| Psalms 85:1
| A prayer for David himself. Incline thy ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am needy and poor.
| David. He might compose this psalm under any affliction, though prayer is always necessary (Berthier) for any person. (Worthington) --- Others apply it to Ezechias, (Theodoret) the captives, or the Church. (Calmet) --- Jesus Christ prays during his passion, and foretells his resurrection, and the vocation of the Gentiles. (St. Augustine) --- Needy. Hebrew, "mild or afflicted." Humility is requisite to pray well, as those who think themselves rich, ask not with fervour. (Calmet) --- God "inclines his ear if thou dost not lift up thy neck." (St. Augustine)
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| Psalms 85:2
| Preserve my soul, for I am holy: save thy servant, O my God, that trusteth in thee.
| I am holy. I am by my office and profession dedicated to thy service, (Challoner) as a Levite, (Calmet) or a member of the true Church. (Haydock) --- He may also speak in the person of Christ, who prays for us and in us. (Du Hamel) --- Syriac and Arabic read, "thou art good." (Calmet) --- Our necessities, firm purposes of leading a virtuous life, and confidence in God, move him to shew mercy. (Worthington)
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| Psalms 85:3
| Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to thee all the day.
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| Psalms 85:4
| Give joy to the soul of thy servant; for to thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul.
| Soul. I ardently desire to serve in thy temple, Jeremias 22:27. A holy importunity, (Luke 18:2.; Tertullian, Apol. 39.; Calmet) and fervour in prayer, (Haydock) with perseverance, attention, and a sense of God's infinite perfections, are requisite. (Worthington)
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| Psalms 85:5
| *For thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thee.
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| Psalms 85:6
| Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer: and attend to the voice of my petition.
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| Psalms 85:7
| I have called upon thee in the day of my trouble: because thou hast heard me.
| Heard me. This gives me confidence that thou wilt do it again. (Haydock) --- Thou art not like senseless idols. (Calmet)
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| Psalms 85:8
| There is none among the gods like unto thee, O Lord; and there is none according to thy works.
| Gods, which have been set up by men; or among angels, etc., (Calmet) capable of working miracles by an independent power. (Haydock)
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| Psalms 85:9
| All the nations thou hast made shall come and adore before thee, O Lord: and they shall glorify thy name.
| Name. This was partly verified after the captivity, and fully when the gospel was preached. (Calmet) --- The Gentiles came by faith, and glorified God by good works, Matthew 5:17. (Worthington)
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| Psalms 85:10
| For thou art great and dost wonderful things: thou art God alone.
| Alone. Vatican Septuagint, Arabic, etc., add, "the great." (Calmet) (Acts 17:24.
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| Psalms 85:11
| Conduct me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: let my heart rejoice, that it may fear thy name.
| Truth. Let me see the justice of thy conduct in suffering the wicked to prosper, (Psalm 72:17.) or let me invariably observe thy holy law, which alone can give me true content. --- Rejoice. Hebrew, as we read at present, "likewise fear," (Calmet) "unite," (Montanus) or "let my heart be one," solitary, disengaged from all, unicum, (St. Jerome) "to fear," etc. (Calmet) --- This sense is very good. But yached, means also rejoice. (Berthier) --- Our joy must be mixed with fear. (Du Hamel)
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| Psalms 85:12
| I will praise thee, O Lord, my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify thy name for ever:
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| Psalms 85:13
| For thy mercy is great towards me: and thou hast delivered my soul out of the lower hell.
| Hell of the damned, (Worthington) according to the Fathers: or out of captivity and dangers. (Berthier) --- If it be understood of Christ, it must refer to limbo. (Bellarmine) (Menochius) --- It seems equivalent to the lower pit, Psalm 87:7. (Haydock) --- The Jews admit seven regions in hell, (Genebrard) and our theologians four: 1. Of the damned; 2. of unbaptized infants; 3. of purgatory; and 4. of the saints in Abraham's bosom. St. Augustine mentions the first and last here: but he speaks clearly of purgatory in other places. (De Gen. contra Manch. 2:17. in Psalm vi.) (Calmet) --- David was rescued from the most imminent dangers, and Christ came out of limbo, (Psalm 15:10.; Du Hamel) by his own power. (Haydock)
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| Psalms 85:14
| O God, the wicked are risen up against me, and the assembly of the mighty have sought my soul: and they have not set thee before their eyes.
| Eyes. The Babylonians oppress us most unjustly. (Calmet)
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| Psalms 85:15
| And thou, O Lord, art a God of compassion, and merciful, patient, and of much mercy, and true.
| True. This title is also applied to Christ, who, of course, is God:; since every man is liable to mistake, Romans 3:4., and Apocalypse 19:1. God authorized Moses and the prophets to address Him, as the psalmist does, Exodus 34:6., and Joel 2:13. (Berthier)
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| Psalms 85:16
| O look upon me, and have mercy on me: give thy command to thy servant, and save the son of thy handmaid.
| Command. Hebrew, "strength," (Haydock) to resist the enemy. (Menochius) --- Order me as thou pleasest: I am entirely devoted to thee from my very birth, Psalm 115:16. Restore the throne of David. (Calmet) --- The prophets frequently thus turn to the Church, the kingdom of the Messias, who was born of the handmaid of the Lord. (Worthington)
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| Psalms 85:17
| Shew me a token for good: that they who hate me, may see, and be confounded, because thou, O Lord, hast helped me and hast comforted me.
| Good. Mark me for thy slave, (Calmet) which will be the highest honour. (Haydock) --- Give me such a sign as the angel did when he was going to destroy the first-born of Egypt. (St. Athanasius) --- By some prodigy convince our oppressors that there is a God. (Calmet) (Berthier) --- The resurrection, prefigured by Jonas, was the great proof of Christ and his Church; and this serves either for the conversion or for the condemnation of mankind. See St. Augustine. (Worthington) Quod precor eveniet, sunt certa oracula vatum, Nam Deus optanti prospera signa dedit. (Ovid, 2 de Ponto 1.) --- Comforted. St. Cyprian was in sorrow while suffering, but was comforted when crowned. "All the martyrs, with Christ, pray for us." (St. Augustine) (Du Hamel)
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