LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
Psalms 85:1-12.-Israel's deliverance from sin and punishment anticipated by faith in God's promises (Psalms 85:1-3); prayer based upon this (Psalms 85:4-7); God's answer of peace to His people's prayer of faith (Psalms 85:8-13). The psalm is designed for times when by disobedience the people forfeited the 'peace' and abundance promised in Leviticus 26:3-13 (cf. Psalms 85:12 here). The resemblance of Psalms 85:4 to Psalms 80:3; Psalms 80:7; Psalms 80:19, inclines me to think that our psalm embodies the believing prayers of Judah, as yet in her land, anticipating the time when the captive Ten tribes shall be restored, and God's anger against the whole nation shall be removed. The fulfillment is mainly still future. The results anticipated to both the literal and the spiritual Israel are so vast (Psalms 85:10-13) as to apply in their fullness only to Messianic times.
Lord ... thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob - rather, 'thou hast turned again the captivity of Jacob:' thou hast reversed his state of distress (cf. note, Job 42:10; Psalms 14:7). This verb х shuwb (H7725)] occurs at Psalms 85:3-4; Psalms 85:6; Psalms 85:8; and is characteristic of the psalm (cf. Psalms 80:3; Psalms 80:7; Psalms 80:19).