Tehillim 85 | “Truth Will Sprout Up from the Earth"

Tehillim 85 – “Truth Will Sprout Up from the Earth, and Justice Will Gaze Down from Heaven”

This psalm divides into three parts. The first part is a thanksgiving to God for having forgiven the people and restored the fortunes of Yaakov. But in the second part, we find once again a plea for God to forgive and turn away His anger. The commentators offer different explanations for the relationship between these sections. Ibn Ezra suggests that just as God forgave sins and redeemed the people of Israel in the past, then they are now asking that He will redeem the people once more in the present generation. Rashi explains that the psalm is situated in the middle of a process of redemption, and the plea is that just as God has redeemed us up to this point, so too may He bring about the full and complete redemption. We could compare this to our own generation — thank God, we have returned to the Land, the situation is very good, and there is much to be grateful for. But at the same time, there is still a long way to go.

After the request, the poet pauses to receive God’s response: “I wish to hear what God, the Lords, will speak” (verse 9). The third part of the psalm presents God’s answer, which makes clear that the end of His anger and the completion of redemption depend on our actions. If we fear God His glory will return to our land. And if the land is filled with loyalty and truth, then God too will respond with abundance from the heavens.