Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalm moves from a plea for mercy to a direct request for salvation, but notice the order: "Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation." The deliverance they crave, the "salvation," is presented as the result of God's steadfast love, not as something separate or earned, highlighting that salvation flows from His overflowing grace.
Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After a powerful recollection of God's past faithfulness in restoring Israel from exile, the psalm shifts to a lament. The people, though returned, still face hardship and feel God's lingering displeasure, prompting this plea for His continued mercy and ultimate deliverance. The prayer acknowledges their current suffering while holding onto the hope that God's past actions signify a future of complete salvation.
The psalmist uses a powerful word for God's love here, a love that's more than just a feeling. What does this unique Hebrew concept reveal about God's commitment to us?
The phrase "steadfast love" (often translated from the Hebrew word 'hesed') isn't just about God feeling affectionate. It speaks of a loyal, covenantal love – a deep, unwavering commitment. Think of it like a promise keeper, someone who won't abandon you even when you falter. It's active, reliable love that God demonstrates through His actions, especially in His ultimate salvation.
In this verse, the psalmist is crying out for this specific kind of love. They aren't just asking for a general sense of well-being, but for God's faithful, covenantal kindness to be poured out upon them. This is the foundation for their request for salvation.
The request for 'salvation' here isn't just a one-time ticket to heaven. What broader, life-changing reality does the psalmist have in mind?
When the psalmist asks God to "grant us your salvation," they're asking for more than just a future escape from trouble. They're praying for God's powerful intervention to rescue and restore them in the present.
This isn't passive waiting, but an active plea for God to demonstrate His saving power in their lives. It encompasses forgiveness of sins (as noted by commentators like Clarke and Gill), deliverance from current afflictions, and the restoration of their relationship with God. It's about experiencing God's saving presence and power now, leading to true peace and joy.
Understand the original words
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chesed · Hebrew Noun
The covenantal, faithful, and loyal love of God toward His people. It is a persistent, unconditional, and sacrificial commitment based on His promises, often translated as 'mercy' or 'lovingkindness'.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The LORD, or Yahweh; the personal and covenantal name of God revealed to Israel. It denotes His self-existence, His eternal nature, and His faithfulness as the Redeemer who keeps His covenant promises.
yesha · Hebrew Noun
Deliverance, rescue, or victory provided by God. Biblically, it encompasses both physical preservation and the ultimate spiritual deliverance from sin and judgment, finding its fullness in the work of Jesus Christ.
This prayer for steadfast love and salvation likely arose during the difficult period after the return from exile. The people had seen God's faithfulness in their restoration, but the reality of rebuilding a broken land and facing opposition left them yearning for God's complete deliverance.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and deport many Judeans, marking a devastating national crisis.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus the Great allows the exiled Judeans to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, initiating the return from Babylonian exile.
c. 515 BC
Rebuilding of the Temple
The Second Temple is completed in Jerusalem, a significant milestone but falling short of the glory of Solomon's Temple.
c. 444 BC— this verse
Nehemiah's Reforms
Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls and restore civic and religious order amidst ongoing struggles.
This verse is a direct echo of God's self-revelation to Moses, where He declares His character as 'merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.' The psalmist is reminding God of His own nature as He pleads for mercy and salvation.
Luke 1:77-78This New Testament passage beautifully connects the 'tender mercy of our God' with the 'sunrise from on high' to give 'light to those who sit in darkness.' It parallels the psalm's longing for God's mercy to bring salvation and light.
Titus 2:11-13This passage speaks of the 'grace of God that brings salvation for all people' appearing, teaching us to live in hope of the 'blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.' It links God's grace directly to salvation and the hope found in Christ, mirroring the psalm's plea.
Matthew 9:2When Jesus forgives the paralytic's sins, He is demonstrating His divine authority to grant both forgiveness ('your sins are forgiven') and salvation ('get up, take your mat, and go home'). This shows Jesus as the embodiment of God's mercy and salvation.
clarkePsalms 85:7: "Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation."
Show us thy mercy - Blot out all our sins. And grant us thy salvation - Give us such a complete deliverance as is worthy of thy majesty and mercy to bestow!
pulpitPsalms 85:7: "Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation."
Verse 7. - Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. Compare the devout petitions of the Church morning and evening, "O Lord, show thy mercy upon us. And grant us thy salvation" (Order for Morning and Evening Prayer).
The psalm moves from a plea for mercy to a direct request for salvation, but notice the order: "Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation." The deliverance they crave, the "salvation," is presented as the result of God's steadfast love, not as something separate or earned, highlighting that salvation flows from His overflowing grace.
After a powerful recollection of God's past faithfulness in restoring Israel from exile, the psalm shifts to a lament. The people, though returned, still face hardship and feel God's lingering displeasure, prompting this plea for His continued mercy and ultimate deliverance. The prayer acknowledges their current suffering while holding onto the hope that God's past actions signify a future of complete salvation.
After a powerful recollection of God's past faithfulness in restoring Israel from exile, the psalm shifts to a lament. The people, though returned, still face hardship and feel God's lingering displeasure, prompting this plea for His continued mercy and ultimate deliverance. The prayer acknowledges their current suffering while holding onto the hope that God's past actions signify a future of complete salvation.
"Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation." — The psalm moves from a plea for mercy to a direct request for salvation, but notice the order: "Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation." The deliverance they crave, the "s…
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Last reviewed October 2026