Psalms — Chapter 6

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1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.

2Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am frail; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in agony.

3My soul is deeply distressed. How long, O LORD, how long?

4Turn, O LORD, and deliver my soul; save me because of Your loving devotion.

5For there is no mention of You in death; who can praise You from Sheol?

6I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.

7My eyes fail from grief; they grow dim because of all my foes.

8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the LORD has heard my weeping.

9The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.

10All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

1O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

2Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

3My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?

4Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake.

5For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

6I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

7Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.

8Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.

9The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.

10Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

1O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thine anger, Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

2Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah; for I am withered away: O Jehovah, heal me; for my bones are troubled.

3My soul also is sore troubled: And thou, O Jehovah, how long?

4Return, O Jehovah, deliver my soul: Save me for thy lovingkindness` sake.

5For in death there is no remembrance of thee: In Sheol who shall give thee thanks?

6I am weary with my groaning; Every night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

7Mine eye wasteth away because of grief; It waxeth old because of all mine adversaries.

8Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; For Jehovah hath heard the voice of my weeping.

9Jehovah hath heard my supplication; Jehovah will receive my prayer.

10All mine enemies shall be put to shame and sore troubled: They shall turn back, they shall be put to shame suddenly. Psalm 7 Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto Jehova, concerning the words of Cush a Benjamite.

1For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; a psalm of David. Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger. Do not discipline me in your raging fury.

2Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am frail. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking.

3I am absolutely terrified, and you, Lord—how long will this continue?

4Relent, Lord, rescue me! Deliver me because of your faithfulness.

5For no one remembers you in the realm of death. In Sheol who gives you thanks?

6I am exhausted as I groan. All night long I drench my bed in tears; my tears saturate the cushion beneath me.

7My eyes grow dim from suffering; they grow weak because of all my enemies.

8Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

9The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy; the Lord has accepted my prayer.

10They will be humiliated and absolutely terrified. All my enemies will turn back and be suddenly humiliated.

1Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath.

2Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am faint. Yahweh, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

3My soul is also in great anguish. But you, Yahweh—how long?

4Return, Yahweh. Deliver my soul, and save me for your loving kindness’ sake.

5For in death there is no memory of you. In Sheol, who shall give you thanks?

6I am weary with my groaning. Every night I flood my bed. I drench my couch with my tears.

7My eye wastes away because of grief. It grows old because of all my adversaries.

8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for Yahweh has heard the voice of my weeping.

9Yahweh has heard my supplication. Yahweh accepts my prayer.

10May all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed. They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A penitential lament written in physical and emotional distress. David pleads for mercy, describing bones that shake and a soul in deep anguish, and asks how long his suffering will continue (vv. 1-3). He begs for deliverance for the sake of God's steadfast love, reasoning that the dead cannot praise him (vv. 4-5), and describes nights spent weeping until his bed is soaked with tears, worn out by grief over his adversaries (vv. 6-7). The tone shifts abruptly at the end as David declares that the LORD has heard his weeping and accepted his prayer, so that his enemies will be ashamed and turn back in sudden disgrace (vv. 8-10).

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 / Penitential Psalm (1st of 7)
Attributed Author: David — "To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David"
Key Themes: Suffering under divine discipline, physical and emotional anguish, tears, prayer heard, sudden confidence, enemies put to shame
Historical Context: Psalm 6 is the first of the seven traditional "Penitential Psalms" (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143) used by the church throughout history for confession and repentance. "Sheminith" = "the eighth" — likely an octave lower pitch or an eight-stringed instrument. David is suffering physically (bones vexed), emotionally (soul troubled), and relationally (enemies surrounding). He does not deny that God's discipline may be deserved, but asks that it be tempered with mercy rather than administered in wrath. The dramatic pivot at v.8 — from weeping to commanding enemies to depart — suggests a moment of assurance mid-prayer where David knows God has heard.
O LORD, Rebuke Me Not in Thine Anger (vv.1-3): O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. The request is not to be spared the correction but to have its temperature changed, which is the same prayer Jeremiah makes for himself at 10:24. Then the physical state, have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am weak, O LORD, heal me, for my bones are vexed. And the question that ends the section is left open, but thou, O LORD, how long.
In the Grave Who Shall Give Thee Thanks (vv.4-5): Return, O LORD, deliver my soul, oh save me for thy mercies' sake. The argument offered is one the psalter uses more than once and it is unsentimental about death, for in death there is no remembrance of thee, in the grave who shall give thee thanks. The reason for wanting to live is stated as the loss of a worshipper, which is the same case Hezekiah makes in Isaiah 38 and which the Old Testament generally leaves standing without the later hope attached.
All the Night Make I My Bed to Swim (vv.6-7): I am weary with my groaning, all the night make I my bed to swim, I water my couch with my tears. The exaggeration is deliberate and it is the psalter's normal way of measuring grief, by what it does to sleep and to the body, mine eye is consumed because of grief. Two verses on insomnia, and no relief offered inside them.
The LORD Hath Heard the Voice of My Weeping (vv.8-10): Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity, for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. The turn is abrupt and nothing in the psalm explains it, which is characteristic: the change is reported rather than accounted for. And the tense shifts to the perfect, the LORD hath heard my supplication, the LORD will receive my prayer, so what was asked for in verse 4 is spoken of as done by verse 9.

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 6 | How Long O Lord | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 6 - A Confident Answer to an Agonized Plea
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

  • Asking for Gentle Discipline (v.1) — David does not reject correction but asks that it come without wrath, trusting God's love even under discipline. When you know you deserve correction, do you still bring your plea for mercy to God?
  • The Honesty of "How Long?" (v.3) — David leaves his question about God's timing unfinished, trusting that God understands even an incomplete prayer. Do you allow yourself to bring unresolved questions to God rather than pretending you have it all figured out?
  • Weeping as Prayer (v.6) — David describes flooding his bed with tears night after night, showing that raw grief has a place before God. Do you bring your whole emotional self to God, or only the parts that feel presentable?
  • Assurance Can Arrive Suddenly (v.8) — In the middle of his weeping, David is abruptly certain that the LORD has heard him. Have you experienced God's assurance breaking in unexpectedly during a hard season, and are you watching for it now?