Righteousness and Peace Have Kissed
Psalm 85 summary: what it means
Psalm 85 begins by looking back. God has been favorable to his land, restored the fortunes of Jacob, forgiven the people's iniquity and set aside his anger. Then it turns to the present, which is clearly harder. The people ask God to turn them again, and ask whether he will be angry forever. Verse 6 is the heart of the request: will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you.
In verse 8 the writer stops asking and starts listening. He expects God to speak peace to his people. What follows is a picture: mercy and truth meet, righteousness and peace kiss, truth springs up from the earth and righteousness looks down from heaven. The land yields its increase, and righteousness goes ahead to prepare God's way.
Psalm 85: Righteousness and Peace Have Kissed
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-85
Psalm 85 commentary: explained verse by verse
LORD, you have been favorable to your land.You have restored the fortunes of Jacob.
LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
The psalm opens with memory. God has been favorable to his land and restored the fortunes of Jacob, so the prayer begins with what God has already done.
Also read Psalm 126:1-2, Ezekiel 39:25, Joel 2:18, Ezra 1:11-1
You have forgiven the iniquity of your people.You have covered all their sin. Selah.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
Forgiveness is described in two ways: God has forgiven the iniquity of his people and covered all their sin. This past forgiveness is the ground for asking again.
Also read Psalm 78:38, Numbers 14:19, Micah 7:18, Psalm 32:1
You have taken away all your wrath.You have turned from the fierceness of your anger.
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
Also read Psalm 106:23, Exodus 32:11-12, Jonah 3:9, Isaiah 6:7
Turn us, God of our salvation,and cause your indignation toward us to cease.
Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
The request is for God to turn the people and to let his indignation cease. They ask to be changed themselves, not only for their circumstances to change.
Also read Lamentations 5:21, Micah 7:7, John 4:22, Malachi 4:6
Will you be angry with us forever?Will you draw out your anger to all generations?
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
Two honest questions follow. Will you be angry with us forever, and will your anger last to all generations.
Also read Luke 21:24, Isaiah 64:9-12, Psalm 79:5, Psalm 77:9
Won’t you revive us again,that your people may rejoice in you?
Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
The request of verse 4 grows here. The people ask God to revive them again, so that they may rejoice in him.
Also read Psalm 138:7, Hosea 6:2, Jeremiah 33:11, Psalm 80:18
Show us your loving kindness, LORD.Grant us your salvation.
Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
Also read Jeremiah 42:12, Psalm 50:23, Psalm 91:16
I will hear what God, the LORD, will speak,for he will speak peace to his people, his saints;but let them not turn again to folly.
I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
The writer decides to listen. He expects God to speak peace to his people, with a warning attached: let them not turn again to folly.
Also read 1 Samuel 25:25, Zechariah 9:10, Isaiah 57:19, Psalm 130:4
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,that glory may dwell in our land.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
Salvation is said to be near those who fear God. The purpose given is that glory may dwell in the land.
Also read Haggai 2:7-9, Psalm 50:23, Mark 12:32-34, Psalm 119:155
Mercy and truth meet together.Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
In this verse mercy and truth meet, and righteousness and peace kiss, a picture of qualities that could seem to pull apart coming together.
Also read Luke 2:14, John 1:17, Isaiah 45:24, Jeremiah 23:5-6
Truth springs out of the earth.Righteousness has looked down from heaven.
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Truth springs out of the earth and righteousness looks down from heaven. The verse shows goodness coming from below and from above at the same time.
Also read Isaiah 4:2, 1 John 5:20-21, Luke 2:14, Matthew 3:17
Yes, the LORD will give that which is good.Our land will yield its increase.
Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
The LORD will give what is good, and the land will yield its increase. The picture in the previous verses becomes a practical one: a harvest.
Also read Psalm 84:11, Leviticus 26:4, Psalm 67:6, Matthew 13:8
Righteousness goes before him,and prepares the way for his steps.
Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
The psalm ends with righteousness walking ahead of God. It prepares the way for his steps, like someone clearing a road.
Also read Isaiah 58:8, Matthew 20:27-28, 1 Peter 2:18-24, Psalm 72:2-3
A prayer from Psalm 85
LORD, you have been favorable before. You forgave your people and covered all their sin, and you turned from your anger. Turn us again now, God of our salvation. Will you be angry forever? Revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you. Show us your loving kindness and grant us your salvation. I will listen for what you will say, because you speak peace to your people. Keep me from turning back to folly. Let mercy and truth meet together, and let righteousness and peace kiss each other. Let righteousness go before you and prepare the way for your steps. Amen.
Psalm 85 Bible study questions
- In verses 1 to 3, what has God already done for the land and the people, according to the psalm?
- Verse 10 pairs mercy with truth and righteousness with peace; what picture does the verse use for their meeting?
- The psalm remembers past restoration before asking for it again in verse 6; how might remembering the past shape the way you ask for help now?
- Verse 8 says the writer will hear what God will speak; what might it look like to listen before asking for more?
- Psalm 126:4 also asks God to restore fortunes again; how do its images compare with those in Psalm 85?
Questions about Psalm 85
What is the meaning of Psalm 85?
It is a community prayer that recalls past forgiveness, asks God to revive his people again, and ends with a picture of mercy, truth, righteousness and peace meeting in the land.
Who wrote Psalm 85?
The heading attributes it to the sons of Korah, for the Chief Musician. No individual writer is named.
What does Psalm 85:2 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads: "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah."
What does Psalm 85:6 ask?
It asks God to revive his people again so that they can rejoice in him.
What does Psalm 85:10 mean?
It describes mercy and truth meeting and righteousness and peace kissing. The KJV words it "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."
What does Psalm 85:12 mean?
It promises that the LORD will give what is good and that the land will yield its increase, turning the psalm's hope into the image of a good harvest.
Psalm 85 KJV: the King James Version
LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.1
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.2
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.3
Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.4
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?5
Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?6
Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.7
I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.8
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.9
Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.10
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.11
Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.12
Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.13
Psalm 85 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀ לִבְנֵי־קֹ֬רַח מִזְמֽוֹר׃
2 רָצִ֣יתָ יְהוָ֣ה אַרְצֶ֑ךָ שַׁ֝֗בְתָּ שבות יַעֲקֹֽב׃
3 נָ֭שָׂאתָ עֲוֺ֣ן עַמֶּ֑ךָ כִּסִּ֖יתָ כָל־חַטָּאתָ֣ם סֶֽלָה׃
4 אָסַ֥פְתָּ כָל־עֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ הֱ֝שִׁיב֗וֹתָ מֵחֲר֥וֹן אַפֶּֽךָ׃
5 שׁ֭וּבֵנוּ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׁעֵ֑נוּ וְהָפֵ֖ר כַּֽעַסְךָ֣ עִמָּֽנוּ׃
6 הַלְעוֹלָ֥ם תֶּֽאֱנַף־בָּ֑נוּ תִּמְשֹׁ֥ךְ אַ֝פְּךָ֗ לְדֹ֣ר וָדֹֽר׃
7 הֲֽלֹא־אַ֭תָּה תָּשׁ֣וּב תְּחַיֵּ֑נוּ וְ֝עַמְּךָ֗ יִשְׂמְחוּ־בָֽךְ׃
8 הַרְאֵ֣נוּ יְהוָ֣ה חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝יֶשְׁעֲךָ֗ תִּתֶּן־לָֽנוּ׃
9 אֶשְׁמְעָ֗ה מַה־יְדַבֵּר֮ הָאֵ֪ל ׀ יְה֫וָ֥ה כִּ֤י ׀ יְדַבֵּ֬ר שָׁל֗וֹם אֶל־עַמּ֥וֹ וְאֶל־חֲסִידָ֑יו וְֽאַל־יָשׁ֥וּבוּ לְכִסְלָֽה׃
10 אַ֤ךְ ׀ קָר֣וֹב לִירֵאָ֣יו יִשְׁע֑וֹ לִשְׁכֹּ֖ן כָּב֣וֹד בְּאַרְצֵֽנוּ׃
11 חֶֽסֶד־וֶאֱמֶ֥ת נִפְגָּ֑שׁוּ צֶ֖דֶק וְשָׁל֣וֹם נָשָֽׁקוּ׃
12 אֱ֭מֶת מֵאֶ֣רֶץ תִּצְמָ֑ח וְ֝צֶ֗דֶק מִשָּׁמַ֥יִם נִשְׁקָֽף׃
13 גַּם־יְ֭הוָה יִתֵּ֣ן הַטּ֑וֹב וְ֝אַרְצֵ֗נוּ תִּתֵּ֥ן יְבוּלָֽהּ׃
14 צֶ֭דֶק לְפָנָ֣יו יְהַלֵּ֑ךְ וְיָשֵׂ֖ם לְדֶ֣רֶךְ פְּעָמָֽיו׃
Psalm 85 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 84 there.
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1 Unto the end, for the sons of Core, a psalm.
2 Lord, thou hast blessed thy land: thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.
3 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people: thou hast covered all their sins.
4 Thou hast mitigated all thy anger: thou best turned away from the wrath of thy indignation.
5 Convert us, O God our saviour: and turn off thy anger from us.
6 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever: or wilt thou extend thy wrath from generation to generation?
7 Thou wilt turn, O God, and bring us to life: and thy people shall rejoice in thee.
8 Shew us, O Lord, thy mercy; and grant us thy salvation.
9 I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me: for he will speak peace unto his people: And unto his saints: and unto them that are converted to the heart.
10 Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him: that glory may dwell in our land.
11 Mercy and truth have met each other: justice and peace have kissed.
12 Truth is sprung out of the earth: and justice hath looked down from heaven.
13 For the Lord will give goodness: and our earth shall yield her fruit.
14 Justice shall walk before him: and shall set his steps in the way.
Psalm 85 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 84.
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1 In finem, filiis Core. Psalmus.
2 Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam; avertisti captivitatem Jacob.
3 Remisisti iniquitatem plebis tuæ; operuisti omnia peccata eorum.
4 Mitigasti omnem iram tuam; avertisti ab ira indignationis tuæ.
5 Converte nos, Deus salutaris noster, et averte iram tuam a nobis.
6 Numquid in æternum irasceris nobis? aut extendes iram tuam a generatione in generationem?
7 Deus, tu conversus vivificabis nos, et plebs tua lætabitur in te.
8 Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam, et salutare tuum da nobis.
9 Audiam quid loquatur in me Dominus Deus, quoniam loquetur pacem in plebem suam, et super sanctos suos, et in eos qui convertuntur ad cor.
10 Verumtamen prope timentes eum salutare ipsius, ut inhabitet gloria in terra nostra.
11 Misericordia et veritas obviaverunt sibi; justitia et pax osculatæ sunt.
12 Veritas de terra orta est, et justitia de cælo prospexit.
13 Etenim Dominus dabit benignitatem, et terra nostra dabit fructum suum.
14 Justitia ante eum ambulabit, et ponet in via gressus suos.
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Psalm 85 at a glance
| Verses | 13 |
| Heading in the text | For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to the sons of Korah, for the Chief Musician. |
| Type | Prayer |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 84 |
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Psalm 85 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 85 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 85 belongs
Psalms of the sons of KorahBook 3 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source