Psalm 86 is the prayer of a poor and needy servant who lifts up his soul to the Lord. It is a cry for preservation, mercy, and strength in the day of trouble. The Psalm moves from personal distress to the confession of God’s greatness and the vision of all nations coming to worship before Him.
The spiritual center is the confidence that God is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy and true. The prayer for a token for good is the request for a sign that God has helped and comforted.
Psalm 86 (LXX 85) - Incline Thine Ear O Lord
Psalm Metadata
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| NKJV / Masoretic numbering | Psalm 86 |
| Septuagint / Coptic numbering | Psalm 85 |
| Accepted author | A Prayer of David. |
| Period in author’s life | A personal prayer in distress, expressing the heart of a servant who hopes in God. |
| Christ prophecy status | Typological and Christological. The poor and needy servant, the coming of all nations to worship, and the token for good point to Christ as the Savior of the nations and the one who establishes the sign of the Cross. |
| Coptic lectionary/service use | Verified local rows preserve printed Psalm 86 references in Agpeya Sixth Hour, Veil Prayer, Midnight First Watch, and Sunday contexts. |
| Numbering issue | This note embeds Brenton LXX Psalm 85. The local lectionary rows cited here preserve printed Psalm 86 references. |
Historical and Scriptural Context
Psalm 86 is attributed to David and is a personal prayer. It draws on many themes from other Psalms: the poor and needy, the lifting up of the soul, the day of trouble, the greatness of God, the coming of the nations, and the prayer for a sign.
The Psalm is a mosaic of trust in the midst of distress.
Geographical Significance ⛰️
The geography is spiritual: the lowest hell, the way of the Lord, the truth. The soul is in distress, but the prayer lifts it up to the God who delivers from the lowest hell.
The Characters 👥
David / the praying servant. The voice is the voice of a servant who is poor, needy, holy, and hoping in God.
All nations. The vision of the Gentiles coming to worship before the Lord.
God. The only God, great, doing wonders, compassionate, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in mercy and true.
🕯️ Light from the Word
Psalm 85:1-7, the cry of the poor and needy
85:1 A Prayer of David. O Lord, incline thine ear, and hearken to me; for I am poor and needy. 85:2 Preserve my soul, for I am holy; save thy servant, O God, who hopes in thee. 85:3 Pity me, O Lord: for to thee will I cry all the day. 85:4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for to thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. 85:5 For thou, O Lord, art kind, and gentle; and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee. 85:6 Give ear to my prayer, O Lord; and attend to the voice of my supplication. 85:7 In the day of my trouble I cried to thee: for thou didst hear me.
The Psalm begins with the cry: “O Lord, incline thine ear, and hearken to me; for I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul, for I am holy; save thy servant, O God, who hopes in thee.”
The servant is poor, needy, holy, and hoping. He cries all the day, lifts up his soul, and asks God to rejoice the soul of His servant.
St Augustine sees here the voice of Christ and the Church. The poor and needy is the one who has nothing in himself and everything in God.
Theodoret refuses to make poverty and holiness opposites. He says the prayer begins from a lowly attitude, and that David and Hezekiah, though possessing righteousness, focus on “natural poverty” and ask God to take pity. He explains the opening image vividly: “Incline your ear” is like a sick person too weak to speak loudly, requiring the physician to bring his ear down to the mouth. Prayer begins when the soul stops pretending it is strong.
This makes the first unit a school of humility. The holy person is not the self-sufficient person. The holy person is the one who hopes in God because he knows his need.
Lesson Guide
- Key phrases: “I am poor and needy”; “preserve my soul, for I am holy.”
- Emphasize: holiness and neediness can coexist in the servant of God.
- Avoid: separating holiness from dependence on God.
Psalm 85:8-13, there is none like to thee, O Lord
85:8 There is none like to thee, O Lord, among the gods; and there are no works like to thy works. 85:9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come, and shall worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. 85:10 For thou art great, and doest wonders: thou art the only and the great God. 85:11 Guide me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: let my heart rejoice, that I may fear thy name. 85:12 I will give thee thanks, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify thy name for ever. 85:13 For thy mercy is great toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
The confession is universal: “There is none like to thee, O Lord, among the gods; and there are no works like to thy works. All nations whom thou hast made shall come, and shall worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.”
The prayer is for guidance in the way, walking in truth, rejoicing in the fear of the name, giving thanks with the whole heart, and glorifying the name forever.
St Augustine sees the coming of all nations as the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. The fear of the name is the beginning of wisdom.
Theodoret gives the historical edge: the confession “There is none like to thee among the gods” answers Rabshakeh’s blasphemy in 2 Kings 18:35, where the Assyrian spokesman mocked the Lord as though He were one failed god among many. The Psalm answers that idols have “a name lacking substance,” while the Lord’s name corresponds to reality.
Then Theodoret moves beyond Hezekiah to Christ: “The time after the Incarnation of our God and Savior demonstrated the truth of the prophecy.” After the saving Passion, the apostles were sent to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19), dispelling ignorance and causing believers to worship the God who saves.
The Psalm therefore joins apologetics, mission, and prayer. We confess the true God not to win arguments, but so all nations may worship before Him.
Lesson Guide
- Key phrases: “All nations whom thou hast made shall come”; “guide me, O Lord, in thy way.”
- Emphasize: the worship of the one God is the destiny of all nations.
- Avoid: limiting the Psalm to personal piety. It has a missionary horizon.
Psalm 85:14-17, the token for good
85:14 O God, transgressors have risen up against me, and an assembly of violent men have sought my life; and have not set thee before them. 85:15 But thou, O Lord God, art compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy and true. 85:16 Look thou upon me, and have mercy upon me: give thy strength to thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. 85:17 Establish with me a token for good; and let them that hate me see it and be ashamed; because thou, O Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.
The distress returns: “O God, transgressors have risen up against me, and an assembly of violent men have sought my life; and have not set thee before them.”
But the confidence is firm: “But thou, O Lord God, art compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy and true.”
The prayer is for a token for good: “Establish with me a token for good; and let them that hate me see it and be ashamed; because thou, O Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.”
St Augustine says the token for good is the sign of the Cross, the help and comfort of Christ. The enemies see it and are ashamed.
Theodoret makes the same movement with striking force. He distinguishes signs of retribution, like those in Egypt, from signs of salvation, like those given to the Hebrews. The Psalm does not ask for spectacle. It asks for “a sign that brings salvation.” He then names the fulfillment: “It was appropriate for the God from God to bestow on the nations the cross as a good sign, through which he defeated the common enemy and set up a trophy against demons and passions.”
The token for good is therefore not a private reassurance detached from repentance. It is the Cross, the sign by which enemies are shamed, demons are defeated, passions are conquered, and the servant is comforted.
Lesson Guide
- Key phrases: “Establish with me a token for good”; “thou hast helped me, and comforted me.”
- Emphasize: the sign of God’s help is the Cross.
- Avoid: asking for a sign without the willingness to bear the Cross.
The Church’s Voice in Worship 📖
The Coptic Orthodox lectionary preserves printed Psalm 86 references in several settings.
In the Agpeya Sixth Hour, Psalm 86 is prayed at the hour of the Cross. The poor and needy servant stands beneath the sign for good, asking for mercy from the One who helps and comforts through His Passion.
In the Veil Prayer, especially associated with monastic use, Psalm 86 becomes a night prayer of dependence: “Guide me, O Lord, in thy way” and “let my heart rejoice, that I may fear thy name.” It fits the hidden watchfulness of the monk and of every Christian guarding the heart.
In the Midnight Prayer, First Watch, the Psalm’s cry “all the day” becomes the Church’s cry through the night. The believer waits for mercy while the world sleeps.
In Holy Fifty Days and Hator Sunday rows, verses around Psalm 86:10 and 12 are used to confess the one great God and glorify His name. The resurrection season and Nativity Fast both draw on the same truth: the nations are called to worship the Lord who alone does wonders.
Iconography Connection 🖼️
Psalm 86 connects with icons of David the Psalmist, the coming of the nations to Christ, and the sign of the Cross as the token for good.
Spiritual Fruit 🍇
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Pray without pretending strength. Say, “I am poor and needy,” not as self-hatred but as truth before the Physician.
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Ask for an undivided heart. The line “Guide me, O Lord, in thy way” should become a daily examination: where is my heart divided between God’s way and my own control?
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Turn personal prayer outward. The Psalm moves from “incline thine ear to me” to “all nations shall worship before thee.” Real prayer enlarges the heart.
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Receive the Cross as the token for good. Do not ask God only for signs of comfort. Ask Him to mark your life with the Cross that defeats passions and teaches hope.
Teacher's Notes
- Timing: 10 minutes for the cry of the poor, 15 minutes for the confession of God’s greatness, 15 minutes for the token for good, 10 minutes for lectionary and application.
- Where to linger: Psalm 85:9 and 85:17.
- Where to compress: the list of attributes. Focus on the movement from distress to confidence.
- Pastoral warning: do not separate the personal prayer from the missionary vision. The Psalm holds both.
- Key phrase to say slowly: “All nations whom thou hast made shall come, and shall worship before thee.”
Glossary
- Poor and needy: The one who has nothing in himself and everything in God.
- Token for good: The sign of God’s help, ultimately the Cross.
- All nations: The Gentiles called to the worship of the one God.
Translation and Source Notes
Embedded Scripture is Brenton’s English Septuagint, Psalm 85. The study title uses NKJV/Masoretic numbering first, Psalm 86, with LXX 85 in parentheses. Local lectionary rows cited here preserve printed Psalm 86 references.
Sources
Primary sources: Brenton Septuagint, Psalm 85; St Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 85 in the older English numbering tradition corresponding to LXX Psalm 85; Theodoret of Cyrus, Commentary on Psalm 85 in the Hill translation.
Coptic Orthodox / liturgical sources: Coptic Orthodox lectionary lectionary references and Agpeya data for printed Psalm 86 rows.