Psalms 86:6

Study note

Setting — The psalmist addresses Yahweh directly, pleading for divine attention during a time of personal distress. This appeal follows a declaration of God’s forgiving nature and precedes a statement of trust that God answers calls in trouble.

The words — The Hebrew terms הַאֲזִ֣ינָ/ה (ha.'a.Zi.na/h) and וְ֝/הַקְשִׁ֗יבָ/ה (ve./hak.Shi.va/h) literally command God to "give ear" and "pay attention." They frame the psalmist’s תְּפִלָּתִ֑/י (te.fi.la.T/i, "my prayer") and בְּ/ק֣וֹל תַּחֲנוּנוֹתָֽ/י (be./Kol ta.cha.nu.no.Ta/i, "the sound of my supplications") as urgent auditory requests.

The thread — This plea echoes the identical petitions found in Psalms 5:1, 17:1, and 55:1, where David similarly commands God to listen to his groaning and cry. The repeated phrasing establishes a consistent pattern of urgent supplication within the psalter.

Why it lands — The verse demands immediate divine attention to a specific request for mercy rather than abstract praise. It requires the reader to recognize prayer as a direct, auditory appeal that expects a concrete response.

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.