Psalm 38
Overview
38:1 David moves God to take compassion on his pitiful case. Verse 1TitleThis deeply penitential Psalm is supposed to have been composed by David under some grievous affliction, either bodily or mental, or both, after his illicit intercourse with Bathsheba.to bringPsalm 70:1 *titlerebuke6:1, 88:7, 88:15, 88:16; Isaiah 27:8, 54:8; Jeremiah 10:24, 30:11; Habakkuk 3:2; 3:1-12:11 hotDeuteronomy 9:19ReciprocalNumbers 12:11 - lay not; 1 Kings 2:9 - hold him; Job 10:2 - Do not; 20:14 - his meat; 33:19 - pain; Psalm 25:17 - General; 31:9 - my soul; 39:11 - When; 103:3 - healeth; 107:17 - because; Proverbs 6:33 - A wound; Isaiah 64:9 - wroth; 1 Corinthians 11:30 - many Verse 2thinePsalm 21:12, 64:7; Job 6:4; Lamentations 3:12 thy handPsalm 32:4, 39:10, 39:11; Deuteronomy 2:15; Ruth 1:13; 1 Samuel 5:6, 5:11, 6:9ReciprocalJob 2:5 - put forth; 19:21 - the hand; 30:17 - My bones; Psalm 45:5 - Thine; 88:16 - fierce; Proverbs 18:14 - but; Lamentations 3:4 - My flesh; Acts 13:11 - hand; Romans 7:24 - wretched Verse 3soundnessPsalm 31:9; 2 Chronicles 26:19; Job 2:7, 2:8, 33:19-22; Isaiah 1:5, 1:6 neitherPsalm 6:2, 51:8, 102:3, 102:5 restHeb. peace, or, healthbecause51:8, 90:7, 90:8; Lamentations 3:40-42ReciprocalLeviticus 13:7 - General; 13:18 - a boil; 1 Samuel 7:6 - We have sinned; Job 19:20 - bone; Psalm 32:3 - bones; 35:10 - All; 38:7 - no; 39:10 - I am consumed; 41:8 - An evil disease; 77:2 - my; 102:10 - Because; Lamentations 4:8 - their skin Verse 4minePsalm 40:12; Ezra 9:6 as anLeviticus 7:18; Isaiah 53:11; Lamentations 1:14; Matthew 11:28; 1 Peter 2:24ReciprocalLeviticus 5:1 - bear; 22:16 - General; Numbers 14:34 - shall ye bear; 15:31 - his iniquity; Psalm 39:10 - I am consumed; 49:5 - iniquity; 65:3 - prevail; Isaiah 24:20 - the transgression; Ezekiel 44:10 - bear; Zechariah 5:8 - the weight; Matthew 18:24 - ten thousand; 2 Timothy 3:6 - laden Verse 5My woundsThe soul being invisible, its distempers are also so; therefore the sacred writers describe them by the distempers of the body. (See the parallel texts on these verses.) On reading these and similar passages, say Bp. Lowth, some, who were but little acquainted with the genius of Hebrew poetry, have pretended to enquire into the nature of the disease with which the poet was afflicted; not less absurdly, in my opinion, than if they had perplexed themselves to discover in what river he was plunged, when he complains that "the deep waters had gone over his soul." Psalm 38:7, 32:3; Isaiah 1:5, 1:6; Jeremiah 8:22ReciprocalJob 2:8 - took him; 7:5 - flesh; 30:18 - By the great; Psalm 14:3 - filthy; 109:24 - my flesh; Nahum 3:6 - I will cast Verse 6troubledHeb. weariedbowedPsalm 35:14, 42:5 *marg. 57:6, 145:14 mourning6:6, 31:10, 42:9, 43:2, 88:9; Job 30:28; Isaiah 38:14ReciprocalPsalm 38:17 - sorrow; 55:2 - I mourn; 116:3 - I found; Proverbs 12:25 - Heaviness; Luke 13:11 - bowed Verse 7my loinsPsalm 41:8; 2 Chronicles 21:18, 21:19; Job 7:5, 30:18; Acts 12:23 noPsalm 38:3ReciprocalJob 2:8 - took him; Psalm 6:2 - for I; 38:5 - My wounds; 78:13 - made; Luke 14:21 - the halt Verse 8roaredPsalm 22:1, 22:2, 32:3; Job 3:24, 30:28; Isaiah 59:11ReciprocalPsalm 6:3 - My; 44:19 - Though; 102:5 - the voice; Romans 7:24 - wretched Verse 9LordInstead of adonay, "Lord," several manuscripts read yehowah, "Jehovah."groaningPsalm 102:5, 102:20; John 1:48; Romans 8:22, 8:23, 8:26, 8:27; 2 Corinthians 5:2ReciprocalPsalm 6:6 - I am; 69:5 - hid; 69:19 - mine; Matthew 6:8 - your; Luke 8:47 - when; 2 Corinthians 7:11 - vehement Verse 10heartPsalm 42:1, 119:81-83, 143:4-7; Isaiah 21:4 the lightPsalm 6:7, 69:3, 88:9, 119:123; 1 Samuel 14:27-29; Lamentations 2:11, 5:16, 5:17 gone fromHeb. not withReciprocalPsalm 31:22 - I am; Luke 10:31 - he passed Verse 11loversPsalm 31:11; Job 6:21-23, 19:13-17; Matthew 26:56; John 16:32 standLuke 10:31, 10:32 soreHeb. strokekinsmenor, neighboursafar off22:54, 23:49ReciprocalJob 6:15 - My brethren; 19:14 - kinsfolk; Psalm 88:18 - Lover; 102:7 - alone; Proverbs 19:7 - the brethren; Matthew 26:31 - and the; Mark 14:33 - and began; 14:50 - General; 15:40 - women Verse 12lay snaresPsalm 10:9, 64:2-5, 119:110, 140:5, 141:9; 2 Samuel 17:1-3; Luke 20:19, 20:20 speakPsalm 35:20, 62:3, 62:4; 2 Samuel 16:7, 16:8; Luke 20:21, 20:22Reciprocal1 Samuel 18:21 - a snare; 24:2 - and went; 26:2 - Saul arose; Nehemiah 6:8 - thou feignest; Psalm 12:2 - They; 35:4 - that; 36:4 - deviseth; 59:3 - they; 63:9 - seek; 119:95 - wicked; 140:2 - imagine; Jeremiah 18:22 - and hid; Matthew 26:63 - Jesus; Mark 12:13 - they send; Luke 6:7 - watched; John 8:6 - as though; 1 Peter 2:23 - when he was Verse 13Psalm 39:2, 39:9; 2 Samuel 16:10-12; Isaiah 53:7; 1 Peter 2:23Reciprocal1 Samuel 10:27 - he held his peace; 2 Kings 18:36 - held their peace; Isaiah 36:21 - General; Matthew 27:12 - General; Luke 23:9 - but; John 19:9 - But Verse 14that hearethAmos 5:13; Micah 7:5; Mark 15:3-5; John 8:6Reciprocal2 Kings 18:36 - held their peace; Psalm 39:2 - I was; Matthew 27:12 - General; Luke 23:9 - but Verse 15in theeetc. or, thee do I wait fordoPsalm 39:7, 123:1-3 hearor, answer, 138:3 LordHere also, instead of adonay, one hundred and two manuscripts read yehowah, "Jehovah.ReciprocalMicah 7:7 - my God Verse 16For I saidPsalm 13:3, 13:4, 35:24-26 foot94:18; Deuteronomy 32:35 magnifyPsalm 35:26ReciprocalJob 19:5 - magnify; Psalm 17:5 - that; 27:12 - will; 35:19 - Let; 55:12 - magnify; 73:2 - steps; Lamentations 1:21 - they are; 2:17 - he hath caused; Micah 7:8 - Rejoice; Zechariah 12:7 - do Verse 17to haltHeb. for halting, Psalm 35:15 *marg. Micah 4:6, 4:7 sorrowPsalm 38:6, 6:6, 77:2, 77:3; Isaiah 53:3-5ReciprocalGenesis 32:31 - he halted; Psalm 13:2 - sorrow Verse 18ForPsalm 32:5, 51:3; Job 31:33, 33:27; Proverbs 28:13 sorry2 Corinthians 7:7-11ReciprocalJoshua 7:20 - Indeed; Psalm 102:10 - Because; 119:26 - declared; Luke 7:38 - weeping; 22:62 - and wept Verse 19ButPsalm 3:1, 25:19, 56:1, 56:2, 59:1-3 are livelyetc. Heb. being living are strong, Instead of chaymin, "lively" Bp. Lowth would read chinmon, "without cause" - "but mine enemies without cause have strengthened themselves." As this emendation renders this member of the sentence parallel to the other, it is by no means improbable. See note on 35:19; 79:5.they that35:19, 69:4; Matthew 10:22; John 15:18-25; Acts 4:25-28ReciprocalGenesis 37:4 - hated him; Psalm 18:17 - strong; 119:86 - they; 142:6 - for they; 1 Peter 2:19 - suffering Verse 20renderPsalm 7:4, 35:12, 109:3-5; 1 Samuel 19:4-6, 23:5, 23:12, 25:16, 25:21; Jeremiah 18:20 becauseMatthew 5:10; John 10:32; 1 Peter 3:13, 3:17, 3:18, 4:14-16; 1 John 3:12ReciprocalPsalm 69:4 - being; 109:4 - For my; Proverbs 17:13 - General; Isaiah 66:5 - Your; 1 Thessalonians 5:15 - ever; 1 Timothy 6:11 - and; Habakkuk 3:1 - Follow Verse 21O my GodPsalm 22:1, 22:11, 22:19, 22:24, 35:21, 35:22Reciprocal27:9 - leave; 71:12 - O God; 119:8 - O forsake; Daniel 6:22 - My God Verse 22MakePsalm 40:13, 40:17, 70:1, 70:5, 71:12, 141:1 to help meHeb. for my helpO Lord27:1, 62:2, 62:6; Isaiah 12:2ReciprocalPsalm 27:9 - O God; 51:14 - thou God; 119:8 - O forsake