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Psalm 86

David brings mortal danger before the merciful God, asking for rescue and a heart united in reverence and truth.

Violent men are seeking David’s life, and he asks YHWH to hear and preserve him. The heading identifies this as David’s prayer, though it names no particular event. His pleas for mercy rest on God’s goodness and readiness to forgive. The prayer widens to all nations worshiping the one God, then turns toward David’s need for an undivided heart. It closes with a request for strength and a sign of God’s goodness before his enemies.

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1A Prayer by David. Hear, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You, my God, save your servant who trusts in you.
3Be merciful to me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
4Bring joy to the soul of your servant, for to you, Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
6Hear, LORD, my prayer. Listen to the voice of my petitions.
7In the day of my trouble I will call on you, for you will answer me.
8There is no one like you among the gods, Lord, nor any deeds like your deeds.
9All nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord. They shall glorify your name.
10For you are great, and do wondrous things. You are God alone.
11Teach me your way, LORD. I will walk in your truth. Make my heart undivided to fear your name.
12I will praise you, Lord my God, with my whole heart. I will glorify your name forever more.
13For your loving kindness is great toward me. You have delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.
14God, the proud have risen up against me. A company of violent men have sought after my soul, and they don’t hold regard for you before them.
15But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
16Turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give your strength to your servant. Save the son of your servant.
17Show me a sign of your goodness, that those who hate me may see it, and be shamed, because you, LORD, have helped me, and comforted me.
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Key verses
Psalm 86:15God’s mercy and patience stand against the violence of David’s enemies and ground his renewed plea for help.
Psalm 86:5David bases his persistent prayer on God’s goodness, readiness to forgive, and loving kindness toward those who call.
Psalm 86:9The prayer reaches beyond David’s danger to declare that every nation God made will worship and glorify him.
Where this chapter reaches

Psalm 86 shares with Exodus the description of God as merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth. Its vision of all nations worshiping God also appears in Isaiah and Revelation, where the nations come to honor him.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do David’s requests for rescue and an undivided heart reveal about what he seeks from God?

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Which description of God in this prayer shapes what you want to bring before him?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 86

Who wrote Psalm 86, and what was happening?

The heading identifies Psalm 86 as a prayer by David. Verse 14 describes proud, violent men seeking his life, but the psalm gives no names or location. It cannot be tied to a specific episode from the text alone. David asks for preservation, mercy, strength, and visible evidence of God’s help.

What does an undivided heart mean in Psalm 86:11?

David asks God to make his heart undivided so that he will fear God’s name. The surrounding lines connect this request with learning God’s way, walking in his truth, and praising him with a whole heart. The phrase concerns wholehearted devotion to God, including reverence and obedience.

Does Psalm 86:8 say there are other gods?

Verse 8 uses the language of comparison to declare that no god and no deeds can rival the Lord. Verse 10 makes the psalm’s claim explicit: “You are God alone.” The comparison asserts God’s unmatched greatness; it does not establish other gods as divine beings equal to him.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).