Psalms 86:17 · Bible study
Psalms 86:17 Commentary: A Sign of Goodness for God's Honor
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What kind of sign does the psalmist request? Explore the meaning of 'token for good' and whether seeking visible vindication is right.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The psalmist asks for a visible demonstration of God's favor to silence enemies and confirm God's help and comfort.
- Key words: א֗וֹת (sign/token), ט֫וֹבָה (goodness), יֵבֹשׁוּ (be ashamed/confounded).
- Main debate: Whether the sign is miraculous intervention or ordinary providence (most favor the latter; Clarke allows a pledge/assurance).
- Theological theme: Vindication of the righteous as a witness to God's covenant faithfulness.
- Best use: A model for praying with confidence that God's goodness will be made known, even through hardship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Show me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see and be ashamed; for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Show me a sign of your goodness, that those who hate me may see it, and be shamed, because you, Yahweh, have helped me, and comforted me.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Show me a token for good, That they who hate me may see it, and be put to shame, Because thou, Jehovah, hast helped me, and comforted me.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Do with me a sign for good, And those hating me see and are ashamed, For Thou, O Jehovah, hast helped me, Yea, Thou hast comforted me!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Shew me a token for good, that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed; for thou, Jehovah, hast helped me and comforted me.
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Haz conmigo señal para bien, y véanla los que me aborrecen, y sean avergonzados; porque tú, Jehová, me ayudaste, y me consolaste.
Faze-me um sinal de bondade, para que os que me odeiam vejam, e se envergonhem; porque tu, SENHOR, tens me ajudado e consolado.
Opère un signe en ma faveur!
Tu ein Zeichen an mir, daß mir's wohl gehe, daß es sehen, die mich hassen, und sich schämen müssen, daß du mir beistehst, HERR, und tröstest mich.
Doe aan mij een teken ten goede, opdat het mijn haters zien, en beschaamd worden, als Gij, HEERE! mij geholpen, en mij getroost zult hebben.
Mostrami un segno del tuo favore, onde quelli che m’odiano lo veggano e sian confusi, perché tu, o Eterno, m’avrai soccorso e consolato.
Okaż mi znak dobroci twojej, aby to widząc ci, którzy mię mają w nienawiści, zawstydzeni byli, żeś mię ty, Panie! poratował, i pocieszyłeś mię.
求你向我 顯出 恩待 我的憑據，叫恨我的人 看見 便羞愧，因為 你─耶和華 幫助我，安慰我。
Give me a sign for good; so that my haters may see it and be shamed; because you, Lord, have been my help and comfort.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 86:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the psalmist asks for a visible, unmistakable demonstration of God's favor, a “token for good” (Gill, Barnes). Adam Clarke notes the Hebrew עֲשֵׂה עִמִּי אוֹת (make with me a sign), possibly alluding to the marking of a slave to show ownership. Barnes adds that the sign need not be miraculous; any providential rescue that defeats the enemies' purposes would serve. Keil and Delitzsch describe it as a “special dispensation” that makes God's kindness evident. The enemies “being ashamed” means they are disappointed and confounded in their evil plans (Cambridge, JFB). The focus is not personal vengeance but the public vindication of God's faithfulness.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The psalmist prays for a visible demonstration of God's favor that will confound his enemies and testify to God's help and comfort.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the sign | The sign is a visible, unmistakable token of God's favor, something enemies can observe. | Barnes and JFB see it as providential deliverance; Clarke allows for a special pledge or mark, possibly alluding to the marking of a slave. |
| Appropriateness of shaming enemies | The enemies' shame is their disappointment when their evil plans fail, not personal vindictiveness. | Some traditions read 'ashamed' as punitive (Gill, Cambridge), while others emphasize the corrective or public-justice aspect (Keil). |
| Tense of 'helped and comforted' | The psalmist speaks with certainty, as if God has already acted. | Gill and Matthew Henry take it as a past-tense statement of completed deliverance; Clarke reads it as a pledge of future grace spoken in confidence. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 86 is a prayer of David, likely from the period of Saul's persecution (Keil & Delitzsch). The surrounding verses (14, 16) describe proud and violent enemies who disregard God. The psalmist draws on Yahweh's self-revelation in Exodus 34:6 (v.15) as the basis for his plea.
In the ancient Near East, a “sign” (אוֹת) could be a distinguishing mark, a banner, a miracle, or a warning (H0226). It was common for people to seek visible tokens of divine favor, Gideon asked for a sign with the fleece (Judges 6:17), and Nehemiah used the phrase “remember me for good” (Neh 5:19, 13:31). The psalmist's request fits this pattern. The expected outcome, enemies “seeing and being ashamed”, reflects the cultural value of public honor and shame: when God acts for his servant, the opponents' mockery is overturned.
David calls himself “the son of your handmaid” (v.16), a term indicating lifelong servitude to God (Keil). He prays not from entitlement but from covenant relationship, asking that God's goodness be displayed in a way everyone can witness.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 86:17. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, with the phrase עֲשֵׂה עִמִּי אוֹת (make with me a sign) uniformly attested.
Reception History
This verse has been treasured in Christian prayer traditions as a plea for visible assurance of God's favor. Early church writers saw in it a model of praying for deliverance without despair. In the medieval period, it was used in the Liturgy of the Hours as a cry for vindication. Protestants, particularly in the Reformed tradition, have emphasized the combination of prayer and confidence, asking for a sign while trusting God's character (Calvin, Matthew Henry). More recent devotional use focuses on the phrase “token for good” as a reminder that God's goodness can be seen even in small provisions.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The plea for a sign. “Show me a token for good”, not a demand for spectacle, but a request that God make his favor visible. This could be a specific deliverance, a change in circumstances, or an inner assurance that silences doubt (Barnes, Clarke).
- The audience of the sign. “That those who hate me may see it.” The psalmist wants his enemies to witness God's intervention. Their shame is not personal humiliation but the disappointment of their evil designs (Gill, Cambridge).
- The ground of the sign. “Because you, Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.” The past tense expresses confidence: God's help is already assured. The sign confirms what God has already begun.
Five-point outline
- The request: “Make with me a sign for good.” The Hebrew stresses partnership, God acting with and for his servant (Clarke).
- The nature of the sign: any act of providence that makes God's kindness plain (Barnes, JFB).
- The visibility: “that they which hate me may see it.” Faith is personal, but its vindication often has a public dimension.
- The result: “and be ashamed.” The enemies' shame arises not from taunting but from seeing that God defends his own (Keil).
- The confession: “You have helped me and comforted me.” The psalmist speaks as if already answered, a model of confident prayer.
Illustration hooks
- A lost job suddenly replaced by a better one, and coworkers who mocked now see God's provision.
- A family member who opposed your faith later sees a long-term prayer answered.
- A medical diagnosis reversed in a way that doctors acknowledge as remarkable.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it wrong to want my enemies to be ashamed? How do I pray for vindication without becoming vengeful?
- What kinds of signs can I ask for today, and what crosses the line into testing God?
- How do I hold onto God's help and comfort when no visible sign has come yet?
Leading a Discussion
This verse challenges us to consider what we ask for in prayer, and why. The psalmist wants a visible sign, not for personal glory, but so that God's goodness is publicly recognized. Gather your group and reflect on the difference between asking for vindication and asking for God to be honored.
Discussion questions
- What does the phrase “sign of your goodness” suggest about the psalmist's relationship with God? Is he doubting or expecting?
- Why does the psalmist want his enemies to see the sign? What does “ashamed” mean in this context?
- How does the psalmist's confidence (“you have helped me and comforted me”) shape his prayer? Is he speaking about the past or declaring faith?
- When have you longed for a visible sign of God's goodness in a difficult situation? How did you handle that desire?
- How can we pray for God to be honored in our struggles without turning prayer into a demand for public validation?
- In what ways might God already be giving us “tokens for good” that we overlook?
- How does the cross of Christ serve as the ultimate sign of God's goodness, even when enemies still mock?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Judges 6:17 | He said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me. |
| Psalms 40:1 | For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. I waited patiently for Yahweh. He turned to me, and heard my cry. |
| Psalms 41:10 | But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me, and raise me up, that I may repay them. |
| Psalms 41:11 | By this I know that you delight in me, because my enemy doesn’t triumph over me. |
| Psalms 71:9 | Don’t reject me in my old age. Don’t forsake me when my strength fails. |
| Psalms 71:13 | Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me. |
| 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 71:21 | Increase my honor and comfort me again. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke interprets the request as a plea for a visible mark of God's ownership, like a slave's brand, so that enemies would see God's help and be humiliated. He reads the sign as both an inward pledge from the Spirit and an outward token that would silence his oppressors.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the psalmist asks not for a miracle but for any clear act of deliverance that others can see. Such an intervention would prove God's favor, shame the psalmist's enemies, and provide visible evidence that God protects everyone who trusts in him.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator explains "a token for good" as a visible, unmistakable sign of God’s favor. Its purpose is that enemies may be ashamed when they see the Lord’s help and comfort to the psalmist. This sign publicly confirms God’s care.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights that David asks for a visible sign of God's favor, not merely for his own reassurance but so his enemies can witness it and be put to shame. The shame comes from seeing that God has indeed helped and comforted him, proving their malice groundless.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads David's request for a token for good as a plea for a visible, public sign of God's favor, not just inward assurance. He interprets the eventual throne as that token, something David's enemies could see, which would shame them because it proved God had helped and comforted him.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the phrase "show me" literally means "Make with me a token," referring to a visible sign of God's providential care. The commentator explains that through the psalmist's prosperity itself, this token would confound his enemies.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that the psalmist calls himself "the son of Thy handmaid," meaning he was born into a servant relationship with God. This hereditary bond, established from birth, grounds his plea for miraculous rescue. The request for a "token for good" asks for a visible sign of God's special favor.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees this psalm as a late composite work, built from familiar phrases found in the Law, Psalms, and Prophets, yet displaying some original treatment. He argues that the claim to be holy refers to the covenant relationship, not personal piety, and that the prayer for an undivided heart asks God to unite all the psalmist's powers toward one goal.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry highlights how David, even while making requests, first stops to ascribe glory to God as a being of unmatched perfection. He notes the argument from God's works: no one else does such deeds, which proves that no one else compares.