Psalms 85:4
in Psalms 85Restore us, O God of our salvation, and put away Your displeasure toward us.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Turn us, O God of our salvation, And cause thine indignation toward us to cease.
KJV
Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
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This verse in Psalms 85
Commentary
9 notes on this verseTurn us, O God of our salvations. See what he says. You, for Your part, have turned away from wrath on account of Your clemency. Turn us, O God. You have turned away from wrath; turn us away from sins. Turn us, O God of our salvations. Why did he not say, "of our salvation," but, "of our salvations"? If we sinned but once, we would need one salvation. We have sinned in many things, therefore we need many salvations.
This site's exposition
Restore us, O God of our salvation
on Psalms 85:4-7
The psalm turns to the present and asks God to restore the people and put His displeasure away. Two questions follow, whether the anger will last forever and run through all generations. The end named is joy in God.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Convert us, O God of our salvations. He did not say, "of our salvation": because we have sinned much, we have need of many salvations.
And as these things are said of the future, though the sound of the words is past, it follows: "Turn us, O God of our salvation" [Psalm 85:4]. That which he had just related as if it were done, how prays he that it may be done, except because he wished to show that he had spoken as if of the past in prophecy? But that it was not yet done which he had said was done he shows by this, that he prays that it may be done: "Turn us, O God of our salvation, and turn away Your anger from us." Did you not say before: "You have appeased all Your anger, You have turned Yourself from Your wrathful indignation"? How then now do you say, "And turn away Your anger from us"? The Prophet answers: These things I speak of as done, because I see them about to be done: but because they are not yet done, I pray that they may come, which I have already seen.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Turn us, O God of our salvation,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Turn us, O God of our salvation. This was the main business. Could the erring tribes be rendered penitent all would be well. It is not that God needs turning from his anger so much as that we need turning from our sin; here is the hinge of the whole matter. Our trials frequently arise out of our sins, they will not go till the sins go. We need to be turned from our sins, but only God can turn us: God the Saviour must put his hand to the work: it is indeed a main part of our salvation.
Turn us, O God of our salvation. This was the main business. Could the erring tribes be rendered penitent all would be well. It is not that God needs turning from his anger so much as that we need turning from our sin; here is the hinge of the whole matter. Our trials frequently arise out of our sins, they will not go till the sins go. We need to be turned from our sins, but only God can turn us: God the Saviour must put his hand to the work: it is indeed a main part of our salvation. Conversion is the dawn of salvation. To turn a heart to God is as difficult as to make the world revolve upon its axis. Yet when a man learns to pray for conversion there is hope for him, he who turns to prayer is beginning to turn from sin. It is a very blessed sight to see a whole people turn unto their God; may the Lord so send forth his converting grace on our land that we may live to see the people flocking to the loving worship of God as the doves to their cotes. And cause thine anger toward us to cease. Make an end of it. Let it no longer burn. When sinners cease to rebel, the Lord ceases to be angry with them; when they return to him he returns to them; yea, he is first in the reconciliation, and turns them when otherwise they would never turn of themselves. May all those who are now enduring the hidings of Jehovah's face seek with deep earnestness to be turned anew unto the Lord, for so shall all their despondencies come to an end. Thus the sweet singer asks for his nation priceless blessings, and quotes the best of arguments. Because the God of Israel has been so rich in favour in bygone years, therefore he is entreated to reform and restore his backsliding nation.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Turn us, O God of our salvation - Thou hast turned our captivity; now convert our souls. And they find a reason for their prayer in an attribute of their God; the God of their salvation. And as his work was to save, they beg that his anger towards them might cease. The Israelites were not restored from their captivity all at once. A few returned with Zerubbabel; some more with Ezra and Nehemiah; but a great number still remained in Babylonia, Media, Assyria, Egypt, and other parts. The request of the psalmist is, to have a complete restoration of all the Israelites from all places of their dispersion.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Turn us, O God of our salvation - The God from whom salvation must come, and on whom we are dependent for it. The prayer here is, “turn us;” turn us from our sins; bring us to repentance; make us willing to forsake every evil way; and enable us to do it. This is the proper spirit always in prayer. The first thing is not that he would take away his wrath, but that he would dispose us to forsake our sins, and to turn to himself; that we may be led to abandon that which has brought his displeasure upon us, and then that he will cause his anger toward us to cease. We have no authority for asking God to turn away his judgments unless we are willing to forsake our sins; and in all cases we can hope for the divine interposition and mercy, when the judgments of God are upon us, only as we are willing to turn from our iniquities. And cause thine anger toward us to cease - The word used here, and rendered “cause to cease” - פרר pârar - means properly to break; then, to violate; and then, to annul, or to bring to an end. The idea here is, that if they were turned from sin, the cause of his anger would be removed, and would cease of course. Compare Psa 80:3.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שׁ֭וּבֵנוּ | shuvenu | restore us | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אֱלֹהֵ֣י | ʾelohei | O God of | H430 → | 2601 times |
| יִשְׁעֵ֑נוּ | yishenu | salvation our | H3468 → | 36 times |
| וְהָפֵ֖ר | vehafer | and break | H6565 → | 50 times |
| כַּֽעַסְךָ֣ | kaaskha | anger your | H3708 → | 25 times |
| עִמָּֽנוּ׃ | ʾimanu | with us | H5973 → | 1050 times |
שׁ֭וּבֵנוּrestore us
shuvenuH7725 →1056 times
אֱלֹהֵ֣יO God of
ʾeloheiH430 →2601 times
יִשְׁעֵ֑נוּsalvation our
yishenuH3468 →36 times
וְהָפֵ֖רand break
vehaferH6565 →50 times
כַּֽעַסְךָ֣anger your
kaaskhaH3708 →25 times
עִמָּֽנוּ׃with us
ʾimanuH5973 →1050 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
Micah 7:7But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
it leads to
- Lamentations 3:25–26
The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- Psalms 37:7
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.
- 1 John 5:14–15
And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
- Isaiah 45:22
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
- Isaiah 25:9
And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us…
- Lamentations 3:25–26
Through
Lamentations 5:21Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return; renew our days as of old,
it leads to
- Psalms 80:3
Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 80:19
Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts; cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 80:7
Restore us, O God of Hosts, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 80:3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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, Vol. 4; Jerome, Homily 17, on Psalm 84; Jerome, Homily 64, on Psalm 84 (Alternate Series); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.