Bible Strands
Psalms 86:4
Bring joy to Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David addresses Yahweh as the psalmist, speaking during a period of persistent prayer that bridges a plea for mercy and a declaration of divine forgiveness.
The words — The verse hinges on שַׂמֵּ֭חַ (sa.mê.aḥ), meaning “make glad,” and נֶפֶשׁ (nə.p̄eš), rendered here as “soul” or “being,” which the speaker lifts toward the Lord.
The thread — This posture of lifting the soul appears in Psalms 25:1, while the request for joy and trust in God’s loving devotion parallels the morning plea in Psalms 143:8.
Why it lands — The text commands God to gladden the speaker’s servant self and explicitly states that the soul is directed toward Yahweh alone. It requires the reader to identify the object of their spiritual focus and seek divine joy rather than self-generated comfort.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
Cross-references
- Psalms 143:8 Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.
- Psalms 25:1 Of David. To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul;
- Isaiah 66:13 As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you, and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”
- Psalms 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.
- Psalms 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah
- Isaiah 61:3 to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
- Isaiah 65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for I will create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight.