Psalms 85:6 · Bible study
Psalms 85:6 Commentary: Revive Us Again, Meaning and Context
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What does the psalmist mean by 'revive us again'? Explore the layers of national restoration, personal renewal, and eschatological hope in this rich plea.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A plea for God to restore life to His people, whether from exile, spiritual death, or eschatological renewal.
- Key words: 'Revive us again', implies a return to life after a season of death-like condition.
- Main debate: Is this national restoration, personal renewal, or future revival?
- Theological theme: God's grace and the hope of restoration through divine intervention.
- Best use: Prayer for revival in personal and corporate life, grounding hope in God's past faithfulness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?
WEB World English Bible 2000
Won’t you revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
KJV King James Version 1769
Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Wilt thou not quicken us again, That thy people may rejoice in thee?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Dost Thou not turn back? Thou revivest us, And Thy people do rejoice in Thee.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer: and attend to the voice of my petition.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¿ No volverás tú á darnos vida, y tu pueblo se alegrará en ti?
Não voltará a dar-nos vida, para que o teu povo se alegre em ti?
T’irriteras-tu contre nous à jamais?
Willst du uns denn nicht wieder erquicken, daß sich dein Volk über dich freuen möge?
Zult Gij eeuwiglijk tegen ons toornen? Zult Gij Uw toorn uitstrekken van geslacht tot geslacht?
Non tornerai tu a ravvivarci, onde il tuo popolo si rallegri in te?
Izali na wieki gniewać się będziesz na nas? a rozciągniesz gniew twój od rodzaju do rodzaju?
Услышь, Господи, молитву мою и внемли гласу моления моего.
你 不 再 將我們救活，使你的百姓 靠你 歡喜嗎？
Will you not give us life again, so that your people may be glad in you?
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse is a passionate cry for God to restore life to his people. Barnes likens the condition to winter or drought, where everything appears dead, and the prayer is for spring. Gill sees the plea as encompassing both national restoration from exile and personal spiritual quickening. Clarke prays that the nation may again be 'numerous, pious, and powerful.' Cambridge ties the prayer to the prophetic promises of restored national life. All ground the petition in the confidence that God has already forgiven and restored his people in the past (vv.2-4). The word 'revive' implies a return from a state of near-death to full life, something only God can give. The agreement is this: revival is God's work, and its purpose is joy in Him.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- National restoration: Post-exilic context, Ezra 9:8-9, and the language of 'bringing back captivity' in v.2.
- Personal spiritual renewal: Use of 'revive' in Psalms 80:18 and 71:20, and the NT connection to being 'dead in trespasses' (Ephesians 2:1).
- Eschatological revival: Gill's interpretation linking to the conversion of Israel in Romans 11:15, and the promises of glory in vv.10-14.
What is clear: The plea is for God alone to restore life to his people, and the ultimate goal is their joy in Him.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'revive' | All interpreters see it as God restoring life to those who are in a state of death or near-death. | Some emphasize national restoration after the exile (Gill, Cambridge), others focus on spiritual renewal of the heart (Clarke, Wesley), and still others see an eschatological revival in the latter days (Gill on Romans 11:15). |
| Historical setting | The psalm is universally placed in the post-exilic period. | Whether the immediate context is the early return under Zerubbabel (Ezra 3) or a later period of disappointment under Nehemiah or even the Maccabean era. |
| Purpose of revival | The ultimate goal is joy in God: 'that your people may rejoice in you.' | Whether this joy is primarily earthly happiness in restored circumstances or a deeper spiritual joy in God's presence, or a foretaste of eternal joy. |
| Application to the Church | The plea is appropriate for any community experiencing spiritual decline. | Whether the Church should pray for revival as a direct fulfillment of this psalm or as a typological appropriation of Israel's hope. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The psalm is a post-exilic composition, likely written after the return from Babylon but when the community still faced hardship. Verses 2-4 recall God's past deliverance: forgiveness of iniquity and removal of wrath. But verses 5-8 reveal a present experience of anger and trouble. The phrase 'revive us again' echoes Ezra 9:8-9, where Ezra prays for 'a little reviving in our bondage.' The people had returned physically but not yet fully experienced the restoration the prophets promised. The land suffered from drought and opposition (cf. Haggai 1). The psalmist cries for God to turn again and give life, not just existence. Calvin notes that the prayer arises from a period when 'the distance between the temporal and spiritual condition of Israel and the national restoration made itself felt.' The historical context is a community living between promise and fulfillment, waiting for God to complete what he began.
The structure of the psalm moves from thanksgiving (vv.2-4) to petition (vv.5-8) to anticipation (vv.9-14). Verse 6 sits at the turning point, where the memory of past grace fuels the request for present mercy. The image of 'revive' may draw on the language of resurrection (Ezekiel 37) and the promise of new life after judgment.
Textual Notes
No significant textual variants are noted in the consulted sources for this verse. The Masoretic Text is consistent. The Septuagint and Vulgate render the sense as 'returning, wilt thou not give us life?' (Barnes).
Reception History
This verse has been a cornerstone for prayers for revival throughout church history, especially in Protestant traditions. The cry 'revive us again' has been echoed in hymns and sermons during periods of spiritual decline. In the early church, the psalm was read as a prayer for Christ's coming and the restoration of all things. Calvin saw its relevance for the church in every age, applying it to seasons of affliction and hope. It continues to be used in corporate intercession for spiritual awakening.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Remember What God Has Done (vv.2-4): The prayer begins with gratitude. The congregation recalls that God has forgiven, covered sin, and turned from anger. This memory fuels hope.
- Ask for What Only God Can Give (v.6): The cry 'revive us again' acknowledges that only God can restore life. No human effort can produce true revival.
- Seek Joy in God Himself (v.6b): The purpose of revival is not comfort or success but that 'your people may rejoice in you.' Joy in God is the ultimate goal.
Five-point outline
- Foundation: God's past grace gives confidence for present prayer.
- Lament: The present reality of divine anger and trouble is acknowledged (v.5).
- Petition: A direct request for revival, for God to impart life.
- Dependence: The plea 'Won't you' implies trust that God is willing.
- Purpose: The result of revival is joy in God, not just relief from problems.
Illustration hooks
- The feeling of waking up after a long illness: the first signs of life returning.
- A garden after a drought: the first rain brings green shoots.
- The difference between a machine that is running and a person who is fully alive.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does our church feel dry sometimes?
- How can we pray for true revival without expecting a spectacle?
- What does it mean to rejoice in God, not just in his blessings?
Leading a Discussion
This verse speaks to every generation of God's people who feel stuck between God's past faithfulness and their present struggles. It invites us to cry out for the life only God can give.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 2-4. What specific acts of God does the psalmist recall? Why is it important to remember these before making a request?
- How does the psalmist describe the present condition in verses 5-6? Have you ever felt this way personally or as a church?
- What does the word 'revive' suggest to you? What kind of 'death' might the psalmist be referring to?
- Why does the psalmist connect revival with rejoicing in God? What does that teach us about the purpose of spiritual renewal?
- In verse 8, the psalmist says he will hear what God speaks. How does listening relate to revival?
- What does it mean to 'turn again to folly'? How do we guard against that after a season of renewal?
- How can this psalm shape our prayers for our own community today?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Ezra 3:11 | They sang to one another in praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, “For he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever toward Israel.” All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised Yahweh, because the foundation of Yahweh’s house had been laid. |
| Ezra 3:13 | so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people; for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard far away. |
| Ezra 9:8 | Now for a little moment grace has been shown from Yahweh our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a stake in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and revive us a little in our bondage. |
| Ezra 9:9 | For we are bondservants; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended loving kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to set up the house of our God, and to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem. |
| Psalms 53:6 | Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When God brings back his people from captivity, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. |
| Psalms 71:20 | You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, you will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth. |
| Psalms 80:18 | So we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call on your name. |
| Psalms 90:14 | Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke reads the cry for revival as a national plea from a people who felt near total extinction. They ask not only for spiritual renewal but for restoration as a nation—to become numerous, pious, and powerful again, rejoicing in God as the source of all mercies.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the psalmist's plea for revival is a cry for God to restore life to a people as if from death, using the imagery of spring after winter or rain after drought. Such revival brings joy, but it is joy in God himself, in his favor and presence, not merely relief from suffering.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator sees the prayer as a cry for full salvation beyond mere forgiveness, acknowledging that much still remains lacking. The word "Thou" carries strong emphasis, meaning only God can revive, and God has pledged to do so by His own promises.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note draws out the psalmist's urgent plea for God to restore and revive His people. The prayer is that God would turn His favor back toward them and give spiritual life, so their joy would be rooted in God Himself rather than in outward circumstances.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sees revival as both a national restoration for Israel and a personal quickening for every believer. He draws a direct parallel: just as the return from Babylonian captivity revived the Jewish people, the Spirit's work revives sinners dead in sin, restoring joy in Christ.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
having still occasion for the anger which is deprecated.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that the prayer "restore us" actually means "turn again to us," a plea for God to manifest His former loving-kindness anew. The transition from past mercies to this petition arises from the people's present distress. The psalm reflects a time when Israel felt the painful gap between their condition and the promised national restoration.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the personified attributes—mercy, truth, righteousness, peace—are divine, not human virtues, acting as heavenly messengers in harmonious union.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry observes that God is so eager to hear his people's prayers that he himself inspires their content, putting the very words into their mouths by his Spirit. He also notes that present distress should never erase grateful remembrance of past mercies; even in low times, the church must recall God's former favours.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley interprets the plea for revival as a request for a second, specific reviving. He links this directly to two outcomes: the return of fellow believers who are still absent, and restraint placed upon their adversaries. For Wesley, revival is not a single event but a renewed work in concrete circumstances.