The Pulpit Commentary
Prayer, the predominant note of the entire psalm, holds almost exclusive possession of the first strophe, only passing into praise when the last verse is reached, where the petitioner reminds God of his loving kindness and readiness to forgive.

Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me (comp. Psa_31:2; Pro_22:17). For I am poor and needy; or, "I am afflicted and in misery." Poverty in the ordinary sense is scarcely intended.

The Pulpit Commentary
Preserve my soul. It is one of the special offices of God to "preserve the souls of his saints" (Psa_97:10). He is not only man's Creator, but his "Preserver" (Job_7:20; Job_10:12). For I am holy. The psalmist does not mean to claim for himself perfect holiness, but only that sincerity in religion which God's servants may rightly vindicate to themselves. O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee (comp, Psa_34:22; Psa_37:40).

The Pulpit Commentary
Be merciful unto me, O Lord; for I cry unto thee daily; rather, all day long (Revised Version).

The Pulpit Commentary
Rejoice the soul of thy servant. The prayer rises from mere entreaties for relief and recovery from a state of suffering, into an earnest request for that which the heart of man is ever longing for and seeking after—gladness and joy. The faithful are promised that they shall come ultimately to a condition of exceeding great joy; but even saints are sometimes impatient, and want their joy in this world and at once. For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul (comp. Psa_25:1, entitled, like this, "a Psalm of David"). There is no more likely way of attaining to spiritual joy than to be always lifting up the soul to God.

The Pulpit Commentary
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive. The word translated "ready to forgive," סַלָח, occurs here only; but the context sufficiently fixes its meaning, which is well expressed by the ἐπιεικὴς of the LXX. As God was "good" and "forgiving," he would be likely to grant the petitions just addressed to him. And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee (comp. Exo_34:6; Joe_2:13).

The Pulpit Commentary
In this second strophe praise is predominant. Prayer occupies two verses only (Psa_86:6, Psa_86:7); in the other three (Psa_86:8-10) God is magnified and glorified.

Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer. An echo of Psa_86:1. The psalmist begins, as it were, afresh, calling God's attention to himself, as if he had not yet spoken. And attend to the voice of my supplications (comp. Psa_17:1; Psa_55:2; Psa_61:1, etc.). That God's ear is always attent to the prayers of his people does not make it superfluous for them to entreat his attention. He will listen more favourably when besought to listen.

The Pulpit Commentary
In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee (comp. Psa_86:1 and Psa_86:14). The nature of the trouble is not distinctly stated; but it appears to have been caused by domestic rather than foreign enemies. For thou wilt answer me (comp. Psa_86:5).

The Pulpit Commentary
Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord (see the Song of Moses, Exo_15:11). The imaginary gods of the heathen—not, perhaps, known to the psalmist to be wholly imaginary—are probably meant (comp. Psa_77:19; Psa_89:6; Psa_95:3). Neither are there any works like unto thy works. So in Deu_3:24, "What god is there in heaven or in earth that can do according to thy works?"

The Pulpit Commentary
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord (comp. Psa_72:11, Psa_72:17; Psa_82:8, etc.). Since God had made all nations (Act_17:26), it was safe to conclude that they would all one day worship him. The prophecy, however, still remains unfulfilled. And shall glorify thy Name. Either with their lips, or in their lives, or in both ways. Compare the anticipations of Isaiah (Isa_66:23), Zephaniah (Zep_2:10), and Zechariah (Zec_14:9, Zec_14:16).

The Pulpit Commentary
For thou art great, and doest wondrous things. The" greatness" of God, in reality most clearly manifested by the facts of his ordinary providence, seems to men in general, as it seemed to this psalmist, especially indicated by the "wonders," or "miracles"—נפלאוֹת—which he wrought (comp. Exo_15:11; Psa_72:18; Psa_77:14). Thou art God alone (see 2Ki_19:15; Isa_37:16; Isa_44:6, Isa_44:8).

The Pulpit Commentary
The third strophe is almost equally divided between prayer and praise, Psa_86:11, Psa_86:16, and Psa_86:17 being devoted to the one; and Psa_86:12, Psa_86:13, and Psa_86:15 to the other. Psa_86:14 is of the nature of a complaint.

Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth (comp. Psa_25:4; Psa_27:11; Psa_119:33). Man cannot know "the way of the Lord," unless he is taught of God. The inward anointing of the Spirit is needful to teach us what God would really have us do (1Jn_2:27). It is only when we are thus taught that we can "walk in his truth." Unite my heart to fear thy Name. So Symmachus, who has ἕνωσον; Canon Cook, Dr. Kay, Hupfeld, Professor Alexander, and the Revised Version. Hengstenberg prefers "incline my heart;" and Professor Cheyne would alter the text into accordance with the LXX; Εὐφρανθήτω ἡ καρδία μου, "Make my heart to rejoice." But the textual reading has the weight of authority in its favour, and gives an excellent sense, "Bring all my heart into unison, that it may be wholly fixed on thee." Compare the following verse.

The Pulpit Commentary
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; i.e. "with an undivided heart." And I will glorify thy Name (see Psa_86:9) forevermore. A belief in immortality is implied, if not formally asserted.

The Pulpit Commentary
For great is thy mercy toward me (see Psa_86:5). And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. The actual deliverance was from death (Psa_86:14); but death involved descent into Hades, so that those who were delivered from the one were at the same time delivered from the other. The expression translated "the lowest hell" means no more than "Hades which is beneath the earth." No comparison is made of one part of Hades with another.

The Pulpit Commentary
O God, the proud are risen against me (comp. Psa_119:51, Psa_119:69, Psa_119:85, Psa_119:122; and also Psa_54:3). And the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; rather, a crew of violent ones have sought after my soul, or "plotted against my life" (comp. Psa_7:1, Psa_7:2; Psa_17:13; Psa_35:3, Psa_35:4, etc.). And have not set thee before them; i.e. "have given no thought to God, or how he would act, whether he would allow their wickedness or prevent it."

The Pulpit Commentary
But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion. The appeal is to God's own revelation of himself. He had declared that he was "merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin" (Exo_34:6, Exo_34:7); he could not, therefore, desert the psalmist in his need. And gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth (comp. above, Psa_86:5; and see also Num_14:18; Joe_2:13; Jon_4:2).

The Pulpit Commentary
Oh turn unto me, and have mercy upon me. God had for a time turned his face away from his servant; now he is entreated to turn it towards him, and, as a consequence, to "have mercy upon him" and deliver him. Give thy strength unto thy servant. Only in God's strength can we effectually contend against either our spiritual or our temporal foes. If, however, we ask him for strength, his strength will be "sufficient for us" (2Co_12:9). And save the son of thine handmaid. Either "the son of one who was specially religious," like the mother of Timothy (2Ti_1:5). or" the son of an Israelitish mother," therefore born and bred up in thy household.

The Pulpit Commentary
Show me a token for good; i.e. give me some sign—not necessarily a miraculous one—that thou art dealing with me, not for evil, but "for good" (Jer_24:6), and that thou wilt grant me that which I have requested of thee. That they which hate me may see it. A visible token is therefore requested, not a mere inward conviction or assurance (see 2Ki_20:8; Isa_7:11). And be ashamed (comp. Psa_6:10; Psa_56:1-13 :17; Psa_119:78, etc.). Because thou, Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me. The psalmist's deliverance would be his enemies' shame; it would show that God was on his side, and against them.