Psalms 85:1
A prayer for David himself. Incline thy ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am needy and poor.
Open Psalms 85:1 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Oratio ipsi David. Inclina, Domine, aurem tuam et exaudi me, quoniam inops et pauper sum ego.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Προσευχὴ τῷ Δαυείδ. Κλῖνον, Κύριε, τὸ οὖς σου καὶ εἰσάκουσόν μου, ὅτι πτωχὸς καὶ πένης εἰμὶ ἐγώ.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 86:1
- תְּפִלָּ֗ה לְדָ֫וִ֥ד הַטֵּֽה יְהוָ֣ה אָזְנְךָ֣ עֲנֵ֑נִי כִּֽי עָנִ֖י וְאֶבְי֣וֹן אָֽנִי
Haydock's commentary
David. He might compose this psalm under any affliction, though prayer is always necessary (Berthier) for any person. (Worthington)
Others apply it to Ezechias, (Theodoret) the captives, or the Church. (Calmet)
Jesus Christ prays during his passion, and foretells his resurrection, and the vocation of the Gentiles. (St. Augustine)
Needy. Hebrew, "mild or afflicted." Humility is requisite to pray well, as those who think themselves rich, ask not with fervour. (Calmet)
God "inclines his ear if thou dost not lift up thy neck." (St. Augustine)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine Book XI, Chapter II
3. O Lord my God, hear my prayer, and let Thy mercy regard my longing, since it bums not for myself alone, but because it desires to benefit brotherly charity; and Thou seest into my heart, that so it is. I would sacrifice to Thee the service of my thought and tongue; and do Thou give what I may offer unto Thee. For “I am poor and needy,” Thou rich unto all that call upon Thee, who free from care carest for us. Circumcise from all rashness and from all lying my inward and outward lips. Let Thy Scriptures be my chaste delights. Neither let me be deceived in them, nor deceive out of them. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXXXVI
2. “Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, and hear me” ( ver. 1 ). He speaks in the form of a servant: speak thou, O servant, in the form of thy Lord: “Bow down Thine ear, O Lord.” He bows down His ear, if thou dost not lift up thy neck: for unto the humble He draweth near: from him that is exalted He removes afar off, except whom He Himself hath exalted from being humble. God then bows down His ear unto us. For He is above, we below: He in a high place, we in a lowly one, yet not deserted. “For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. For scarcely for a just man will one die: yet for a good man peradventure one would even dare to die:” but our Lord died for the wicked. For no merits of ours had gone before, for which the Son of God should die: but the more, because there were no merits, was His mercy great. …