Psalms 86

The AIT Bible

A Prayer of the Afflicted

1A prayer of David. Incline your ear, Yahweh; answer me, for I am afflicted and needy.

2Guard my life, for I am devoted; save your servant—you are my God—who trusts in you.

3Be gracious to me, Lord, for to you I call out all the day.

4Gladden the life of your servant, for to you, Lord, I lift up my life.

5For you, Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in loyal love to all who call out to you.

6Give ear, Yahweh, to my prayer; attend to the voice of my pleas for grace.

7In the day of my distress I call out to you, for you will answer me.

8There is none like you among the gods, Lord, and there are no deeds like yours.

9All the nations that you made will come and bow down before you, Lord, and will give glory to your name.

10For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

11Teach me, Yahweh, your way; I will walk in your truth. Unite my heart to fear your name.

12I will give you thanks, Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will give glory to your name forever.

13For your loyal love toward me is great, and you have delivered my life from the depths of Sheol.

14O God, insolent men have risen against me, and a band of ruthless men seek my life, and they have not set you before them.

15But you, Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loyal love and truth.

16Turn to me and be gracious to me; grant your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant.

17Work for me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see and be ashamed, because you, Yahweh, have helped me and comforted me.

Where this passage connects across Scripture — each link typed and reasoned, part of the AIT Bible Nexus Chart.

allusion Exodus 34:6 — Shares the covenant formula of God as good, forgiving, and abounding in loyal love drawn from the divine self-revelation.
echoed in Psalms 25:1 — Shared distinctive phrase of lifting up one's soul to Yahweh in prayer.

allusion Exodus 15:11 — Echoes the Song of the Sea's declaration that none among the gods is like Yahweh.
echoed in Exodus 15:1 — Shared rhetorical question 'Who is like you among the gods, Yahweh?' celebrating Yahweh's incomparability.
allusion Revelation 15:4 — Shares the vision of all nations coming to worship and glorify God's name.
echoed in Revelation 15:1 — Shared expectation that all nations will come and worship before God.
thematic Deuteronomy 6:4 — Affirms the monotheistic confession that Yahweh alone is God.
thematic Psalms 25:4 — Shares the plea to be taught God's way and to walk in his truth.
thematic Psalms 22:22 — Both proclaim all nations/families of the earth turning and bowing before Yahweh.
thematic Psalms 89:5 — The incomparability of Yahweh among heavenly beings is a shared rhetorical theme.

quotation Exodus 34:6 — Near-verbatim citation of the divine character formula: merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loyal love and truth.
parallel Psalms 54:1 — Near-identical line describing insolent/ruthless men seeking the psalmist's life who do not set God before them.
allusion Psalms 103:8 — Both draw on the same divine-attribute formula of mercy, grace, and slowness to anger.
allusion Psalms 116:16 — Shares the distinctive self-designation as the son of God's maidservant/servant.
echoed in Psalms 25:1 — Shared plea to turn and be gracious to the afflicted worshiper.
echoed in Psalms 116:12 — Shared self-designation as 'your servant, the son of your maidservant.'
thematic Psalms 130:1 — Both attribute abundant loyal love (hesed) to Yahweh as ground for hope.