Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
Psalm 86:4 stands in Book 3 of the Psalms, in the closing group Psalms 78-89. It is a psalm of David, unlike the surrounding psalms that are mostly by Asaph and the sons of Korah, who were among the singers of Israel. With those psalms it belongs to the great treasure-house of comfort and consolation for God's children.
The word for soul is the Hebrew nephesh, used in the sense commonly given to soul in English. Here nephesh is used in the higher sense of animus, rational soul, and mind, considered as the seat of the passions, emotions, and affections of a rational being, such as love, joy, fear, sorrow, hope, hatred, revenge, and contempt. The soul is what is made to rejoice, showing joy as an affection seated in the mind. The verse is thus an example of the soul's relation to the mind.
It is the servant's request for the Lord to bring joy and gladness to the soul while the servant lifts and directs the soul to him. It applies the word soul to the inner, religious life. The surrounding prayer grounds this appeal in God's goodness, readiness to forgive, and abundant mercy toward all who call on him. It reflects the use of the psalms as inspired prayers and praises that teach people to commune with God by pouring out the soul to him. It shows that the poor and needy may ask God for joy of soul, and that God hears their humble prayer and is merciful.
Psalm 86:4 stands in Book 3 of the Psalms, in the closing group Psalms 78-89. It is a psalm of David, unlike the surrounding psalms that are mostly by Asaph and the sons of Korah, who were among the singers of Israel. With those psalms it belongs to the great treasure-house of comfort and consolation for God's children.
The word for soul is the Hebrew nephesh, used in the sense commonly given to soul in English. Here nephesh is used in the higher sense of animus, rational soul, and mind, considered as the seat of the passions, emotions, and affections of a rational being, such as love, joy, fear, sorrow, hope, hatred, revenge, and contempt. The soul is what is made to rejoice, showing joy as an affection seated in the mind. The verse is thus an example of the soul's relation to the mind.
It is the servant's request for the Lord to bring joy and gladness to the soul while the servant lifts and directs the soul to him. It applies the word soul to the inner, religious life. The surrounding prayer grounds this appeal in God's goodness, readiness to forgive, and abundant mercy toward all who call on him. It reflects the use of the psalms as inspired prayers and praises that teach people to commune with God by pouring out the soul to him. It shows that the poor and needy may ask God for joy of soul, and that God hears their humble prayer and is merciful.