Psalm 38
Overview
38:1 David moves God to take compassion on his pitiful case. Verse 1 TitleThis 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 bring Psalm 70:1 *titlerebuke 6:1, 88:7, 88:15, 88:16; Isaiah 27:8, 54:8; Jeremiah 10:24, 30:11; Habakkuk 3:2; 3:1-12:11 hot Deuteronomy 9:19 Reciprocal Numbers 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 2 thine Psalm 21:12, 64:7; Job 6:4; Lamentations 3:12 thy hand Psalm 32:4, 39:10, 39:11; Deuteronomy 2:15; Ruth 1:13; 1 Samuel 5:6, 5:11, 6:9 Reciprocal Job 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 3 soundness Psalm 31:9; 2 Chronicles 26:19; Job 2:7, 2:8, 33:19-22; Isaiah 1:5, 1:6 neither Psalm 6:2, 51:8, 102:3, 102:5 restHeb. peace, or, healthbecause 51:8, 90:7, 90:8; Lamentations 3:40-42 Reciprocal Leviticus 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 4 mine Psalm 40:12; Ezra 9:6 as an Leviticus 7:18; Isaiah 53:11; Lamentations 1:14; Matthew 11:28; 1 Peter 2:24 Reciprocal Leviticus 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 5 My 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 8:22 Reciprocal Job 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 6 troubledHeb. weariedbowed Psalm 35:14, 42:5 *marg. 57:6, 145:14 mourning 6:6, 31:10, 42:9, 43:2, 88:9; Job 30:28; Isaiah 38:14 Reciprocal Psalm 38:17 - sorrow; 55:2 - I mourn; 116:3 - I found; Proverbs 12:25 - Heaviness; Luke 13:11 - bowed Verse 7 my loins Psalm 41:8; 2 Chronicles 21:18, 21:19; Job 7:5, 30:18; Acts 12:23 no Psalm 38:3 Reciprocal Job 2:8 - took him; Psalm 6:2 - for I; 38:5 - My wounds; 78:13 - made; Luke 14:21 - the halt Verse 8 roared Psalm 22:1, 22:2, 32:3; Job 3:24, 30:28; Isaiah 59:11 Reciprocal Psalm 6:3 - My; 44:19 - Though; 102:5 - the voice; Romans 7:24 - wretched Verse 9 LordInstead of adonay, "Lord," several manuscripts read yehowah, "Jehovah."groaning Psalm 102:5, 102:20; John 1:48; Romans 8:22, 8:23, 8:26, 8:27; 2 Corinthians 5:2 Reciprocal Psalm 6:6 - I am; 69:5 - hid; 69:19 - mine; Matthew 6:8 - your; Luke 8:47 - when; 2 Corinthians 7:11 - vehement Verse 10 heart Psalm 42:1, 119:81-83, 143:4-7; Isaiah 21:4 the light Psalm 6:7, 69:3, 88:9, 119:123; 1 Samuel 14:27-29; Lamentations 2:11, 5:16, 5:17 gone fromHeb. not withReciprocal Psalm 31:22 - I am; Luke 10:31 - he passed Verse 11 lovers Psalm 31:11; Job 6:21-23, 19:13-17; Matthew 26:56; John 16:32 stand Luke 10:31, 10:32 soreHeb. strokekinsmenor, neighboursafar off 22:54, 23:49 Reciprocal Job 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 12 lay snares Psalm 10:9, 64:2-5, 119:110, 140:5, 141:9; 2 Samuel 17:1-3; Luke 20:19, 20:20 speak Psalm 35:20, 62:3, 62:4; 2 Samuel 16:7, 16:8; Luke 20:21, 20:22 Reciprocal 1 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 13 Psalm 39:2, 39:9; 2 Samuel 16:10-12; Isaiah 53:7; 1 Peter 2:23 Reciprocal 1 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 14 that heareth Amos 5:13; Micah 7:5; Mark 15:3-5; John 8:6 Reciprocal 2 Kings 18:36 - held their peace; Psalm 39:2 - I was; Matthew 27:12 - General; Luke 23:9 - but Verse 15 in theeetc. or, thee do I wait fordo Psalm 39:7, 123:1-3 hearor, answer, 138:3 LordHere also, instead of adonay, one hundred and two manuscripts read yehowah, "Jehovah.Reciprocal Micah 7:7 - my God Verse 16 For I said Psalm 13:3, 13:4, 35:24-26 foot 94:18; Deuteronomy 32:35 magnify Psalm 35:26 Reciprocal Job 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 17 to haltHeb. for halting, Psalm 35:15 *marg. Micah 4:6, 4:7 sorrow Psalm 38:6, 6:6, 77:2, 77:3; Isaiah 53:3-5 Reciprocal Genesis 32:31 - he halted; Psalm 13:2 - sorrow Verse 18 For Psalm 32:5, 51:3; Job 31:33, 33:27; Proverbs 28:13 sorry 2 Corinthians 7:7-11 Reciprocal Joshua 7:20 - Indeed; Psalm 102:10 - Because; 119:26 - declared; Luke 7:38 - weeping; 22:62 - and wept Verse 19 But Psalm 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 that 35:19, 69:4; Matthew 10:22; John 15:18-25; Acts 4:25-28 Reciprocal Genesis 37:4 - hated him; Psalm 18:17 - strong; 119:86 - they; 142:6 - for they; 1 Peter 2:19 - suffering Verse 20 render Psalm 7:4, 35:12, 109:3-5; 1 Samuel 19:4-6, 23:5, 23:12, 25:16, 25:21; Jeremiah 18:20 because Matthew 5:10; John 10:32; 1 Peter 3:13, 3:17, 3:18, 4:14-16; 1 John 3:12 Reciprocal Psalm 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 21 O my God Psalm 22:1, 22:11, 22:19, 22:24, 35:21, 35:22 Reciprocal 27:9 - leave; 71:12 - O God; 119:8 - O forsake; Daniel 6:22 - My God Verse 22 Make Psalm 40:13, 40:17, 70:1, 70:5, 71:12, 141:1 to help meHeb. for my helpO Lord 27:1, 62:2, 62:6; Isaiah 12:2 Reciprocal Psalm 27:9 - O God; 51:14 - thou God; 119:8 - O forsake