| Psalm 38 | |
| Subtitle: | A psalm of David to bring to remembrance "O lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath" |
| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Other Name: |
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| Text: | by David |
| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
Psalm 38 is the 38th psalm of the Book of Psalms, entitled "A psalm of David to bring to remembrance",[1] is one of the 7 Penitential Psalms.[2] In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible, and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 37.
In the English King James Version of the Bible, it begins: "O lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath". In Latin, it is known as "Latin: Domine, ne in furore tuo arguas me|italic=no".[3]
The title "to bring to remembrance" also applies to Psalm 70.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[4] [5] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Psalm of David, to make memorial. | |
| 2 | O LORD, rebuke me not in Thine anger; neither chasten me in Thy wrath. | |
| 3 | For Thine arrows are gone deep into me, and Thy hand is come down upon me. | |
| 4 | There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation; neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin. | |
| 5 | For mine iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. | |
| 6 | My wounds are noisome, they fester, because of my foolishness. | |
| 7 | I am bent and bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day. | |
| 8 | For my loins are filled with burning; and there is no soundness in my flesh. | |
| 9 | I am benumbed and sore crushed; I groan by reason of the moaning of my heart. | |
| 10 | Lord, all my desire is before Thee; and my sighing is not hid from Thee. | |
| 11 | My heart fluttereth, my strength faileth me; as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. | |
| 12 | My friends and my companions stand aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off. | |
| 13 | They also that seek after my life lay snares for me; and they that seek my hurt speak crafty devices, and utter deceits all the day. | |
| 14 | But I am as a deaf man, I hear not; and I am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. | |
| 15 | Yea, I am become as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no arguments. | |
| 16 | For in Thee, O LORD, do I hope; Thou wilt answer, O Lord my God. | |
| 17 | For I said: 'Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.' | |
| 18 | For I am ready to halt, and my pain is continually before me. | |
| 19 | For I do declare mine iniquity; I am full of care because of my sin. | |
| 20 | But mine enemies are strong in health; and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. | |
| 21 | They also that repay evil for good are adversaries unto me, because I follow the thing that is good. | |
| 22 | Forsake me not, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me. | |
| 23 | Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation. | |
The psalm's topic is God's displeasure at sin (verses 1–11), and the psalmist's sufferings and prayers (verses 12–22).[6] [7] The psalm opens with a prayer, David felt as if he had been forgotten of his God. It then passes intermittently between complaint and hope.[8] Benjamin Weiss noted the "depth of misery into which the psalmist gradually plunges in his complaints, then the sudden grasp at the arm of mercy and omnipotence".[9]
Possibly written late in David's life,[10] although Coffman's believes it was early in David's reign,[11] it was often conjectured as a biography of sorts for David.[12] John Calvin thought rather it was David's intent to commit to music to transmit what he had learnt through his life of the relationship he had with his Lord, before he died.[13]
Verse 22 is part of the long Tachanun recited on Mondays and Thursdays.[14] [15]
Verse 11 is quoted in Luke KJV.[16]
From around AD 530, this Psalm was traditionally sung in monasteries during matins on Mondays, according to the Rule of St. Benedict.[17] [18] [19] Since reform of the Office of Readings after Vatican II, Psalm 37 is now recited during the liturgy of the hours on Friday in the second week of the four-weekly cycle of liturgical prayers.
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the eighth day of the month,[20] as well as at Mattins on Ash Wednesday.[21]
Verse 1 (which is almost identical to verse 1 of Psalm 6) is quoted in chapter 6 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered canonical by this church.[22]
Musical settings of Psalm 38 include:
. Alexander Kirkpatrick. The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes . The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges . Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL . Cambridge . At the University Press . 1901 . 838 . February 28, 2019.