Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 86:15
But thou, O Lord, [art] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
15. Word for word from Exo 34:6. With his proud and merciless enemies he contrasts the revealed character of God, as the ground of the prayer which follows. Though he may have deserved punishment, God cannot surely abandon him to them.
longsuffering ] Or, slow to anger (R.V.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion … – See the notes at Psa 86:5. The words rendered long-suffering mean that there was and would be delay in his anger; that it was not soon excited; that he did not act from passion or sudden resentment; that he endured the conduct of sinners long without rising up to punish them; that he was not quick to take vengeance, but bore with them patiently. On this account the psalmist, though conscious that he was a sinner, hoped and pleaded that God would save him.
Plenteous in … truth – That is, in faithfulness. When thou hast made a promise, thou wilt faithfully keep it.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. But thou, O Lord] What a wonderful character of God is given in this verse! Adonai, the Director, Judge, and Support; – but instead of Adonai, thirty-four of Kennicott’s MSS. have Jehovah, the self-existent and eternal Being; – El, the strong God; rachum, tenderly compassionate; channun, the Dispenser of grace or favour; erech appayim, suffering long, not easily provoked; rab chesed, abundant in blessings; and emeth, faithful and true. Such is the God who has made himself more particularly known to us in Christ. The scanty language of our ancestors was not adequate to a full rendering of the original words: [—Anglo-Saxon—]. “And thu driht God gemildsiend , and mildheort, gethyldig and mucel mildheortnysse and sothfaest. – And thou, Lord God, art mild, and mildhearted, patient, and of much mildheartedness, and soothfast,” – steady in truth.
In the old Psalter the language is but little improved: And thou Lorde God mercier, and mercyful, sufferand, and of mykel mercy, and sothefast.
The word mercier is interpreted, doand dede of mercy.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To wit, to thy people, and to me in particular; and therefore thou wilt 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 wilt save me from my cruel enemies.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. Contrasts God with hisenemies (compare Ps 86:5).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion,…. Or merciful t, in the most affectionate and tender manner, as a parent to its child, or particularly as a mother to the son of her womb; and is rich and plenteous in his mercy, and freely bestows it; and this was the support of the psalmist under his troubles from his enemies, that though they were cruel the Lord was merciful:
and gracious; so he has been in eternity, as appears by his election of grace, by the covenant of his grace, and the provisions of it in his Son; and so he is in time, as is manifest from his kindness in Christ Jesus, from his justification, pardon, adoption, effectual calling and salvation of his people, which are all of grace;
longsuffering; not only to wicked men, but to his chosen ones; which longsuffering of his is salvation to them; he bears with them, and waits to be gracious to them, to bring them to repentance, and save them, 2Pe 3:9,
plenteous in mercy; or goodness; [See comments on Ps 86:5], and truth: in fulfilling promises; see Ex 34:6, to which these words refer.
t “misericors”, Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, &c.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15. And thou, O Lord! art God, merciful, ready to forgive. By immediately passing on to the celebration of these divine attributes, he would intimate, that we have adequate strength and protection against the audacity and rage of the wicked, in the divine goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. Perhaps, also, from his feeling that the wicked were scourges in the hand of God, he set before himself the divine goodness and mercy, to allay the excess of terror with which he might be seized; for this is the true and the only source of comfort, that although God chastise us he does not forget his mercy. This sentence, as is well known, is taken from Exo 34:6, where we meet with a very remarkable description of the nature of God. First, he is called merciful; in the next place, ready to forgive, which he manifests by compassionating our distresses. In the third place, he is described as long-suffering; for he is not angry whenever an offense is committed against him, but pardons us according to the greatness of his loving-kindness. In short, he is said to be abundant in mercy and truth; by which I understand, that his beneficence is continually exercised, and that he is always true. He is indeed no less worthy to be praised on account of his rigour, than on account of his mercy; but as it is our wilful obstinacy alone which makes him severe, compelling him, as it were, to punish us, the Scriptures, in representing him as by nature merciful and ready to forgive, teach us, that if he is at any time rigorous and severe, this is, as it were, accidental to him. I am speaking, it is true, in popular language, and such as is not strictly correct; but still, these terms by which the divine character is described amount in effect to this, That God is by nature so gracious and ready to forgive, that he seems to connive at our sins, delays the infliction of punishment, and never proceeds to execute vengeance unless compelled by our obstinate wickedness. Why the truth of God is joined with his mercy has been considered in another place. As even those who are most generous sometimes desire to retract the promises which they have made, repenting of their too great facility, we who are accustomed unreasonably to judge of God by ourselves, distrust his promises. God therefore declares, that he is unlike men, because he is as firm to his purpose in abundantly performing whatever he has promised, as he is distinguished for promising liberally.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
15. But thou, O Lord, art full of compassion In contrast with the godless characters who had seized the reins of power. This ascription the glory of the divine character is a re-iteration of Exo 34:6
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Though the expressions be here somewhat varied from those in the fifth verse, yet the meaning is the same. And we find the blessed portion to which they refer, Exo 34:6 , and it is repeatedly used in the sacred word: Num 14:18 ; Jer 32:18 ; Neh 1:3 , etc. Reader, for what are these frequent repetitions of this gracious proclamation of heaven, in the person of Christ, but to prompt the church, and every individual member of it, to make use of them by faith in Jesus? When God passed by, in the holy mount, and thus proclaimed himself, was it not to make all his goodness pass before Moses? And what is God’s goodness towards men, but God, in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 86:15 But thou, O Lord, [art] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Ver. 15. But thou, O Lord, art a God full, &c. ] These are part of those thirteen attributes of Almighty God, set down and proclaimed by himself, Exo 24:6 . Middoth, the Rabbis call them, that is, properties.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
GOD. Hebrew El. App-4.
full of compassion, &c. Compare Exo 34:6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
But thou: Psa 86:5, Psa 103:8, Psa 111:4, Psa 130:4, Psa 130:7, Psa 145:8, Exo 31:6, Exo 31:7, Num 14:18, Neh 9:17, Joe 2:13, Mic 7:18, Rom 5:20, Rom 5:21, Eph 1:7, Eph 2:4-7
mercy: Psa 85:10, Psa 98:3, Joh 1:17, Rom 15:8, Rom 15:9
Reciprocal: Gen 19:16 – the Lord Exo 22:27 – for I am gracious Exo 34:6 – merciful Exo 34:7 – Keeping Deu 4:31 – the Lord 2Sa 12:8 – I would 2Sa 24:14 – for his 1Ki 21:29 – I will not 2Ki 13:23 – the Lord 1Ch 21:13 – great 2Ch 30:9 – the Lord Neh 9:30 – many years Job 33:24 – Then Psa 32:5 – forgavest Psa 36:7 – How Psa 62:12 – mercy Psa 69:16 – turn Psa 109:21 – thy mercy Psa 116:5 – Gracious Psa 119:156 – are thy Psa 138:2 – and praise Isa 63:7 – according to his Isa 65:16 – in the God Jer 3:12 – for I am Lam 3:22 – because Dan 9:9 – To the Lord Jon 4:2 – thou art Zec 9:17 – how great is his goodness Mat 7:11 – how Mat 18:27 – moved Mar 10:49 – stood Luk 7:13 – he Luk 15:20 – But Luk 18:13 – God Rom 2:4 – forbearance 2Co 1:3 – the Father of mercies 1Th 5:24 – Faithful Tit 3:5 – according Jam 5:11 – the Lord is 1Pe 1:3 – which 1Pe 5:10 – the God 2Pe 3:9 – but is 1Jo 4:8 – God is