| Psalm 39 | |
| Subtitle: | "I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue" |
| Other Name: |
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| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
Psalm 39 is the 39th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 38. In Latin, it is known as "Dixi custodiam vias meas".[1] It is a meditation on the fragility of man before God, ending in a prayer for a peaceful life.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies and is appointed in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer to be read at funerals. It has inspired hymns based on it, and has often been set to music. It was set by Baroque composers such as Heinrich Schütz, and single verses were used prominently in major works by Johannes Brahms in Ein deutsches Requiem and by Igor Stravinsky in his Symphony of Psalms.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[2] [3] 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 | For the Leader, for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. | |
| 2 | I said: 'I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep a curb upon my mouth, while the wicked is before me.' | |
| 3 | I was dumb with silence; I held my peace, had no comfort; and my pain was held in check. | |
| 4 | My heart waxed hot within me; while I was musing, the fire kindled; Then spoke I with my tongue: | |
| 5 | 'LORD, make me to know mine end, And the measure of my days, what it is; Let me know how short-lived I am. | |
| 6 | Behold, Thou hast made my days as hand-breadths; and mine age is as nothing before Thee; surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity. Selah | |
| 7 | Surely man walketh as a mere semblance; surely for vanity they are in turmoil; He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them. | |
| 8 | And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope, it is in Thee. | |
| 9 | Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the reproach of the base. | |
| 10 | I am dumb, I open not my mouth; because Thou hast done it. | |
| 11 | Remove Thy stroke from off me; I am consumed by the blow of Thy hand. | |
| 12 | With rebukes dost Thou chasten man for iniquity, and like a moth Thou makest his beauty to consume away; surely every man is vanity. Selah | |
| 13 | Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; keep not silence at my tears; for I am a stranger with Thee, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. | |
| 14 | Look away from me, that I may take comfort, before I go hence, and be no more.' | |
According to the Talmud (Bava Batra 14a–b), this is one of the ten psalms authored by Moses.[4] Matthew Henry attributes it to David, stating that he must have been in emotional turmoil or beset by enemies when he wrote the psalm, and struggled to wait patiently for God's salvation.[5]
According to Brueggemann and Bellinger, "Psalm 39 articulates hope and despair simultaneously", as it tries to come to terms with "the transience and troubles of life".[6] Other Christian scholars see the psalm as an analogy to one's sins, where "he" is representative of the "members of his body" (Christians).[7] Adam Clarke summarizes the psalm as follows: "Faith has always to struggle with difficulties. Though he was confident that God was his hope, yet ... troubles of life come ever into his memory; his prayer is that his God will provide for him".[8] Charles Spurgeon sees the psalm saying there is a time to be silent and a time to speak,[9] while Hans Werner sees an inner struggle for David to control his tongue.[10]
Rabbeinu Bachya teaches on verse 12, which mentions both prayer and tears, that "prayer needs tears".[11]
The numbering of the verses differs between the Hebrew and Latin versions.
Clarke holds that the psalm:
Spurgeon broke the psalm down as follows:
The Old Testament scholar Hermann Gunkel, in his standard work The Psalms, believes the structuring of the verses was originally:[12]
The heading, verse 1 in the Hebrew text, addresses the song to Jeduthun. According to Rashi, this refers either to one of the Levite singers or to the name of a musical instrument.[13] Psalms 62 and 77 are also addressed to Jeduthun.
Verse 13 is part of Selichot.[14]
Traditionally, this psalm was recited or sung in monasteries during the Monday[15] of matins, according to the rule of Saint Benedict of 530 AD.[16] [17] In the current Liturgy of the Hours, it is sung or recited in the Office of Readings on the Wednesday of 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.[18]
William Brewster, one of the Pilgrim Fathers, used the motto Hebel est omnia Adam, a Hebrew–Latin phrase taken from verse 5, next to his signature to indicate the vanity of man.[19]
Hymns paraphrasing Psalm 39 include "Almighty maker of my frame" by Anne Steele.[20]
Heinrich Schütz set the psalm in German with the text from the Becker Psalter, "In meinem Herzen hab ich mir" (In my heart I [told] myself), for choir as his SWV 136. Verses 4 to 7 in German, "Herr, lehre doch mich" (Lord, teach me) are used in the third movement of Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms, for baritone, choir and orchestra. Verses 13 and 14 in Latin are used in the first movement of the Symphony of Psalms by Igor Stravinsky.
The text of the psalm in English (verses 4 onwards) has been set to music as a motet by Maurice Greene,[21] and by Sir Hubert Parry as the final of six motets in his choral work Songs of Farewell.[22] Both works are entitled "Lord, Let Me Know Mine End".