm” gives grounds to suppose that David was not always “firm,” i.e., sometimes departed from God’s commandments. An allusion to the transgression with Bathsheba and indirect confirmation of the origin of the psalm from the era of persecutions by Absalom.

Psalm 85:13. for Your mercy toward me is great: You have delivered my soul from the depths of Hades. “Delivered my soul from Hades” – saved, or more precisely, rescued my life from destruction several times.

Psalm 85:14. O God! the proud have risen against me, and a mob of rebels seeks my soul: they do not regard You before them. “They do not regard You before them” – see Ps 53:5.

Psalm 85:16. Look upon me and have mercy on me; grant Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your handmaiden; “Grant strength” – strength to endure persecution. “Grant” – this strength is God’s gift, not something David merited. Psalms 83, 84, and 85 comprise the content of the 9th hour, dedicated to the remembrance of the Savior’s death. The Savior’s cross freed man from the power of the devil and sin, led him out of the “valley of tears” (Ps 83:7), out of the bondage of sin (Ps 84:2), granting him the new covenant blessings and goods (Ps 84:11). The great work of man’s redemption will be accompanied by the conversion to God of all the nations (Ps 85:9) and will be worthily praised “forever” (Ps 85:12). These psalms, by explaining the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice, which was to be offered at the liturgy, through the example of Hebrews led out of captivity, serve as good guidance for creating appropriate reverence in those who pray and are present at the liturgy.