The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 84
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 85 in the KJV and most English Bibles
Tap Fathers under a verse to read what the saints said about it.
O Lord, thou hast taken pleasure in thy land: Thou hast turned back the captivity of Jacob.
Εὐδόκησας Κύριε τὴν γῆν σου, ἀπέστρεψας τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Ἰακώβ.
The Prophet sings to Him of the future, and uses words as it were of past time: he speaks of things future as if already done, because with God that which is future has already taken place...."Lord, You have been favourable unto Your land"; as if He had already done so. "You have turned away the captivity of Jacob."…
Thou hast forgiven thy people their transgressions; Thou hast covered all their sins. Pause.
Ἀφῆκας τὰς ἀνομίας τῷ λαῷ σου, ἐκάλυψας πάσας τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν· διάψαλμα.
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". Behold how He has turned away their captivity, in that He has remitted iniquity: iniquity held…
Thou hast caused all thy wrath to cease: Thou hast turned from thy fierce anger.
Κατέπαυσας πᾶσαν τὴν ὀργήν σου, ἀπέστρεψας ἀπὸ ὀργῆς θυμοῦ σου.
Turn us, O God of our salvation, And turn thine anger away from us.
Ἐπίστρεψον ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς τῶν σωτηρίων ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀπόστρεψον τὸν θυμόν σου ἀφʼ ἡμῶν.
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". 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…
Wouldest thou be angry with us forever? Or wilt thou continue thy wrath from generation to generation?
Μὴ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ὀργισθῇς ἡμῖν; ἢ διατενεῖς τὴν ὀργήν σου ἀπὸ γενεᾶς εἰς γενεάν;
"Be not angry with us for ever" (ver. 5). For by the anger of God we are subject to death, and by the anger of God we eat bread on this earth in want, and in the sweat of our face. This was Adam's sentence when he sinned: and that Adam was every one of us, for "in Adam all die;" the sentence passed on him hath taken…
O God, thou wilt turn and quicken us; And thy people shall rejoice in thee.
Ὁ Θεὸς, σὺ ἐπιστρέψας ζωώσεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ ὁ λαός σου εὐφρανθήσεται ἐπὶ σοί.
"O God, You shall turn us again, and make us alive". Not as if we ourselves of our own accord, without Your mercy, turn unto You, and then You shall make us alive: but so that not only our being made alive is from You, but our very conversion, that we may be made alive. "And Your people shall rejoice in You." To their…
Show us thy mercy, O Lord, And grant us thy salvation.
Δεῖξον ἡμῖν Κύριε τὸ ἔλεός σου, καὶ τὸ σωτήριόν σου δῴης ἡμῖν.
I will hear what the Lord God will say concerning me: For he shall speak peace to his people, And to his saints, And to those that turn their heart toward him.
Ἀκούσομαι τί λαλήσει ἐν ἐμοὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι λαλήσει εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὁσίους αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐπιστρέφοντας πρὸς αὐτὸν καρδίαν.
"I will hearken" (ver. 8). The Prophet spoke: God spoke within in him, and the world made a noise without. Therefore, retiring for a little from the noise of the world, and turning himself back upon himself, and from himself upon Him whose voice he heard within; sealing up his ears, as it were, against the tumultuous…
Moreover his salvation is near them that fear him; That glory may dwell in our land.
Πλὴν ἐγγὺς τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ κατασκηνῶσαι δόξαν ἐν τῇ γῇ ἡμῶν.
"Nevertheless, His salvation is nigh them that fear Him" (ver. 9). There were some even then who feared Him in the Jewish people. Everywhere throughout the earth idols were worshipped: devils were feared, not God: in that nation God was feared. But why was He feared? In the Old Testament He was feared, lest He should…
Mercy and truth are met together: Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Ἔλεος καὶ ἀλήθεια συνήντησαν, δικαιοσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη κατεφίλησαν.
"Mercy and truth have met together" (ver. 10). "Truth in our land," in a Jewish person, "mercy" in the land of the Gentiles. For where was truth? Where the utterances of God were. Where was mercy? On those who had left their God, and turned themselves unto devils. Did He look down also upon them? Yea, as if He said,…
Truth has sprung out of the earth; And righteousness has looked down from heaven.
Ἀλήθεια ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνέτειλε, καὶ δικαιοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψε.
"Truth has sprung out of the earth, and righteousness has looked down from heaven". "Truth has sprung out of the earth:" Christ is born of a woman. The Son of God has come forth of the flesh. What is truth? The Son of God. What is the earth? Flesh. Ask whence Christ was born, and you see that "Truth is sprung out of…
For the Lord will give goodness; And our land shall yield her fruit.
Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος δώσει χρηστότητα, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἡμῶν δώσει τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς.
"For the Lord shall give sweetness, and our land shall give her increase"....He will give unto you the sweetness of working righteousness, so that righteousness shall begin to delight you, whom before unrighteousness delighted: so that thou who at first delighted in drunkenness, shall rejoice in sobriety: and thou who…
Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.
All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.