Psalms 85:5
Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The question isn't just about God's anger, but if He will prolong it, suggesting a fear that the suffering has become so ingrained it will pass down through every generation. This highlights the deep spiritual crisis of feeling cut off from God's favor, not just for the current moment, but for the future as well.
The Psalmist is reflecting on a time of great trouble, likely after returning from exile, where the people felt God's displeasure lingered. He recalls God's past faithfulness and mercy towards Israel, contrasting it with their current suffering. This verse is a plea, questioning if God's anger will never cease, impacting not just the current generation but all who follow.
Does God's anger last forever? This verse grapples with a common fear that God's displeasure is permanent.
The psalmists often wrestle with the apparent severity of God's discipline, especially when trials seem to stretch on. But here, they’re not stating a belief that God will be angry forever. Instead, they are questioning it, using the rhetorical question to highlight their plea for God to relent. This is a prayer born from a deep understanding that while God's anger can be severe and prolonged, it is not His eternal nature towards His people. His covenant love and faithfulness are ultimately stronger than His momentary displeasure.
The very fact that they are asking "Will you be angry forever?" implies a hope and belief that the answer is "no." They are appealing to God’s character, as revealed in passages like Exodus 34:6-7, which emphasizes His mercy, grace, and slowness to anger. God’s discipline has a purpose: to correct and restore, not to destroy eternally.
When we suffer, it's easy to feel like our struggles will pass down to our children. This verse touches on that deep human fear.
The question "will you prolong your anger to all generations?" speaks to a profound worry about the lasting impact of sin and God's judgment. The people of Israel had a history where consequences of sin did indeed ripple through generations. However, the prayer isn't just about stopping the immediate pain; it's about a turning point for the future.
The psalmists are praying for God to not just cease His anger, but to "turn again and quicken us" (as seen in verse 6, which immediately follows this one in many arrangements). This 'turning' signifies a reversal of fortune, a restoration of life and favor. It’s a plea for God's intervention to break the cycle of suffering and bring renewal, not just for the current generation, but for those to come. It highlights that God's power to bless and restore is just as real, if not more so, than His power to discipline.
The psalmist is likely reflecting on the long period of hardship and divine displeasure following the Babylonian exile and the subsequent return. The rebuilt Temple, while significant, did not immediately restore the nation to its former glory, leading to a plea for God's enduring favor to last for generations.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its population and the scattering of the ten tribes.
597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports Jehoiachin, royal family, officials, and skilled workers from Judah to Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Babylonian forces under Nebuchadnezzar destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, with most of the remaining population exiled to Babylon.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Decree
The Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon and issues a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands.
This verse directly contrasts the idea of God's enduring anger with His character as 'merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,' highlighting the tension the Psalmist feels.
Lamentations 5:20Similar to Psalms 85:5, this verse expresses a plea to God about the duration of His anger and the suffering of His people across generations.
Jeremiah 3:12This passage shows God's own command to Israel to return, promising not to 'maintain his anger forever,' echoing the Psalmist's plea for the anger to cease.
Romans 11:29This New Testament passage speaks of God's 'gifts and his calling are irrevocable,' providing a theological underpinning that God's ultimate purposes for His people endure despite temporary displeasure or judgment.
2 Corinthians 7:9This verse explains that godly sorrow leads to repentance and salvation, contrasting with a sorrow that leads to ruin, offering a perspective on why God might prolong or shorten His chastening.
clarkePsalms 85:5: "Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?"
Wilt thou draw out thine anger - We have already suffered much and long; our fathers have suffered, and we have succeeded to their distresses. Draw not out thy anger against us from generation to generation.
calvinPsalms 85:5-8: "Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?"
- Wilt thou be wroth against us for ever? wilt thou prolong thy displeasure from age to age? 6. Wilt thou not turn again and quicken us? and thy people will rejoice in thee. 7. Show us thy mercy, O Jehovah! and grant us thy salvation. 8. I will hear what God Jehovah will speak: surely he will speak peace to his people and to his meek ones, and they will not turn again to folly.
5 Wilt thou…
The question isn't just about God's anger, but if He will prolong it, suggesting a fear that the suffering has become so ingrained it will pass down through every generation. This highlights the deep spiritual crisis of feeling cut off from God's favor, not just for the current moment, but for the future as well.
The Psalmist is reflecting on a time of great trouble, likely after returning from exile, where the people felt God's displeasure lingered. He recalls God's past faithfulness and mercy towards Israel, contrasting it with their current suffering. This verse is a plea, questioning if God's anger will never cease, impacting not just the current generation but all who follow.
The Psalmist is reflecting on a time of great trouble, likely after returning from exile, where the people felt God's displeasure lingered. He recalls God's past faithfulness and mercy towards Israel, contrasting it with their current suffering. This verse is a plea, questioning if God's anger will never cease, impacting not just the current generation but all who follow.
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c. 516 BC— this verse
Dedication of the Second Temple
The rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem is dedicated, but it lacks the glory of Solomon's Temple, reflecting a period of diminished national status and ongoing hardship.
c. 458 BC
Ezra's Return to Jerusalem
The scribe Ezra leads another group of exiles back to Judah, seeking to re-establish religious law and order in the post-exilic community.
"Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?" — The question isn't just about God's anger, but if He will prolong it, suggesting a fear that the suffering has become so ingrained it will pass down through every generation. This highlights the de…
