Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. (Psa 85:11)
I have written a few posts showing that some of the "proof-texts" Latter-day Saints tend to employ as biblical "proof" of the Book of Mormon to be based on eisegesis:
Another problematic proof-text is that of Psa 85:11. The reasoning behind this is that, in the view of some LDS authors, David is prophesying of how the Book of Mormon would come forth from a hill (i.e., the drumlin that where Joseph Smith found the plates) and that it was a divine revelation. In reality, however, the context does not allow for this.
Firstly, this verse is an example of a poetical device called “merismus,” a literary device where a metonymic term to describe a type of synecdoche in which two parts of a thing are made to stand for the whole; in this verse, there are two instances of such:
Truth--Righteousness
Earth--Heaven
In context, the author of this psalm is speaking of the universality of God’s righteousness and covenantal fidelity; it is not a prophecy of the Book of Mormon. At best, one could appeal to this verse as a (very weak) poetical allusion to the Book of Mormon, but even then, such would be a stretch.
With respect to the exegesis of v. 11 and its surrounding context, let us quote one scholarly commentary:
The poetry of vv 10–14 is marked by the personification of the primary qualities of Yahweh and his action. His “salvation” is near (cf. Isa 51:5; 56:1; Matt 3:2; Mark 1:15), and his “Glory” will again dwell in the land (for “glory,” cf. Pss 19:1; 26:8; 57:6, 12; 63:3; Isa 6:3; 40:5; 60:2; 62:2), Kraus (II, 758) remarks that the message corresponds to that in Isa 46:13 (rsv):
I bring near (קרבתי) my deliverance (צדקתי),
it is not far off,
and my salvation (תשׁועתי) will not tarry;
I will put salvation (תשׁועה) in Zion,
for Israel my glory (תפארתי).
Cf. the desertion of the temple and Jerusalem by the glory of Yahweh in Ezek 11:22–25 and its return in Ezek 43:1–4.
Glory, Loyal-Love (חסד), Faithfulness (Truth), Righteousness, and Well-Being (Peace/Shalom) are presented as living agents of Yahweh’s work of bestowing goodness and productivity on the land. The four great “agents” in v 11 have met together, like kings or generals preparing for some action, and they are in harmony. All the “agents” are partners in concord; there is no meeting of opposites in a picture of atonement as some older interpretations would suggest (see Kidner, II, 310; Perowne, 126). The qualities of divine action and life are set forth in these verses; contrast the absence of faithfulness (אמת) and loyal-love (חסד), and knowledge (דעת) from the residents of the land in Hos 4:2 (cf. Isa 59:14–15). The land will receive the action of the “agents” in coordinated endeavor from below and above, according to v 12. Faithfulness springs up from the earth (cf. Isa 58:8–9) while Righteousness looks down from heaven, prepared to go as a herald before Yahweh in a theophanic advent (v 14). For the verb שׁקף, “look/ gaze,” see Pss 53:3; 102:20; Deut 26:15. For v 12, cf. Isa 45:8 (rsv):
Shower, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may sprout forth,
and let it cause righteousness to spring up also;
I the Lord have created it.
Cf. the return to chaotic conditions in the flood narrative in Gen 7:11. See also Hos 2:21–22; Isa 32:15–18. All of this action will bring goodness and productivity to the land (v 13).
I have retained the traditional translation “harvest” in v 13, but too much emphasis should not be put on “harvest” as such. There is no need to deny the appropriateness of Ps 85 for the celebration of harvests, and יבול can refer to agricultural produce of the ground (note Deut 11:17; Lev 26:4, 20; Hab 3:17; Hag 1:10–11; Ps 78:46); there is no reason to deny this as the basic meaning. A few references, however, seem to point toward a more general meaning of “production” or “productivity” (cf. Deut 32:22; Judg 6:4; Job 20:28). Gunkel (374) calls attention to the rich harvests and fertility which is associated with the new era that Yahweh will bring to his people in Hos 2:21–23; Amos 9:13–15; Isa 4:2; 30:23–25; Jer 31:12; to which may be added Zech 8:11–12; cf. Ps 65:10–14.
The “agents” do the work of Yahweh, of course, as is made clear in v 13. It is Yahweh who gives goodness and fertility to the land, however they may be mediated. V 14 reflects the idea of a theophanic coming of Yahweh (cf. Comment on Ps 65:10–14). Righteousness will go before Yahweh as a herald before a king and prepare a way for his journey through the land (cf. Isa 58:5; 62:11; 40:3–5, 10; Gunkel, 374; Kraus, II, 758). For discussion of “faithfulness” (truth), see Comment on 51:8; for “righteousness,” see the Explanation of Ps 71. “Righteousness” in this context refers to Yahweh’s judging and saving acts which bring deliverance to his people. The concept differs little from “salvation” (as in Deutero-Isaiah; e.g., see Isa 42:21; 46:12–13; 51:1, 5–6, 8; 62:1), but the judging aspect of the “righteousness” of God should not be lost (Kraus, Theology, 42–43). Though his judgments are ultimately saving judgments (Ps 36:7), Yahweh is the one who “puts things right.” “The righteousness of Yahweh is the perfection of the manner in which he sees through everything, evaluates, judges, and saves. It is the perfection of the one who, true to his responsibilities to the community, helps all who are oppressed, falsely accused, persecuted, or suffering, and reveals himself as their deliverer” (Kraus, Theology, 43; cf. Pss 31:2; 71:2).
The expression which encompasses all that Yahweh will do is שׁלום, “WellBeing/Peace,” used in vv 9 and 11. The “agents” will produce the shalom which Yahweh commands for his people in v 11 (see note 9.c). Shalom is the comprehensive concept of well-being, peace, and welfare which includes love, faithfulness, righteousness, prosperity, and glory. W. Brueggemann (Living Toward a Vision: Biblical Reflections on Shalom [Philadelphia: United Church Press, 1982] 16) has summarized Shalom in vigorous descriptive language with reference to Lev 26:4–6 and Ezek 34:25–29a: “It is well-being that exists in the very midst of threats—from sword and drought, and from wild animals. It is well-being of a material, physical, historical kind, not idyllic pie in the sky, but salvation in the midst of trees and crops and enemies—in the very places where people always have to cope with anxiety, struggle for survival, and deal with temptation. It is well-being of a very personal kind … but it is also deliberately corporate. If there is to be wellbeing, it will not be just for isolated, insulated individuals; it is rather security and prosperity granted to a whole community—young and old, rich and poor, powerful and dependent. Always we are all in it together.” This is the word of Yahweh for his people. For further discussion of shalom, see Kraus, Theology of the Psalms, 82), who says that shalom in the Psalms is used with four meanings: (1) the fruitfulness and undisturbed growth, prosperity, and life of the land and the whole earth: Pss 72:3, 7; 85:11; 147:14; (2) well-being of the whole nation: Pss 29:11; 85:8–9; 125:5; (3) the basic function of the king: Ps 72:3–7; and (4) the distinctive force available to the city of Jerusalem: Ps 122:6–9.) (Marvin E. Tate, Psalms 51-100 [Word Biblical Commentary vol. 20; Dallas: Word Books, 1998], 371-72)
