CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Psalms 38
Chapter 38 of 150
Chapter Overview
What happens in Psalms 38
A penitential psalm of David. He is suffering from a severe illness that he connects to his own sin. His friends have abandoned him and his enemies circle, but he waits on God.
Scripture
Psalms 38
The Weight of Sin and Sickness
Study note
David begs God not to rebuke him in anger. His body is wracked with pain and his sins feel like a heavy burden too great to carry.
1 Lord, please don't correct me in the heat of your anger. Don't discipline me while your fury is burning. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2 Your arrows have sunk deep into me, and your hand is pressing down hard. For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
3 Because of your anger, there is no healthy spot left on my body. Because of my sin, there is no rest in my bones. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4 My guilt is piled on top of me like a crushing weight — it is way more than I can carry. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds smell terrible and are oozing — all because of how foolish I have been. My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
6 I am hunched over and bowed to the ground. I drag myself around in sadness all day long. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
7 A burning pain fills my back, and not a single part of my body feels well. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I feel weak and completely beaten down. I moan because of the deep anguish in my heart. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
Abandoned and Surrounded
Study note
David's heart pounds and his strength fails. His friends stand far away while his enemies set traps. David remains silent, not defending himself.
9 Lord, every longing inside me is an open book to you. My groaning is not something I can hide from you. Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
10 My heart pounds, my energy is drained, and even the spark in my eyes has gone dim. My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11 My friends and the people closest to me back away because of what I'm going through. Even my own family stands at a distance. My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.
12 People who want me dead set their traps. People who want to see me ruined talk about my downfall and plot against me around the clock. They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
13 But I act like a person who cannot hear. I am like someone who is mute and never opens his mouth. But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
14 I have become like a person who hears nothing and has no words to say in his own defense. Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
Hope in God Alone
Study note
David puts his hope in God. He confesses his sin and asks God not to abandon him but to hurry and help.
15 But I am waiting on you, Lord. You are the one who will answer, Lord my God. For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
16 I asked, "Don't let them celebrate when I fall or act superior when I slip up." For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
17 I feel like I am about to collapse, and this pain follows me everywhere I go. For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
18 I lay my guilt out in the open. The weight of my sin is heavy on my mind. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
19 I have so many enemies and I did nothing to deserve it. So many people hate me for no reason. But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
20 People who hand me back evil when I gave them good attack me simply because I try to do the right thing. They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
21 Lord, please don't leave me. My God, don't drift far away. Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me.
22 Rush to help me, Lord — you are the one who saves me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
Key Themes
Themes in Psalms 38
The crushing weight of guilt and illnessFriends and family pulling awayConfession and honesty before GodDesperate dependence on God alone
Apply This Today
Living Psalms 38
David's description of guilt making him physically ill resonates with anyone who has carried the weight of unconfessed sin. When friends pull away and your body breaks down, God is still listening. Do not wait another day — bring your burdens to him. He already knows, and he is ready to help.
Go Deeper
Study Psalms in Covenant Path
Read every chapter with study aids, bookmarks, and daily reading plans — free in the app.