Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
English Standard Version (ESV)
While it seems like a simple promise of a good harvest, the verse highlights that God's "good" extends beyond just crops, encompassing all spiritual and temporal blessings that flow from His goodness, making the land's fruitfulness a reflection of His profound favor. This promise isn't just about agriculture; it's about God's complete provision and the flourishing that comes from His reconciliation and presence.
Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After recounting God's past faithfulness and pleading for His return, the Psalmist envisions a future where divine favor brings reconciliation and restoration. This verse paints a picture of abundant blessing, where God's goodness flows forth, ensuring both spiritual prosperity and the literal fruitfulness of the land, a stark contrast to their current struggles.
When the Psalmist says 'the LORD shall give that which is good,' what does 'good' truly mean? Is it just about a good harvest?
The Supreme Good
The verse opens with a powerful affirmation: 'the LORD shall give that which is good.' While the immediate context points to the land yielding its increase – physical provision – the commentators hint at something deeper. 'That which is good' isn't limited to earthly benefits. It encompasses the 'supreme good,' spiritual blessings, God's favor, and ultimately, salvation through Christ.
Think of it this way: earthly blessings are wonderful, but they are often signs pointing to a greater reality. God's 'good' is inherently tied to His own character and His plan for us, which is reconciliation and relationship with Him. So, when God gives 'good,' He gives Himself and all that flows from a restored connection with Him.
The land yielding its increase is a recurring image in the Bible. What does this literal fruitfulness signify for us today?
More Than Just a Harvest
The promise that 'our land shall yield her increase' speaks directly to the tangible blessings God bestows. In ancient times, a fertile land meant survival, prosperity, and God's favor. It was a visible sign that God was present and at work.
But the commentators also point to a richer meaning. This 'increase' can be understood metaphorically:
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Ultimately, the land's fertility is a beautiful picture of how God's blessing transforms and makes fruitful, both in our physical lives and in our spiritual journeys.
Understand the original words
YHWH · Hebrew Noun
The covenant name of the God of Israel. It represents the self-existent, eternal, and personal Creator who enters into a relational bond with His people.
yebul · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the physical, spiritual, or agricultural produce granted by God's blessing. It implies a fruitful harvest or outcome resulting from divine provision.
This verse speaks to a community that has experienced profound loss and restoration. After the devastation of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile, the return and rebuilding of the Temple were triumphs, yet the land itself still struggled to yield its bounty, making this promise of God's goodness and the land's increase a powerful expression of hope for complete restoration.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and exile much of the population, marking a period of profound national and spiritual crisis for Judah.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Conquest of Babylon
The Persian Empire, led by Cyrus, overthrows the Babylonian Empire, creating the political conditions for the exiled Jews to return to their homeland.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus Allowing Return
Cyrus issues a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, initiating the first wave of returnees.
c. 516 BC
Completion of the Second Temple
After decades of work and opposition, the Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt and rededicated, a significant milestone in the restoration of Jewish life and worship.
c. 458 BC and 444 BC
Reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah
Ezra the scribe and Nehemiah the governor lead further waves of returnees and implement crucial religious and social reforms to re-establish covenant faithfulness.
Post-Exilic Period (c. 5th-4th Century BC)— this verse
Period of Restoration and Scarcity
Following the return from exile, the land's fertility was often challenged, with periods of scarcity impacting the returned community and highlighting their dependence on God's blessing.
This passage directly parallels the idea of the land yielding its increase as a blessing from God, linking agricultural prosperity to obedience and divine favor.
Deuteronomy 28:12This verse highlights God's promise of blessing, including the fruitfulness of the land, contingent upon listening to His voice, reinforcing the connection between divine favor and the land's productivity.
Psalm 67:6This verse echoes the sentiment of Psalm 85:12, stating that 'the earth has yielded its increase,' and it shall be blessed by God, further solidifying the theme of God's provision and blessing upon His people and their land.
Isaiah 55:10-11This passage connects God's word and will to fruitful outcomes, much like the land yielding its increase, showing that God's promises and commands bring about life-giving results.
Romans 8:19-22This New Testament passage speaks of creation groaning and being subject to futility, but with the hope of future redemption and freedom, offering a broader spiritual context to the land's 'increase' as part of God's restorative plan.
clarkePsalms 85:12: "Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase."
The Lord shall give - good - הטוב hattob, The Good thing - what is the supreme good, the summum bonum, for which man has searched in vain through all his generations. Those who are reconciled to him through the Son of his love shall enjoy the favor of their God; to have which is the supreme happiness of man. Our land shall yield her increase - There shall be neither dearth nor barrenness; for tr…
pulpitPsalms 85:12: "Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase."
Verse 12. - Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; i.e. shower blessings on his laud, both spiritual and temporal. And our land shall yield her increase. Other crops may be included, but the special reference is to a large increase of good works.
While it seems like a simple promise of a good harvest, the verse highlights that God's "good" extends beyond just crops, encompassing all spiritual and temporal blessings that flow from His goodness, making the land's fruitfulness a reflection of His profound favor. This promise isn't just about agriculture; it's about God's complete provision and the flourishing that comes from His reconciliation and presence.
After recounting God's past faithfulness and pleading for His return, the Psalmist envisions a future where divine favor brings reconciliation and restoration. This verse paints a picture of abundant blessing, where God's goodness flows forth, ensuring both spiritual prosperity and the literal fruitfulness of the land, a stark contrast to their current struggles.
After recounting God's past faithfulness and pleading for His return, the Psalmist envisions a future where divine favor brings reconciliation and restoration. This verse paints a picture of abundant blessing, where God's goodness flows forth, ensuring both spiritual prosperity and the literal fruitfulness of the land, a stark contrast to their current struggles.
"Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase." — While it seems like a simple promise of a good harvest, the verse highlights that God's "good" extends beyond just crops, encompassing all spiritual and temporal blessings that flow from His goodness…
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Last reviewed October 2026