Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
Parallel translations
- WEB Show me a sign of your goodness, that those who hate me may see it, and be shamed, because you, Yahweh, have helped me, and comforted me.
- BSB Show me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see and be ashamed; for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
- NKJV Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
- NASB Show me a sign of good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
- NLT Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.
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 for a sign of God's goodness so his enemies may be shamed, since God has helped and comforted him. He desires God's vindication to be visible.
Overview
The psalm closes seeking evidence of God's favor that will silence opponents and confirm the LORD's help and comfort. David rests not on revenge but on God's public faithfulness. This vindication ultimately belongs to Christ, raised and exalted, whose deliverance shames every foe and comforts His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 41:10–11But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.
- Judg 6:17And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
- Ps 71:20–21Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
- Ps 71:9–13Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
- Mic 7:8–10Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
- Ps 40:1I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
- Ps 109:29Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
- 1 Cor 5:5To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
- Isa 38:22Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?
- Ps 74:9We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 86:17 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.