The exiles are home, the Temple is standing, but the glory hasn't returned. This is the awkward, painful silence of a 'restoration' that feels like a letdown. Psalm 85 is the desperate cry of a people who realized that being back in the land isn't the same as being back with God. It’s a high-stakes appeal to divine memory, demanding that the God who saved them once finish the job before they lose heart entirely.
The psalm pivots on the tension between political restoration and spiritual revival; it argues that God’s 'salvation' is incomplete until his internal character (Truth) and external action (Peace) are perfectly reconciled in the land.
"The language of 'returning the returning' (restoring fortunes) echoes the Year of Jubilee where all debts are canceled."
"The meeting of 'Hesed' (Grace) and 'Emet' (Truth) finds its physical manifestation in the Incarnation of the Word."
"The longing for 'Glory' to dwell in the land (v. 9) mirrors Ezekiel's vision of the glory returning to the post-exilic Temple."
"The cosmic 'kiss' of righteousness and peace is the ultimate shadow of God reconciling the world to Himself."
The Sons of Korah, who wrote this, were descendants of the man swallowed by the earth for rebelling against Moses. Their existence is a living testimony to the 'Mercy' mentioned in the text.
In verse 1, the Hebrew phrase for 'restored the fortunes' is 'shub shebuth,' a rhythmic wordplay that literally means 'returned the returning.'
The promise that 'our land will yield its increase' in verse 12 wasn't just a metaphor; in the ancient Near East, spiritual revival and agricultural fertility were seen as inseparable signs of God's presence.
The word for 'kiss' (nashaq) is the same word used in the Song of Solomon, suggesting the 'meeting' of Righteousness and Peace is an intimate, joyful union, not a cold legal settlement.
