Turn to me and have mercy; grant Your strength to Your servant; save the son of Your maidservant.
Parallel translations
- WEB Turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give your strength to your servant. Save the son of your servant.
- KJV O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
- NKJV Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant.
- NASB Turn to me, and be gracious to me; Grant Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your maidservant.
- NLT Look down and have mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant; save me, the son of your servant.
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
David asks God to turn to him, show mercy, give strength, and save His servant. He pleads for help on the basis of being God's own.
Overview
Identifying as God's servant and 'the son of your servant,' David appeals to the covenant bond and asks for renewed mercy and strength. The language of servanthood expresses lifelong belonging to God. Such reliance points to Christ, the true Servant, through whom God's people are strengthened and saved.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Eph 6:10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- Phil 4:13I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- Isa 40:29–31He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.
- Ps 116:16Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.
- Ps 25:16Turn to me and be gracious, for I am lonely and afflicted.
- Ps 138:3On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.
- Col 1:11being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
- Eph 3:16I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being,
- Ps 90:13Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.
- Ps 69:16Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving devotion is good; turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.
- Ps 84:5Blessed are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
- Zech 10:12I will strengthen them in the LORD, and in His name they will walk,” declares the LORD.
- Ps 119:132Turn to me and show me mercy, as You do to those who love Your name.
- Ps 119:94I am Yours; save me, for I have sought Your precepts.
- Ps 28:7–8The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
- Luke 1:38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
- Isa 45:24Surely they will say of Me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’” All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 86:16 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.