Psalm 38:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

NIV: I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

NASB: I feel faint and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart.

CSB: I am faint and severely crushed; I groan because of the anguish of my heart.

NLT: I am exhausted and completely crushed. My groans come from an anguished heart.

KJV: I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.

NKJV: I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

Psalm 38 expresses David's misery resulting from sin (Psalm 38:1, 18). Sin can often have direct physical consequences, including disease. God can also use such things to rebuke a person who resists Him. However, David's imagery in this psalm appears to be symbolic, and not literal (Psalm 38:2). What's very real, for David, is the crushing effect of God's corrective discipline. He is fully aware of his sin and feels the brutal impact of conviction and guilt. Here, he makes that connection explicit, saying his prior symptoms (Psalm 38:3–7) are a response to the "tumult of my heart."

The word "feeble" may be translated "deadly cold." His energy was spent, and he was worn out. His heart was so unstable and his experience so agonizing that he "groaned." The English word "groan" often implies something subtle or weak. However, the Hebrew root word sha'ag refers to a roar, or a shout of anguish. David is not "moaning" in misery, he is shouting in pain. This behavior indicates that his mind was tortured. Whereas David was once a robust warrior-king, a man among men, and someone who was revered; now sin had transformed him into a feeble, ill, and distraught man.

The price of sin is extremely high, and for the unbeliever its wages are death (Romans 6:23). However, the Lord Jesus "is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25). Even as David mourns over his sin, he doesn't abandon hope. Instead, he looks to the Lord who sees his condition (Psalm 38:9) and asks for salvation (Psalm 38:22).

Psalm 38:1–8 resembles Psalm 32:3–4. In both passages, David describes pain he experiences because of his sin. He recognizes here that his physical suffering has come because of his immoral action. He sees the pain as part of the Lord's disciplining of him. In the moment, his situation seems too much to bear, making him miserable. It's possible Psalm 38 was written in response to David's sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:7–9).

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.