What does Psalm 85:11 mean?
ESV: Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.
NIV: Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
NASB: Truth sprouts from the earth, And righteousness looks down from heaven.
CSB: Truth will spring up from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven.
NLT: Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
KJV: Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
NKJV: Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Verse Commentary:
Verse Context:
Psalm 85:8–13 promises to listen closely to God's words. The first sections of this psalm suggest a prayer to heal a backsliding nation. God had forgiven and restored Israel once before (Psalm 85:1–3). There is an appeal for the Lord to do this once again (Psalm 85:4–7). In the closing section, the psalmist depicts an intersection between God's attributes of love and righteousness leading to a blessing on Israel.
Chapter Summary:
This psalm looks back to a time when God forgave Israel and restored them. Perhaps during a new time of backsliding, the psalmist prays that the Lord would repeat this work of healing. The song ends with a hopeful description of God's encouraging attributes and an assumption that He will answer these prayers.
Chapter Context:
No specific event is associated with this psalm. However, mentions of forgiveness and restoration suggest the initial return from foreign captivity. Israel was captured because of their sin (Lamentations 1:5; Jeremiah 25:11) but God promised a return (Ezekiel 37:1–14). Stages of Israel's return are recorded in the book of Ezra. Another possibility is that the psalmist looks back on the return from exile and prays for God to work a similar miracle in the people's hearts once again. Other psalms labeled with the "Sons of Korah" are 42, 44—49, 84, and 87—88.
Book Summary:
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.
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