The big picture
Psalms 38 opens in verse 1 with “O LORD , rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 11 with “My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.”, and closes in verse 22 with “Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, sore, flesh, gone, good. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Psalms · King James Version · 22Psalms 38:1-8
1–8: O LORD , rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot…
Psalms 38:1–8 opens with “O LORD , rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.” and reaches “I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by flesh, heavy, sore.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “O LORD , rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.” By verse 4, the text has turned to “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” It lands on “I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. Its subjects, actions, connecting terms, and consequences reveal how the thought develops before any interpretation is added.
Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as flesh, heavy, sore, soundness, anger, arrows tie the complete block together. The central idea, “the wording and movement of this passage,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include flesh, heavy, sore, soundness, anger. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 4: “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: flesh, heavy, sore, soundness, anger, arrows
Verse-by-verse path
- Psalms 38:1
“O LORD , rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.” The line’s distinctive content terms include chasten, displeasure, LORD. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:2
“For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
- Psalms 38:3
“There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.” The line’s distinctive content terms include anger, bones, flesh. Its relationship to verses 2 and 4 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:4
“For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
- Psalms 38:5
“My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.” The line’s distinctive content terms include corrupt, foolishness, stink. Its relationship to verses 4 and 6 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:6
“I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.” The line’s distinctive content terms include bowed, greatly, long. Its relationship to verses 5 and 7 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:7
“For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
- Psalms 38:8
“I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.” The line’s distinctive content terms include broken, disquietness, feeble. Its relationship to verses 7 shows what work it does in this passage.
Psalms 38:1-8
King James Version1O LORD , rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
3There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
6I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
7For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
Psalms 38:9-16
9–16: Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from…
Psalms 38:9–16 opens with “Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.” and reaches “For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by LORD, hear, mouth.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.” By verse 12, the text has turned to “They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak…” It lands on “For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 verse with a speech marker, 1 stated contrast, 1 verse naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as LORD, hear, mouth, seek, stand, afar tie the complete block together. The central idea, “the wording and movement of this passage,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Lord, God, Hear. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 13: “But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: LORD, hear, mouth, seek, stand, afar
Verse-by-verse path
- Psalms 38:9
“Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.” The verse names Lord rather than leaving the action without a source. Watch whether the next line continues, answers, or contrasts that action.
- Psalms 38:10
“My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.” The line’s distinctive content terms include eyes, faileth, gone. Its relationship to verses 9 and 11 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:11
“My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.” The line’s distinctive content terms include stand, afar, aloof. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:12
“They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine…” The line’s distinctive content terms include seek, deceits, hurt. Its relationship to verses 11 and 13 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:13
“But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.” The line’s distinctive content terms include deaf, dumb, mouth. Its relationship to verses 12 and 14 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:14
“Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.” The line’s distinctive content terms include heareth, mouth, reproofs. Its relationship to verses 13 and 15 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:15
“For in thee, O LORD , do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
- Psalms 38:16
“For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
Psalms 38:9-16
King James Version9Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
10My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.
12They 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.
13But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
14Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
15For in thee, O LORD , do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
16For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
Psalms 38:17-22
17–22: For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
Psalms 38:17–22 opens with “For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.” and reaches “Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on the wording and movement of this passage, with particular weight carried by good, LORD, adversaries.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.” By verse 19, the text has turned to “But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are…” It lands on “Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 stated contrast, 1 verse naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as good, LORD, adversaries, continually, declare, enemies tie the complete block together. The central idea, “the wording and movement of this passage,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Forsake, God, Lord, Make. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 19: “But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: good, LORD, adversaries, continually, declare, enemies
Verse-by-verse path
- Psalms 38:17
“For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
- Psalms 38:18
“For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
- Psalms 38:19
“But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.” The line’s distinctive content terms include enemies, hate, lively. Its relationship to verses 18 and 20 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:20
“They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.” The line’s distinctive content terms include good, adversaries, evil. Its relationship to verses 19 and 21 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Psalms 38:21
“Forsake me not, O LORD : O my God, be not far from me.” Naming Forsake keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
- Psalms 38:22
“Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” Naming Make keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Psalms 38:17-22
King James Version17For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
18For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
19But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
20They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
21Forsake me not, O LORD : O my God, be not far from me.
22Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
Questions to keep in mind while reading
- Follow the speaker, images, parallel lines, questions, and emotional movement.
- Notice where tension or suffering resists an easy answer.
- Read a saying as wisdom for faithful discernment, not as a mechanical promise detached from context.
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.
Questions beneath the surface
- What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Psalms 38?
- Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
- What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
- Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?
Questions for serious personal contemplation
These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.
Observe without rushing
What part of Psalms 38 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?
Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?
Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Psalms 38:1–22 completes a passage that was not covered by the original study-unit map. Its own wording and immediate context supply the focus.?
What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?
Examine your inner life honestly
Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?
What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?
Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?
If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?
Respond with wisdom and courage
What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?
How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?
What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?
What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?