What Does Psalm 85:9 Mean in the King James?
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse joins deliverance and presence: deliverance draws near, and God’s weight takes up residence in the land.
THE MEANING
God’s deliverance is near to you as you stand in awe of him. His weight settles into the land you inhabit, dwelling among you rather than remaining distant.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that deliverance is remote and God’s presence belongs somewhere else: the verse places deliverance near and his weight dwelling in our land.
THE ROOT
יִשְׁעוֹ
yishʿo
GROWS FROM
ישע
To deliver or rescue; to bring out of constriction into spaciousness.
“salvation” in this verse is yishʿo. “His deliverance” comes from yasha: rescue is movement out of what confines. Here that deliverance is already near, opening the way for God’s presence to dwell in the land.
ALSO GROWS
yeshuah: Deliverance, rescue
יְשׁוּעָה
It carries the same root into the noun for deliverance, making the verse’s promise more than an abstract outcome.
moshia: One who delivers or rescues
מוֹשִׁיעַ
This branch names the one who brings people out; the verse’s near deliverance is personal, not merely an event.
כָּבוֹד
kavod
GROWS FROM
כבד
To be heavy or weighty; by extension, to carry weight or honor.
The “glory” that dwells in the land is also weight: substantial presence, not merely brightness or spectacle. Its weight settles into the place where people live.
ALSO GROWS
kaved: Heavy, weighty
כָּבֵד
This branch makes the physical sense of kavod audible beneath “glory.”
kibbed: To honor or treat as weighty
כִּבֵּד
Honor and weight share the root, linking God’s glory with the significance of his presence.
לִשְׁכֹּן
lishkon
GROWS FROM
שכן
To settle or dwell.
“dwell” in this verse is lishkon. The verse says God’s weight settles into the land. This root also forms words for a dwelling place and a neighbor, giving the image of presence that lives nearby.
ALSO GROWS
mishkan: Dwelling place, tabernacle
מִשְׁכָּן
The same root names a place where presence settles, echoing the verse’s image of glory dwelling in the land.
shachen: Neighbor; one who dwells nearby
שָׁכֵן
The root links dwelling with nearness, so God’s presence is portrayed as local and among the people.
THE PATTERN
God’s deliverance draws near, and his presence takes up residence among people.
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.THE THREAD
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.The word translated “salvation” comes from the same root, יָשַׁע (yasha, to deliver), as Psalm 85:9’s “his deliverance.” Isaiah names God himself as that deliverance, opening the Psalm’s nearness as present help rather than a distant outcome.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us