Psalms 85:3
in Psalms 85You withheld all Your fury; You turned from Your burning anger.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath; Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
KJV
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
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This verse in Psalms 85
Commentary
12 notes on this verseYou have mitigated all your wrath, you have turned away from the wrath of your indignation. See what penance avails: it holds off the imminent wrath of God.
This site's exposition
You showed favor to Your land
on Psalms 85:1-3
Every verb in these three verses is a finished act: favor shown, Jacob restored, iniquity forgiven, sin covered, anger turned away. The land is named first and the people's guilt second. The prayer of verse 4 rests on that record.
This site's exposition
You withheld all Your fury
Adam Clarke read withheld as gathered up, so the fury is collected and carried away with the sin of verse 2. Charles Spurgeon saw the order. Once the sin was removed, the anger was removed with it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
You have softened all Your wrath, You have turned away from the wrath of Your indignation.
For how did He turn away the captivity of Jacob? See, how that that setting free is spiritual, see how that it is done inwardly. "You have forgiven," he says, "the iniquity of Your people: You have covered all their sins" [Psalm 85:2]. Behold how He has turned away their captivity, in that He has remitted iniquity: iniquity held them captive; your iniquity forgiven, you are freed. Confess therefore that you are in captivity, that you may be worthy to be freed: for he that knows not of his enemy, how can he invoke the liberator? "You have covered all their sins." What is, "You have covered"? So as not to see them. How did You not see them? So as not to take vengeance on them. You were unwilling to see our sins: and therefore You saw them not, because You would not see them: "You have covered all their sins." "You have appeased all Your anger: You have turned Yourself from Your wrathful indignation" [Psalm 85:3].
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): "Having covered all their sin, thou hast taken away all thy wrath; " for when sin is set aside God's anger ceases; God is pacified if we are purified. See what the pardon of sin is: Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, that is, " Thou hast turned thy anger from waxing hot, so as to consume us in the flame of it.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
): "Thou has done so and so for us and our fathers." Note, The sense of present afflictions should not drown the remembrance of former mercies; but, even when we are brought very low, we must call to remembrance past experiences of God's goodness, which we must take notice of with thankfulness, to his praise.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath,....
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath. Having removed the sin, the anger is removed also. How often did the longsuffering of God take away from Israel the punishments which had been justly laid upon them! How often also has the Lord's chastising hand been removed from us when our waywardness called for heavier strokes! Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. Even when judgments had been most severe, the Lord had in mercy stayed his hand. In mid volley he had restrained his thunder.
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath. Having removed the sin, the anger is removed also. How often did the longsuffering of God take away from Israel the punishments which had been justly laid upon them! How often also has the Lord's chastising hand been removed from us when our waywardness called for heavier strokes! Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. Even when judgments had been most severe, the Lord had in mercy stayed his hand. In mid volley he had restrained his thunder. When ready to destroy, he had averted his face from his purpose of judgment and allowed mercy to interpose. The book of Judges is full of illustrations of this, and the psalmist does well to quote them while he interceded. Is not our experience equally studded with instances in which judgment has been stayed and tenderness has ruled? What a difference between the fierce anger which is feared and deprecated here, and the speaking of peace which is foretold in verse 8. There are many changes in Christian experience, and therefore we must not despair when we are undergoing the drearier portion of the spiritual life, for soon, very soon, it may be transformed into gladness.
Thou hast taken away - אספת asaphta, “Thou hast gathered up all thy wrath.” This carries on the metaphor in the second verse: “Thou hast collected all thy wrath, and carried it away with all our iniquities.”
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath - That is, formerly; on the occasion referred to. Thou didst so deal with thy people as to make it evident that thou didst cherish no anger or displeasure against them. Thou hast turned thyself ... - Margin, “thine anger from waxing hot.” Literally, Thou didst turn from the heat of thine anger. His indignation was withdrawn, and he was again at peace with them. It is this fact, drawn from the former history of the people, which constitutes the basis of the appeal which follows.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אָסַ֥פְתָּ | ʾasafta | you withdrew | H622 → | 200 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ | ʾevratekha | fury your | H5678 → | 34 times |
| הֱ֝שִׁיב֗וֹתָ | heshivota | you turned back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| מֵחֲר֥וֹן | mecharon | from [the] burning of | H2740 → | 41 times |
| אַפֶּֽךָ׃ | ʾapekha | anger your | H639 → | 276 times |
אָסַ֥פְתָּyou withdrew
ʾasaftaH622 →200 times
כָל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
עֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָfury your
ʾevratekhaH5678 →34 times
הֱ֝שִׁיב֗וֹתָyou turned back
heshivotaH7725 →1056 times
מֵחֲר֥וֹןfrom [the] burning of
mecharonH2740 →41 times
אַפֶּֽךָ׃anger your
ʾapekhaH639 →276 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 1:29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
it leads to
- Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not…
- 1 John 2:2
He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
- 1 John 3:5
But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin.
- 1 Peter 1:19
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
- Isaiah 53:7
Through
Isaiah 12:1In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me.
it leads to
- Psalms 30:5
For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- Isaiah 25:1
O LORD, You are my God! I will exalt You; I will praise Your name. For You have worked wonders—plans formed long ago—in perfect faithfulness.
- Isaiah 54:8
In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.
- Psalms 30:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 85; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 4; Jerome, Homily 64, on Psalm 84 (Alternate Series); Jerome, Homily 17, on Psalm 84; John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.