Bible Commentaries
Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible
Psalms 85
LXXXV. Prayer for the Completion of Israel's Restoration.—The Ps. falls clearly into two halves. Psalms 85:1-7 is a prayer to God. It begins (Psalms 85:1-3) by commemorating God's mercy. He had restored His people (see on Psalms 14:7) and forgiven their sin, but the expectation of Jewish saints remained unfulfilled (Psalms 85:4-7). The reference may be to the hopes raised by the "Second Isaiah" (Isaiah 40-55). Israel did return under Cyrus (pp. 77f.), but the hopes of coming glory were disappointed.
The second half, on the contrary (Psalms 85:8-13), is not a prayer to God but a revelation from God, uttered perhaps by a prophet. The long-looked-for glory will surely come.
Psalms 85:8 b. unto: read, "concerning."—saints: see Psalms 4:3*.
Psalms 85:8 c. Read, "and concerning those who turn to Him with their heart" (LXX).
Psalms 85:9. his salvation: i.e. the Messianic age.—glory: the light in which God lives (set Isaiah 24:23). It was present in Solomon's Temple and in the Tabernacle but not in the second Temple, but it was to return. Observe that the religious blessing, the glory of God, comes first; then the moral virtues, mercy, truth, righteousness, peace; lastly the material blessing of abundant harvests.
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