Psalm 38:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: My heart throbs; my strength fails me, and the light of my eyes — it also has gone from me.

NIV: My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.

NASB: My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.

CSB: My heart races, my strength leaves me, and even the light of my eyes has faded.

NLT: My heart beats wildly, my strength fails, and I am going blind.

KJV: My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

NKJV: My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

Pouring out his heart to the Lord, David continues to describe his suffering under God's corrective discipline (Psalm 38:1–4). While some of these descriptors are poetic, David's pain is very real. He describes his heart with the Hebrew word sehar'har, which literally means something "passing through." In English, an equivalent figure of speech would be "my heart is pounding out of my chest." David's heart is "hammering" fiercely.

Guilt and shame over his sin (Psalm 38:18) have also stripped David of his strength. Here, he refers to weakness and blindness. Physical disease and injury can be natural consequences of sin. However, this psalm seems to be about David's spiritual, emotional response to the Lord's conviction (Psalm 38:8). That does not mean his response is entirely mental; the modern medical community notes the close correlation between emotional states and physical conditions (Proverbs 14:30). Depression, for example, can cause fatigue, weaken the immune system, constrict blood vessels, increase the risk of heart attack or stroke, negatively affect digestion, and contribute to high blood pressure and diabetes.

One advantage of leading a life of devotion to the Lord, in which sin is promptly confessed and forsaken, is the avoidance of these kinds of symptoms. Undoubtedly, a godly lifestyle spares a believer much grief and physical distress—at least by avoiding the natural outcomes of sin. It also keeps the believer from enduring conviction and discipline. Not all suffering is due to sin, of course. A vivid example of this fact is the apostle Paul. His health was not good, but those issues were not caused by sin. Persecution, trials, and a hectic schedule took its toll on his health (2 Corinthians 11:23–28).

Psalm 38:9–14 shows David's sincere humility. He addresses God as "Adonai," meaning "Lord" or "Master." He acknowledges that God knows all about his suffering, then continues to explain his misery. Guilt and conviction have caused him personal anguish. His sin created isolation from friends and relatives. It has given room for his enemies to attack him. In the face of this pressure, David feels entirely helpless.

David cries out to God in repentance for his sin. He feels the weight of shame and conviction, as if being pierced by arrows, ravaged by disease, crushed, and blinded. His friends have abandoned him; his enemies plot his demise. All of these have been brought about because of his "iniquity." Throughout this misery, David does not abandon hope. Instead, he confidently calls on the Lord to forgive and rescue him.

Psalm 38 and Psalm 32 are similar. They both express David's deep sense of guilt, his contrition, and his confession. Both psalms refer to the ill effect David's sins exerted on his physical condition. Psalm 38's descriptions seem mostly symbolic, but his anguish is very literal. Likely, the sins in question were adultery with Bathsheba and the arranged murder of her husband (2 Samuel 12:7–9). If so, these themes connect directly to Psalm 51. David asks God to forgive him and heal him.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.