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Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
Psalms 85:2 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB You have forgiven the iniquity of your people. You have covered all their sin. Selah.
  • BSB You forgave the iniquity of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah
  • NKJV You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered all their sin. Selah
  • NASB You forgave the guilt of Your people; You covered all their sin. Selah
  • NLT You forgave the guilt of your people— yes, you covered all their sins. Interlude

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God forgave His people's iniquity and covered all their sin. Forgiveness is His gracious act of removing guilt.

Overview

The verse celebrates the full, gracious pardon God extended, where 'covered' sin recalls the language of atonement. 'Selah' invites pause to reflect on this mercy. This forgiveness foreshadows the gospel, where sin is fully covered and removed through the blood of Christ, in whom God justly pardons all who believe.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Col 2:13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
  • Mic 7:18Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
  • Ps 32:1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
  • Acts 13:39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
  • Num 14:19Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
  • Jer 50:20In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
  • Ps 79:8–9O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.
  • Ps 78:38But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 85:2YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 85:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.