Commentary
Matthew Poole and continuators on Psalms 86
Annotations upon the Holy Bible. Browse this work.
1 BOw down thine ear, O LORD, hear me, for I am poor and needy .
Forsaken and persecuted by men, and utterly unable to save my self, and therefore a very proper objects or thy power and goodness to work upon.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:1. Public domain.
2 Preserve my soul, for I am holy : O thou my God , save thy servant that trusteth in thee .
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Sanctified in some measure by thy Grace, and sincerely devoted to thy service. This, David speaks, not in a way of vain ostentation, but partly as a powerful argument to move God to hear his prayers, because he was one of that sort of men to whom God had engaged himself by his Promise and Covenant; and partly by way of just and necessary vindication of himself from the censures of his Enemies who represented him to the world, as a gross dissembler, and secretly a very wicked man; concerning which he here makes a solemn appeal to God, desiring audience and help from God, upon no other terms, than upon this supposition, that he was an holy man. Which, by the way, savoureth of no more arrogancy than when he elsewhere professeth his great love to and longing after God, his sincere obedience to all God's commands, and his hatred of every false way, and the like.
By thy Covenant, and my own choice.
Whereby thou seemest obliged in honour, and by promise to help me.
Marginal references: Or, one whom [illegible: 1 word] savourest.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:2. Public domain.
4 Rejoyce the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul .
The expression notes servent desire joyned with hope o[illegible: 1+ letters] expectation, as appears by comparing D[illegible: 1+ letters]uter. 24. 15. Ier. 22. 27.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:4. Public domain.
5 For thou, LORD, art good and ready to forgive : and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee k.
Herewith he relieveth himself under the sence of his guilt, whereby he had brought his present calamities upon himself.
h To wit, in truth, as it is explained Psal. 145. 18. or with an upright heart: for if a man regard iniquity in his heart, God will not hear him, Psal. 66. 18.
Marginal references: Verse 1[illegible: 1+ letters]. Joel 2. 13.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:5. Public domain.
6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer: and attend to the voice of my supplications .
He repeats and multiplies his requests both to ease his own troubled mind, and to prevail with God, who is well pleased with his peoples importunity in prayer. See Luke 18. 1, &c.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:6. Public domain.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer mee .
Whereof I have assurance both from the be[illegible: 1+ letters]ignity of thy hature, and from the truth and certainty of thy promises, and from my own and others experiences in former times.
Marginal references: Psal. 50. 15.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:7. Public domain.
8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee , O Lord, neither are there any works like unto thy works.
Either for power or readiness to hear and answer prayers. I am not now calling upon a deaf and impotent Idol, for then I might cry my heart out, and all in vain, as they did, 1 King. 18. 26, &c. but upon the Almighty and most Gracious God.
Marginal references: Exod. 15. 1[illegible: 1+ letters]. Deut. 3. 24. Psal. 89. [illegible: 1+ letters].
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:8. Public domain.
9 All Nations whom thou hast made, shall come and worship before thee, O LORD: and shall glorifie thy name .
So true is that which I have now said of thee, Verse 8. that the time is coming when all the Nations of the Earth shall acknowledge it, and, forsaking their impotent Idols, shall worship thee alone. Which being a Work of thy Power and Grace clear[illegible: 1+ letters] proves that no God is like to thee, and no works like thine. And those words, whom thou hast made, are added to prevent, or remove Objections concerning the insuperable difficulty and incredibility of this work. The God, saith he, that made them can easily convince and convert them to himself.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:9. Public domain.
10 For thou art great, and dost wondrous things : thou art God alone .
This is added as a reason either why the Nations should own the true God, because they should see his wonderful Works; or why that great Work, Verse 9. was not incredible, but should certainly be accomplished.
And all the Idols of the Heathen are no gods, but vanities; as the Gentiles themselves shall see and acknowledge.
Marginal references: Psal. 72. 18▪ and 77. 14.; Deut. 6. 4. and 32. 39. Isa. 37. 16. and 44. 6. Mark 12. 29. 1 Cor. 8. 4. Eph. 4. 6▪
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:10. Public domain.
11 Teach me thy way , O LORD, I will walk in thy truth : unite my heart to fear thy name.
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Wherein thou wouldst have me to walk. As thou hast taught me by thy word, so also by thy spirit enlighten my mind that I may clearly discern thy will and my duty in all Conditions and Circumstances.
In the way of thy Precepts which are true and right in all things, as he saith Psal. 119. 12[illegible: 1+ letters]. and the onely true Rule of thy Worship, and the onely true way to man's happiness.
Ingage and knit my whole heart to thy self and service, and deliver me from inconstancy and wavering, that I may not at any time, nor in the least degree be withdrawn from thee either to any corrupt Worship, or to the love and pursuit of the lusts or vanities of this present evil world.
Marginal references: Psal. 25. 4. and 119. 33. and 143 8.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:11. Public domain.
12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorifie thy name for evermore .
Either 1. If thou grantest my request, Verse 11. Or 2. Because thou hast done what is expressed, Verse 13.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:12. Public domain.
13 For great is thy mercy toward me, and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell .
My person or life, as in the next Verse.
Either 1. From hell properly so called. Or rather, 2. From extreme and desperate dangers and miseries; by comparing this with Deut. 32. 22. and with Psal: 88. 6. Thou hast laid me in the lowest (the same word in the Hebrew which is here) pit. Where by the pit he means, as is evident and confessed, the grave, which is commonly called Scheol, the word here used.
Marginal references: Heb. Hell beneath. Psal. [illegible: 1+ letters]6. 10.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:13. Public domain.
14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul: and have not set thee before them .
They have no reverence nor regard for thee, neither for thy word which hath conferred the Kingdom upon me; nor for thine all-seeing Eye which beholds all their wicked devises and practises against me; nor for thy justice which will undoubtedly bring their mischief upon their own heads.
Marginal references: Psal. 54. 3.; Heb. terrible.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:14. Public domain.
15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious: long-suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth.
To wit, to thy People, and to me in particular; and therefore thou wilst forget and forgive my manifold sins for which thou mightest justly reject me, and make me to know thy breach of Promise; and therefore thou wilst save me from my cruel Enemies.
Marginal references: Exod. 34. 6. Numb. 14. 18. Nehem. 9. 17. Psal. 103. 8. and 145. 8. Joel 2. 13. Verse 5.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:15. Public domain.
16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me: give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid .
To assist, support and save me.
Me, who by thy gracious providence was born not of. Heathen, but of Israelitish Parents, and therefore was in covenant with thee from my Birth, and whose Mother was thy faithful Servant, and did intirely devote me to thy Service.
Marginal references: Psal. [illegible: 1+ letters]16. 16.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:16. Public domain.
17 Shew me a token for good, that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed, because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
Vouchsafe unto me some evident and eminent token of thy good will to me, for the conviction of mine Enemies, and mine own comfort.
Matthew Poole and continuators, Annotations upon the Holy Bible, Psalms 86:17. Public domain.
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