Psalms — Chapter 41

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1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble.

2The LORD will protect and preserve him; He will bless him in the land and refuse to give him over to the will of his foes.

3The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness and restore him from his bed of sickness.

4I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against You.”

5My enemies say with malice: “When will he die and be forgotten?”

6My visitor speaks falsehood; he gathers slander in his heart; he goes out and spreads it abroad.

7All who hate me whisper against me; they imagine the worst for me:

8“A vile disease has been poured into him; he will never get up from where he lies!”

9Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

10But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up, that I may repay them.

11By this I know that You delight in me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.

12In my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever.

13Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

1Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

2The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

3The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

4I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

5Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

6And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

7All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.

8An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

9Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

10But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.

11By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

12And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.

13Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

1Blessed is he that considereth the poor: Jehovah will deliver him in the day of evil.

2Jehovah will preserve him, and keep him alive, And he shall be blessed upon the earth; And deliver not thou him unto the will of his enemies.

3Jehovah will support him upon the couch of languishing: Thou makest all his bed in his sickness.

4I said, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me: Heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

5Mine enemies speak evil against me, [saying], When will he die, and his name perish?

6And if he come to see [me], he speaketh falsehood; His heart gathereth iniquity to itself: When he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

7All that hate me whisper together against me; Against me do they devise my hurt.

8An evil disease, [say they], cleaveth fast unto him; And now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

9Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, Who did eat of my bread, Hath lifted up his heel against me.

10But thou, O Jehovah, have mercy upon me, and raise me up, That I may requite them.

11By this I know that thou delightest in me, Because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

12And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, And settest me before thy face for ever.

13Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, From everlasting and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. Book II Psalm 42 For the Chief Musician. Maschil of the sons of Korah.

1For the music director, a psalm of David. How blessed is the one who treats the poor properly. When trouble comes, may the Lord deliver him.

2May the Lord protect him and save his life. May he be blessed in the land. Do not turn him over to his enemies.

3The Lord supports him on his sickbed; you have healed him from his illness.

4As for me, I said: “O Lord, have mercy on me! Heal me, for I have sinned against you.

5My enemies ask this cruel question about me, ‘When will he finally die and be forgotten?’

6When someone comes to visit, he pretends to be friendly; he thinks of ways to defame me, and when he leaves he slanders me.

7All who hate me whisper insults about me to one another; they plan ways to harm me.

8They say, ‘An awful disease overwhelms him, and now that he is bedridden he will never recover.’

9Even my close friend whom I trusted, he who shared meals with me, has turned against me.

10As for you, O Lord, have mercy on me and raise me up, so I can pay them back!”

11By this I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.

12As for me, you uphold me because of my integrity; you allow me permanent access to your presence.

13The Lord God of Israel deserves praise in the future and forevermore. We agree! We agree!

1Blessed is he who considers the poor. Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.

2Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive. He shall be blessed on the earth, and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.

3Yahweh will sustain him on his sickbed, and restore him from his bed of illness.

4I said, “Yahweh, have mercy on me! Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

5My enemies speak evil against me: “When will he die, and his name perish?”

6If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers iniquity to itself. When he goes abroad, he tells it.

7All who hate me whisper together against me. They imagine the worst for me.

8“An evil disease”, they say, “has afflicted him. Now that he lies he shall rise up no more.”

9Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me.

10But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.

11By this I know that you delight in me, because my enemy doesn’t triumph over me.

12As for me, you uphold me in my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.

13Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting! Amen and amen.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A lament and expression of trust that closes Book I of the Psalter. It opens pronouncing blessing on the one who considers the weak, promising that the LORD will deliver, protect, and sustain such a person, even restoring them from sickness (vv. 1-3). David then describes his own affliction, asking for healing and mercy while confessing his sin, and describes enemies who speak falsely to his face while spreading malicious rumors and hoping for his death behind his back (vv. 4-9). He notes that even a close friend who shared meals with him has turned against him, a betrayal later applied to Judas (v. 9; John 13:18). He asks God to raise him up in order to repay his enemies, finding assurance that God is pleased with him since his enemy has not triumphed over him (vv. 10-12). The psalm closes with a doxology blessing the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, marking the end of the Psalter's first book (v. 13).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Individual Lament/Thanksgiving Psalm
Attributed Author: David (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David)
Key Themes: Compassion for the poor, betrayal by a friend, God's faithfulness, healing, Messianic prophecy
Historical Context: Psalm 41 is the final psalm of Book I of the Psalter (Psalms 1-41). David writes during a period of illness and personal distress, when enemies surround him and even a trusted friend has turned against him. Many commentators connect this to the period of Absalom's rebellion, when Ahithophel — David's trusted counselor who ate at his table — betrayed him (2 Samuel 15-17).
Blessed Is He That Considereth the Poor (vv.1-3): Blessed is he that considereth the poor, the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The psalm opens with a beatitude about attention to other people's need, and what is promised in return is nursing care, the LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing, thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness. The promise fits the psalm, since the singer is himself ill.
Heal My Soul, for I Have Sinned (v.4): I said, LORD, be merciful unto me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. One verse, and it puts the request and the admission in the same sentence without arranging them into an argument. Unlike Psalm 38 the psalm does not dwell on the connection; it states it once and moves to the people around the sickbed.
Mine Enemies Speak Evil of Me (vv.5-8): Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish. The visitors are quoted, and the detail that makes the section work is the double behaviour, if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity, his heart gathereth iniquity, when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. Sympathy at the bedside and gossip outside the door. And their verdict is quoted as a diagnosis, an evil disease cleaveth unto him.
Mine Own Familiar Friend (v.9): One verse, and it is the sharpest in the psalm. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. Sharing bread put a man under obligation, which is what makes the betrayal a breach rather than a disappointment. Jesus quotes this verse in John 13:18 at the last supper, of Judas, and stops before the second half.
Raise Me Up, That I May Requite Them (vv.10-12): But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. The psalm does not pretend to a magnanimity it has not got. And the evidence that God is on his side is put as a negative, by this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me, which is a modest test and the only one available to a man still in bed.
Blessed Be the LORD God of Israel (v.13): Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting, Amen, and Amen. This verse is not part of the psalm's argument. It is the doxology that closes Book I of the psalter, which runs from Psalm 1 to Psalm 41, and the same formula closes Books II, III and IV at 72:19, 89:52 and 106:48. The five-book division is ancient and the doxologies are how it is marked in the text itself.

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

Psalm 41 | Have Mercy on Me O Lord! | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 41 - Prayer for Help in Sickness and Against Whispering Traitors
David Guzik

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

  • Blessing for Caring for the Poor (vv.1-3) — David opens by promising that whoever thoughtfully cares for the weak will find God caring for them in their own time of trouble. Who around you is weak or struggling right now that you could actually do something for?
  • Honest Confession Alongside Complaint (v.4) — Even while crying out against his enemies, David asks God to heal him because he knows he has sinned. Are you willing to own your own failures honestly, even in a season where you also feel wronged by others?
  • Betrayed by a Close Friend (v.9) — A trusted companion who shared David's table turns against him — words Jesus later applies to Judas. If you've experienced betrayal by someone close, how does knowing David and Christ endured the same wound shape how you carry it?
  • Upheld in Integrity (v.12) — David isn't spared from the trial, but he is sustained through it because of his integrity. Are you living in a way today that will hold you steady if hardship comes tomorrow?
  • A Closing Doxology (v.13) — Despite all the lament in Book I of the Psalms, it ends with praise to God forever. When your own hard seasons stretch on, can you still believe the story ultimately bends toward praise?