Old Testament

Psalms 38

A Penitent's Cry from the Depths

8 passages

Overview

Burdened by sin, bodily affliction, the withdrawal of friends, and the aggression of thriving enemies, the Psalmist moves through raw confession, silent trust before his accusers, and transparent surrender before God's gaze, arriving at a final urgent plea: "Do not forsake me; hasten to help me."

Passages

1–3Opening Cry: Pleading Against Divine Wrath 4–8Overwhelmed by Iniquity: Confession and the Agony of Sin 9–10Interior Surrender: God Knows All 11–12Forsaken by Friends, Hunted by Foes 13–15Silent Endurance and Hope in God Alone 16–18Humble Supplication Before the Gaze of God and Enemy 19–20The Strength and Injustice of the Enemies 21–22Final Plea: Do Not Forsake, Hasten to Help

Study Resources

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Psalms 38

¹A Psalm by David, for a memorial. Yahweh, 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 in pain 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 I hope in you, Yahweh. 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 give evil for good are also 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.

Psalms 37 Psalms 39