Logos Bible Study

Psalm 6:1–10

The NET BibleOther versions

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6:1Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!

Do not discipline me in your raging fury!1

6:2Have mercy on me,2 Lord, for I am frail!

Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking!3

6:3I am absolutely terrified,4

and you, Lord—how long will this continue?5

6:4Relent, Lord, rescue me!6

Deliver me because of your faithfulness!7

6:5For no one remembers you in the realm of death,8

In Sheol who gives you thanks?9

6:6I am exhausted as I groan;

all night long I drench my bed in tears;10

my tears saturate the cushion beneath me.11

6:7My eyes12 grow dim13 from suffering;

they grow weak14 because of all my enemies.15

6:8Turn back from me, all you who behave wickedly,16

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping!17

6:9The Lord has heard my appeal for mercy;

the Lord has accepted18 my prayer.

6:10May all my enemies be humiliated19 and absolutely terrified!20

May they turn back and be suddenly humiliated!

Read in Logos
Psalm 6:4: Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

Footnotes

  1. 1 The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2–7).
  2. 2 Or “show me favor.”
  3. 3 Normally the verb בָּהַל (bahal) refers to an emotional response and means “tremble with fear, be terrified” (see vv. 3, 10). Perhaps here the “bones” are viewed as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. However, the verb may describe one of the effects of his physical ailment, perhaps a fever. In Ezek 7:27 the verb describes how the hands of the people will shake with fear when they experience the horrors of divine judgment.
  4. 4 Heb “my being is very terrified.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
  5. 5 Heb “and you, Lord, how long?” The suffering psalmist speaks in broken syntax. He addresses God, but then simply cries out with a brief, but poignant, question: How long will this (= his suffering) continue?
  6. 6 Heb “my being,” or “my life.” The suffixed form of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often equivalent to a pronoun in poetic texts.
  7. 7 Deliver me because of your faithfulness. Though the psalmist is experiencing divine discipline, he realizes that God has made a commitment to him in the past, so he appeals to God’s faithfulness in his request for help.
  8. 8 Heb “for there is not in death your remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זֵכֶר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 30:4; 97:12. “Death” here refers to the realm of death where the dead reside. See the reference to Sheol in the next line.
  9. 9 The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.” In Sheol who gives you thanks? According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 30:9; 88:10–12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!
  10. 10 Heb “I cause to swim through all the night my bed.”
  11. 11 Heb “with my tears my bed I flood/melt.”
  12. 12 The Hebrew text has the singular “eye” here.
  13. 13 Or perhaps, “are swollen.”
  14. 14 Or perhaps, “grow old.”
  15. 15 In his weakened condition the psalmist is vulnerable to the taunts and threats of his enemies.
  16. 16 Heb “all [you] workers of wickedness.” See Ps 5:5.
  17. 17 The Lord has heard. The psalmist’s mood abruptly changes because the Lord responded positively to the lament and petition of vv. 1–7 and promised him deliverance.
  18. 18 The prefixed verbal form is probably a preterite here; it is parallel to a perfect and refers to the fact that the Lord has responded favorably to the psalmist’s request.
  19. 19 The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling judgment down on his enemies.
  20. 20 Heb “and may they be very terrified.” The psalmist uses the same expression in v. 3 to describe the terror he was experiencing. Now he asks the Lord to turn the tables and cause his enemies to know what absolute terror feels like.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,

nor discipline me in your wrath.

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;

heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.

My soul also is greatly troubled.

But you, O Lord—how long?

Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;

save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

For in death there is no remembrance of you;

in Sheol who will give you praise?

I am weary with my moaning;

every night I flood my bed with tears;

I drench my couch with my weeping.

My eye wastes away because of grief;

it grows weak because of all my foes.

Depart from me, all you workers of evil,

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my plea;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;

they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;

heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

My soul is in deep anguish.

How long, Lord, how long?

Turn, Lord, and deliver me;

save me because of your unfailing love.

Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Who praises you from the grave?

I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping

and drench my couch with tears.

My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

they fail because of all my foes.

Away from me, all you who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;

they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger;

do not discipline me in your wrath.

Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak;

heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking;

my whole being is shaken with terror.

And you, Lord—how long?

Turn, Lord! Rescue me;

save me because of your faithful love.

For there is no remembrance of you in death;

who can thank you in Sheol?

I am weary from my groaning;

with my tears I dampen my bed

and drench my couch every night.

My eyes are swollen from grief;

they grow old because of all my enemies.

Depart from me, all evildoers,

for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

The Lord has heard my plea for help;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror;

they will turn back and suddenly be disgraced.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your rage.

Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak.

Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

I am sick at heart.

How long, O Lord, until you restore me?

Return, O Lord, and rescue me.

Save me because of your unfailing love.

For the dead do not remember you.

Who can praise you from the grave?

I am worn out from sobbing.

All night I flood my bed with weeping,

drenching it with my tears.

My vision is blurred by grief;

my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

Go away, all you who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

The Lord has heard my plea;

the Lord will answer my prayer.

May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.

May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger,

and do not discipline me in your wrath.

Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, because I am feeble.

Heal me, O Yahweh, for my bones are terrified.

My soul is also very terrified.

But you, O Yahweh, how long?

Turn, O Yahweh; deliver my life.

Save me for the sake of your steadfast love.

For there is no remembrance of you in death.

In Sheol, who will give thanks to you?

I am weary with my groaning;

I flood my bed every night.

With my tears I drench my couch.

My eye wastes away because of vexation;

it grows old because of all my oppressors.

Depart from me, all workers of evil,

for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.

Yahweh has heard my plea;

Yahweh has accepted my prayer.

All my enemies shall be ashamed and shall be very terrified.

They shall turn back; they shall suddenly be ashamed.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger,

Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak:

O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

My soul is also sore vexed:

But thou, O Lord, how long?

Return, O Lord, deliver my soul:

Oh save me for thy mercies’ sake.

For in death there is no remembrance of thee:

In the grave who shall give thee thanks?

I am weary with my groaning;

All the night make I my bed to swim;

I water my couch with my tears.

Mine eye is consumed because of grief;

It waxeth old because of all mine enemies.

Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity;

For the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.

The Lord hath heard my supplication;

The Lord will receive my prayer.

Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed:

Let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

Public Domain