Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 85:3

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 85:3. Thou hast taken away — אספת asaphta, "Thou hast gathered up all thy wrath." This carries on the metaphor in the second verse: "Thou hast collected all thy wrath, and carried it away with all our iniquities."

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 85-86 The steadfast love of God

Israel had again suffered God’s punishment in being defeated by its enemies. The psalmist reminds God that when this happened in the past, God forgave his people and poured out his blessings on them afresh (85:1-3). Would he not, therefore, in the present crisis do the same once more (4-7)? The psalmist thinks longingly of the spiritual paradise that results when people are living in a right relation with their God. Steadfast love flows down from God and is met by covenant faithfulness from his people (8-11). And as people respond to God’s unfailing goodness, the land will enter a new era of fruitfulness, bringing fresh benefits to God’s people (12-13).

Psalms 86:0 is similar to many psalms that David wrote in his times of distress. Knowing that God is on the side of those who are treated unjustly, the psalmist calls confidently for his help. He trusts in God’s steadfast love (86:1-7). God is supreme. Both creation and history show that he is the only true God (8-10). Therefore, the psalmist desires to know him better, obey him more faithfully and praise him more constantly (11-13). On the basis of God’s close relation with him, he appeals to God to give him strength to escape those who are trying to kill him (14-17).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

GOD'S PAST BENEFICENCE TO ISRAEL

"Jehovah, thou hast been favorable to thy land; Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people; Thou hast covered all their sin. (Selah) Thou hast taken away all thy wrath; Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thy anger."

"Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob" It is true, of course, that these words can mean merely that "God has restored the prosperity of Israel"; but that possibility cannot take away the plain meaning of the passage, namely, that God has returned Israel from their literal captivity. There is just one situation which that fits, i.e., the ending of the captivity in Babylon.

"Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people" When Cyrus not only permitted the return of Israel to Palestine, but also financed the return and ordered the rebuilding of the temple on a scale even larger than that of the temple of Solomon, such unheard-of developments, such a unique example of a defeated and deported nation being repatriated in their own land, fully justified the psalmist's conclusion that God indeed had forgiven the iniquity of the Chosen People which had led to their captivity.

Forgiveness in the ultimate sense, of course, was contingent upon the atonement provided by the Christ on Calvary, but a practical "passing over" of Israel's wickedness on God's part was surely evidenced by the return of the remnant to Palestine.

"Thou hast taken away all thy wrath" The feeling of security that came to the returnees was the result of the backing and encouragement of Cyrus, head of the most powerful nation on earth; and this might account for the fact that the enemies of Israel received no attention in this psalm. With the cessation of God's wrath, enemies made no difference at all.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Thou hast taken away all thy wrath - That is, formerly; on the occasion referred to. Thou didst so deal with thy people as to make it evident that thou didst cherish no anger or displeasure against them.

Thou hast turned thyself ... - Margin, “thine anger from waxing hot.” Literally, Thou didst turn from the heat of thine anger. His indignation was withdrawn, and he was again at peace with them. It is this fact, drawn from the former history of the people, which constitutes the basis of the appeal which follows.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 85:1-13 :

LORD, you have been favourable unto the land: you have brought back the captivity of Jacob. You have forgiven the iniquity of your people; you have covered all of their sins ( Psalms 85:1-2 ).

So the declaration of God. The favor of God to the land and to the people, bringing them back from captivity. And then the goodness of God and the forgiveness of their sins.

Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: you have turned yourself from the fierceness of your anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause your anger toward us to cease ( Psalms 85:3-4 ).

And now he's speaking unto God.

Will you always be angry with us for ever? will you draw out your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again: that your people may rejoice in thee? Show us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is near them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us up in the way of his steps ( Psalms 85:5-13 ).

So the psalm begins with the declaration that God has brought us back. But yet, there hasn't been a full spiritual restoration. It would seem that God isn't really moving yet among His people. So the prayer, "Lord, are You going to be angry forever throughout all generations? Won't You return, you know, revive us again? And that we might have again the rejoicing of the Lord within our hearts. Let us experience, Lord, Your mercies." And then he makes in the end of the psalm the affirmation of his faith in the faithfulness of God. "Surely God's salvation is near. And mercy and truth have met. And righteousness and peace have kissed. For God will give that which is good and the land will yield her increase." "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

The writer began by thanking God for delivering His people. The reference to restoration from captivity (Psalms 85:1) suggests that this psalm may date to the return from Babylonian exile. However, the psalmist may have been referring to a more modest captivity, perhaps at the hand of a neighbor nation. In any case, he viewed Israel’s former enslavement to be the result of her sin and thanked God for pardoning that.

"In Psalms 85:3 a sin is conceived as a burden of the conscience; in Psalms 85:3 b as a blood-stain." [Note: Delitzsch, 3:10.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

1. Thanksgiving and petition 85:1-7

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 85

An anonymous psalmist thanked God for forgiving and restoring His sinning people. He prayed that God would remove His wrath from them and expressed confidence in the nation’s future. Perhaps the genre is a national lament.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Thou hast taken away all thy wrath,.... Or "gathered" n it; sin occasions wrath, and the people of God are as deserving of it as others; but the Lord has gathered it up, and poured it forth upon his Son, and their surety; hence nothing of this kind shall ever fall upon them, either here or hereafter; and it is taken away from them, so as to have no sense, apprehension, or conscience of it, which before the law had wrought in them, when pardon is applied unto them, which is what is here meant; see Isaiah 12:1,

thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger; the anger of God is very fierce against sin and sinners; it is poured forth like fire, and there is no abiding it; but, with respect to the Lord's people, it is pacified by the death of his Son; or he is pacified towards them for all that they have done, for the sake of his righteousness and sacrifice; and which appears to them when he manifests his love and pardoning grace to their souls; see Ezekiel 16:63.

n אספת "collegisti", Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

To the chief musician. A psalm for the sons of Korah.

      1 LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.   2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.   3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.   4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.   5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?   6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?   7 show us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.

      The church, in affliction and distress, is here, by direction from God, making her application to God. So ready is God to hear and answer the prayers of his people that by his Spirit in the word, and in the heart, he indites their petitions and puts words into their mouths. The people of God, in a very low and weak condition, are here taught how to address themselves to God.

      I. They are to acknowledge with thankfulness the great things God had done for them (Psalms 85:1-3; Psalms 85:1-3): "Thou has done so and so for us and our fathers." Note, The sense of present afflictions should not drown the remembrance of former mercies; but, even when we are brought very low, we must call to remembrance past experiences of God's goodness, which we must take notice of with thankfulness, to his praise. They speak of it here with pleasure, 1. That God had shown himself propitious to their land, and had smiled upon it as his own: "Thou hast been favourable to thy land, as thine, with distinguishing favours." Note, The favour of God is the spring-head of all good, and the fountain of happiness, to nations, as well as to particular persons. It was by the favour of God that Israel got and kept possession of Canaan (Psalms 44:3); and, if he had not continued very favourable to them, they would have been ruined many a time. 2. That he had rescued them out of the hands of their enemies and restored them to their liberty: "Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob, and settled those in their own land again that had been driven out and were strangers in a strange land, prisoners in the land of their oppressors." The captivity of Jacob, though it may continue long, will be brought back in due time. 3. That he had not dealt with them according to the desert of their provocations (Psalms 85:2; Psalms 85:2): "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, and not punished them as in justice thou mightest. Thou hast covered all their sin." When God forgives sin he covers it; and, when he covers the sin of his people, he covers it all. The bringing back of their captivity was then an instance of God's favour to them, when it was accompanied with the pardon of their iniquity. 4. That he had not continued his anger against them so far, and so long, as they had reason to fear (Psalms 85:3; Psalms 85:3): "Having covered all their sin, thou hast taken away all thy wrath;" for when sin is set aside God's anger ceases; God is pacified if we are purified. See what the pardon of sin is: Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, that is, "Thou hast turned thy anger from waxing hot, so as to consume us in the flame of it. In compassion to us thou hast not stirred up all thy wrath, but, when an intercessor has stood before thee in the gap, thou hast turned away thy anger."

      II. They are taught to pray to God for grace and mercy, in reference to their present distress; this is inferred from the former: "Thou hast done well for our fathers; do well for us, for we are the children of the same covenant." 1. They pray for converting grace: "Turn us, O God of our salvation! in order to the turning of our captivity; turn us from iniquity; turn us to thyself and to our duty; turn us, and we shall be turned." All those whom God will save sooner or later he will turn. If no conversion, no salvation. 2. They pray for the removal of the tokens of God's displeasure which they were under: "Cause thine anger towards us to cease, as thou didst many a time cause it to cease in the days of our fathers, when thou didst take away thy wrath from them." Observe the method, "First turn us to thee, and then cause thy anger to turn from us." When we are reconciled to God, then, and not till then, we may expect the comfort of his being reconciled to us. 3. They pray for the manifestation of God's good-will to them (Psalms 85:7; Psalms 85:7): "Show us thy mercy, O Lord! show thyself merciful to us; not only have mercy on us, but let us have the comfortable evidences of that mercy; let us know that thou hast mercy on us and mercy in store for us." 4. They pray that God would, graciously to them and gloriously to himself, appear on their behalf: "Grant us thy salvation; grant it by thy promise, and then, no doubt, thou wilt work it by thy providence." Note, The vessels of God's mercy are the heirs of his salvation; he shows mercy to those to whom he grants salvation; for salvation is of mere mercy.

      III. They are taught humbly to expostulate with God concerning their present troubles, Psalms 85:5; Psalms 85:6. Here observe, 1. What they dread and deprecate: "Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? We are undone if thou art, but we hope thou wilt not. Wilt thou draw out thy anger unto all generations? No; thou art gracious, slow to anger, and swift to show mercy, and wilt not contend for ever. Thou wast not angry with our fathers for ever, but didst soon turn thyself from the fierceness of thy wrath; why then wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Are not thy mercies and compassions as plentiful and powerful as ever they were? Impenitent sinners God will be angry with for ever; for what is hell but the wrath of God drawn out unto endless generations? But shall a hell upon earth be the lot of thy people?" 2. What they desire and hope for: "Wilt thou not revive us again (Psalms 85:6; Psalms 85:6), revive us with comforts spoken to us, revive us with deliverances wrought for us? Thou hast been favourable to thy land formerly, and that revived it; wilt thou not again be favourable, and so revive it again?" God had granted to the children of the captivity some reviving in their bondage,Ezra 9:8. Their return out of Babylon was as life from the dead,Ezekiel 37:11; Ezekiel 37:12. Now, Lord (say they), wilt thou not revive us again, and put thy hand again the second time to gather us in? Isaiah 126:1; Isaiah 126:4; Psalms 126:1; Psalms 126:4. Revive thy work in the midst of the years,Habakkuk 3:2. "Revive us again," (1.) "That thy people may rejoice; and so we shall have the comfort of it," Psalms 14:7. Give them life, that they may have joy. (2.) "That they may rejoice in thee; and so thou wilt have the glory of it." If God be the fountain of all our mercies, he must be the centre of all our joys.