Psalms — Chapter 38
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1A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.
2For Your arrows have pierced me deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me.
3There is no soundness in my body because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my sin.
4For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are a burden too heavy to bear.
5My wounds are foul and festering because of my sinful folly.
6I am bent and brought low; all day long I go about mourning.
7For my loins are full of burning pain, and no soundness remains in my body.
8I am numb and badly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.
9O Lord, my every desire is before You; my groaning is not hidden from You.
10My heart pounds, my strength fails, and even the light of my eyes has faded.
11My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.
12Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long.
13But like a deaf man, I do not hear; and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth.
14I am like a man who cannot hear, whose mouth offers no reply.
15I wait for You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God.
16For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—those who taunt me when my foot slips.”
17For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever with me.
18Yes, I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.
19Many are my enemies without cause, and many hate me without reason.
20Those who repay my good with evil attack me for pursuing the good.
21Do not forsake me, O LORD; be not far from me, O my God.
22Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.
1O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
3There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
6I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
7For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
9Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
10My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.
12They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
13But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
14Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
15For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
16For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
17For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
18For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
19But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
20They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
21Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me.
22Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
1O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thy wrath; Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2For thine arrows stick fast in me, And thy hand presseth me sore.
3There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine indignation; Neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin.
4For mine iniquities are gone over my head: As a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5My wounds are loathsome and corrupt, Because of my foolishness.
6I am pained and bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
7For my loins are filled with burning; And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am faint and sore bruised: I have groaned by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
9Lord, all my desire is before thee; And my groaning is not hid from thee.
10My heart throbbeth, my strength faileth me: As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my kinsmen stand afar off.
12They also that seek after my life lay snares [for me]; And they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, And meditate deceits all the day long.
13But I, as a deaf man, hear not; And I am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
14Yea, I am as a man that heareth not, And in whose mouth are no reproofs.
15For in thee, O Jehovah, do I hope: Thou wilt answer, O Lord my God.
16For I said, Lest they rejoice over me: When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
17For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me.
18For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
19But mine enemies are lively, [and] are strong; And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
20They also that render evil for good Are adversaries unto me, because I follow the thing that is good.
21Forsake me not, O Jehovah: O my God, be not far from me.
22Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation. Psalm 39 For the Chief Musician, Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger. Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury.
2For your arrows pierce me, and your hand presses me down.
3My whole body is sick because of your judgment; I am deprived of health because of my sin.
4For my sins overwhelm me; like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear.
5My wounds are infected and starting to smell, because of my foolish sins.
6I am dazed and completely humiliated; all day long I walk around mourning.
7For I am overcome with shame, and my whole body is sick.
8I am numb with pain and severely battered; I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel.
9O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; my groaning is not hidden from you.
10My heart beats quickly; my strength leaves me. I can hardly see.
11Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; my neighbors stand far away.
12Those who seek my life try to entrap me; those who want to harm me speak destructive words. All day long they say deceitful things.
13But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing; I am like a mute who cannot speak.
14I am like a man who cannot hear and is incapable of arguing his defense.
15Yet I wait for you, O Lord! You will respond, O Lord, my God!
16I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me; when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me.
17For I am about to stumble, and I am in constant pain.
18Yes, I confess my wrongdoing, and I am concerned about my sins.
19But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; those who hate me without cause outnumber me.
20They repay me evil for the good I have done; though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me.
21Do not abandon me, O Lord. My God, do not remain far away from me.
22Hurry and help me, O Lord, my deliverer.
1Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your wrath, neither chasten me in your hot displeasure.
2For your arrows have pierced me, your hand presses hard on me.
3There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation, neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin.
4For my iniquities have gone over my head. As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5My wounds are loathsome and corrupt, because of my foolishness.
6I am pained and bowed down greatly. I go mourning all day long.
7For my waist is filled with burning. There is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am faint and severely bruised. I have groaned by reason of the anguish of my heart.
9Lord, all my desire is before you. My groaning is not hidden from you.
10My heart throbs. My strength fails me. As for the light of my eyes, it has also left me.
11My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague. My kinsmen stand far away.
12They also who seek after my life lay snares. Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all day long.
13But I, as a deaf man, don’t hear. I am as a mute man who doesn’t open his mouth.
14Yes, I am as a man who doesn’t hear, in whose mouth are no reproofs.
15For in you, Yahweh, do I hope. You will answer, Lord my God.
16For I said, “Don’t let them gloat over me, or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”
17For I am ready to fall. My pain is continually before me.
18For I will declare my iniquity. I will be sorry for my sin.
19But my enemies are vigorous and many. Those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20They who also render evil for good are adversaries to me, because I follow what is good.
21Don’t forsake me, Yahweh. My God, don’t be far from me.
22Hurry to help me, Lord, my salvation.
Summary
A penitential lament in which David describes overwhelming guilt and physical suffering under what he understands as God's discipline. He describes his body wasting away because of his sin, with no soundness in his flesh, wounds that fester, and a heart in constant turmoil, groaning and utterly bowed down (vv. 1-8). His friends and companions stand aloof because of his affliction, while those who seek his life set traps and speak deceit against him all day (vv. 11-12). He describes himself as deaf and mute before his accusers, silently waiting on God rather than defending himself, confessing his iniquity and expressing sorrow over his sin (vv. 13-18). The psalm closes with a plea for God not to forsake him despite his many, powerful enemies, asking for speedy help from the God of his salvation (vv. 19-22).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- The Weight of Unconfessed Sin (vv.3-5) — David describes his sin as a physical burden pressing down on his body — no strength, no soundness, wounds that fester. Have you noticed sin or guilt showing up in your body or energy before you were willing to name it in prayer?
- Abandoned by Friends (v.11) — In his lowest moment, even close friends and family keep their distance. Have you experienced that isolation in suffering, or has God used you to be the friend who stays close instead of stepping back?
- Choosing Silence Over Self-Defense (vv.13-14) — Rather than answering his accusers, David goes quiet and lets God be his defense. When you're wrongly accused or misunderstood, is your instinct to fight back or to trust God to vindicate you in His timing?
- Owning the Sin Without Excuse (v.18) — David doesn't blame his enemies or his circumstances — he simply confesses his iniquity and grieves over it. Is there a pattern in your life you're still explaining away instead of owning honestly before God?
- A Desperate, Honest Cry (v.22) — The psalm ends not with a polished conclusion but with a raw plea for God to hurry and help. Do you believe a simple, urgent request for help is enough of a prayer, or do you feel like you need better words first?