Mazmur 86:11-13

86:11 O Lord, teach me how you want me to live! ¹ 

Then I will obey your commands. ² 

Make me wholeheartedly committed to you! ³ 

86:12 O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks with my whole heart!

I will honor your name continually! ⁴ 

86:13 For you will extend your great loyal love to me, ⁵ 

and will deliver my life ⁶  from the depths of Sheol. ⁷ 

[86:11]  ¹ tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.

[86:11]  ² tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.

[86:11]  ³ tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).

[86:12]  ⁴ tn Or “forever.”

[86:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “for your loyal love [is] great over me.”

[86:13]  ⁶ tn Or “for he will have delivered my life.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here.

[86:13]  ⁷ tn Or “lower Sheol.”