Psalm 38 is the 38th psalm of the Book of Psalms, entitled "A psalm of David to bring to remembrance", is one of the 7

Penitential Psalms The Penitential Psalms or Psalms of Confession, so named in Cassiodorus's commentary of the 6th century AD, are the Psalms 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, and 142 (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143 in the Hebrew numbering). *Psalm 6 – Domine, ne ...

.Kirkpatrick, A. (1906)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
on Psalm 38, accessed 3 November 2021 In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

version of the Bible, and in the Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

, this psalm is Psalm 37. In the English

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

of the Bible, it begins: "O lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath". In Latin, it is known as "". The title "to bring to remembrance" also applies to

Psalm 70 Psalm 70 is the 70th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Make haste, O God, to deliver me". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. ...

Text

Hebrew Bible version

The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 38:

King James Version

# O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. # For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. # There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. # For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. # My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness. # I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. # For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. # I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. # Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. # My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. # My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off. # 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. # But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. # Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs. # For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. # For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me. # For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me. # For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. # But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. # They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is. # Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me. # Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.

Content

The psalm's topic is God's displeasure at sin (verses 1–11), and the psalmist's sufferings and prayers (verses 12–22). 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. 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". Possibly written late in

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

's life, although Coffman's believes it was early in David's reign, it was often conjectured as a biography of sorts for David. John Calvin thought rather it was David's intent to commit to

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

to transmit what he had learnt through his life of the relationship he had with his Lord, before he died.

Uses

Judaism

Verse 22 is part of the long

Tachanun ''Tachanun'' or ''Taḥanun'' ( he, תחנון "Supplication"), also called ''nefilat apayim'' ( he, נפילת אפיים "falling on the face"), is part of Judaism's morning (''Shacharit'') and afternoon (''Mincha'') services, after the recitati ...

recited on Mondays and Thursdays.

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

Verse 11 is quoted in Luke .

Catholic Church

From around AD 530, this

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

was traditionally sung in monasteries during

matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated b ...

on Mondays, according to the

Rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

. Since reform of the

Office of Readings Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by ...

after

Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

, 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.

Book of Common Prayer

In the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

's ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

'', this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the eighth day of the month.

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church

Verse 1 (which is almost identical to verse 1 of

Psalm 6 Psalm 6 is the sixth psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure". In Latin, it is known as "Domine ne in furore tuo arguas me". Th ...

) is quoted in chapter 6 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered

canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical examp ...

by this church.

Musical settings

Musical settings of Psalm 38 include: * (psalm 37 according to the Vulgate numbering) was set by Josquin des Prez. * "Herr, straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn / Lass mich dein Grimm verzehren nicht" (not to be confused with "Herr, straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn / Das bitt ich dich von Herzen", a paraphrase of Psalm 6), Psalm 38 in the ''

Becker Psalter The ''Becker Psalter'' is a German metrical psalter authored by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker and first published by Jakob Apel in Leipzig in 1602 under the title ''Der Psalter Davids Gesangweis''. Several composers set the psalms cont ...

'', was set by

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

(

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

135, Zahn No. 5859). * Johann Sebastian Bach set Psalm 38:4 in the opening chorus of his church cantata ''Es ist nichts Gesundes an meinem Leibe'', BWV 25. * Igor Stravinsky set Psalm 38:13-14 in the first movement of his

Symphony of Psalms The ''Symphony of Psalms'' is a choral symphony in three movements composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1930 during his neoclassical period. The work was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orc ...

References

External links

* Text of Psalms 1–41 from the 1979 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer * *
Psalms Chapter 38
text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
A psalm of David. For remembrance. / LORD, do not punish me in your anger; in your wrath do not chastise me!a
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Psalm 38 / Refrain: Make haste to help me.

Psalm 38
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 38
hymnary.org {{Psalms 038 Works attributed to David