Psalm 65:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.

NIV: You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.

NASB: You who hear prayer, To You all mankind comes.

CSB: All humanity will come to you, the one who hears prayer.

NLT: for you answer our prayers. All of us must come to you.

KJV: O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

NKJV: O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come.

David reiterates that God hears prayer. This would encourage the people of Israel to pour out their hearts to the Lord in praise and in confession of sin (Psalm 65:3). God had spoken directly to Israel as His chosen people (Exodus 19—23), yet here David implies that the entire world of men will, eventually, come to acknowledge the Lord (Psalm 86:9; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10–11).

In Isaiah 45:22 the Lord calls upon all men, from the entire world, to turn to Him and be saved. He says, "For I am God, and there is none other." One of the reasons God formed Israel was to serve as a witness to the Gentiles (Deuteronomy 4:4–6; Isaiah 49:1–6). But the nation did not respond well to her calling. They failed to keep the Mosaic covenant, thus failing to be a tangible example of God's holiness and His goodness. When God commissioned Jonah to preach in Nineveh, Jonah rebelled. He boarded a ship bound for Tarshish (Jonah 1). Only God's disciplinary action that involved a large fish persuaded Jonah to obey the Lord (Jonah 2—3). Centuries later, Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Romans 10:13 promises that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Psalm 65:1–4 affirms that God hears prayers and forgives His people's sins. Whoever seeks to follow God's will experiences blessing. The Lord provides the ultimate satisfaction and the greatest measure of goodness. This is expressed, in part, through worship in places such as the temple.

David begins by anticipating praise to the Lord, expecting that He will bring atonement, fellowship, and blessing. The psalm mentions God's miraculous examples before referring to various natural examples of His provision. These benefits are both visible and available to all people of the world.

Psalms 65—68 express praise to the Lord using frequent references to nature and harvest. Only this and psalm 68 are explicitly credited to David. This song also thanks God for His kindness to His people; it encourages worshipers to offer thanksgiving. The song might have been meant to celebrate an especially abundant harvest.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.