Psalms 85 Overview
The sons of Korah remember that God has forgiven and restored before, ask Him to revive His people again, listen for peace, and envision mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace meeting together.
Before you read Psalms 85
Coming from
Psalm 84 centered on longing for god's courts and blessed pilgrimage. Psalms is an anthology rather than a continuous chronological story, so the connection here is canonical and thematic.
In this chapter
The sons of Korah remember that God has forgiven and restored before, ask Him to revive His people again, listen for peace, and envision mercy, truth, righteousness, and peace meeting together.
Leads into
Psalm 86 turns to david's prayer for mercy, an undivided heart, and deliverance, continuing the Psalter’s arranged movement without requiring that the two psalms describe consecutive historical events.
Key understandingExplore deeper
Psalm 85 belongs to Book III of the Psalter (Psalms 73–89). The psalm distinguishes a past act of restoration from the need for further renewal, which cautions against forcing it into one precisely dated event.
Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper
Central truth
Prayer for renewed mercy after earlier restoration.
Communal Lament truth
In Psalm 85, the covenant community can bring shared disaster and national grief before God without pretending the loss is small.
Covenant truth
In Psalm 85, god’s covenant faithfulness remains the standard even when His people are unstable or disobedient.
Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper
Communal Lament connection
Daniel 9 likewise joins confession of national sin with appeal to God’s mercy. This connection helps frame Psalm 85.
Covenant connection
Exodus 34:6-7 reveals the LORD’s merciful yet just covenant character. This connection helps frame Psalm 85.
What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper
Keep communal lament in context
Keep the national/covenant catastrophe in Psalm 85 distinct from an individual believer’s eternal standing before God.
Keep covenant in context
Do not confuse covenant blessing or chastening in Psalm 85 with a works-based condition for receiving eternal life.
Read Psalms 85 watching for…
favoured land.
turn us O God.
revive us again.
mercy and truth meet.
land yield increase.