Psalm 38:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.

NIV: I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.

NASB: For I admit my guilt; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.

CSB: So I confess my iniquity; I am anxious because of my sin.

NLT: But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.

KJV: For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.

NKJV: For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in anguish over my sin.

This psalm has been about David's intense misery, thanks to God's conviction and correction (Psalm 38:1–4, 8). That hardship is related to David's own sin, which he explicitly confesses and asks to be forgiven. It's notable that David specifically expresses sorrow over his sin—but not bitterness or objection to the misery his sin has caused him. Genuine confession includes "contrition:" a sense of sincere repentance and regret. Unless a believer is truly sorry for his sins, it is unlikely that he will forsake them.

That leads to the question of what counts as genuine confession to God. First John 1:9 promises, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteous." The word "confess" in the Greek New Testament is homologōmen, meaning roughly "to say the same thing." In other words, genuine confession is to "say the same thing" or "hold the same attitude" about sin as does God. He hates sin, and believers ought to hate it too. To see sin as obnoxious in God's eyes is to view it the same way and determine to forsake it. David despised his sins and sought God's rescue (Psalm 38:22).

Psalm 38:15–22 concludes David's plea just as it began: with a prayer. Having described his suffering, he prays now for forgiveness and for the Lord to silence his enemies. He asks God not to forsake him but to help him. His final words reveal his dependence on the Lord for deliverance. He addresses the Lord as "my salvation."

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.