Psalm 39:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.

NIV: So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased;

NASB: I was mute and silent, I refused to say even something good, And my pain was stirred up.

CSB: I was speechless and quiet; I kept silent, even from speaking good, and my pain intensified.

NLT: But as I stood there in silence — not even speaking of good things — the turmoil within me grew worse.

KJV: I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

NKJV: I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up.

David had determined to refrain from speaking, presumably because he feared he might say something that would defame God's character. No details are given about the situation which inspired this psalm. It's possible David was being confronted by wicked people about some sin or failure on his part (Psalm 39:8–11). Perhaps he was worried that his words would be overly harsh, or that he would return slander with slander. It's also possible David didn't want to speak wrongly about God, or regarding God, so instead he made the difficult choice to keep silent (Psalm 39:1).

Unfortunately, this experience was frustrating. Keeping silent in the presence of these wicked ones began to wear on David. The Hebrew phrasing rendered "to no avail" can also be translated, "without success." Some translations imply David said literally nothing: that he declined to engage these evil persons, at all (Matthew 6:7–8). Whatever David hoped to accomplish in his own heart by saying nothing, he instead became more aggravated. No insight is given as to whether his angst was driven by seeing the wicked experiencing success, their attacks on him, or simply he conviction he felt for his own sin.

A Christian may be deeply troubled by what he considers unfair action on God's part, but he should not remain silent. This does not mean confronting those who are evil, or accusing God, but rather it means taking those conflicts to God in prayer. Keeping such things unspoken simply increases one's frustration. When Asaph was troubled by the prosperity of the wicked, he did not allow apparent injustice to ruin his fellowship with God. Instead, he laid the matter before the Lord. He writes in Psalm 73:16–17, "But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I discerned [the wicked people's fate]."

David makes a similar choice in this psalm. When his frustration reaches a breaking point, he speaks—but to the Lord, rather than to those he sees as evil (Psalm 39:3–4).

Psalm 39:1–7 begins with David determining to remain silent so his words will not reflect poorly on God. And yet, struggling not to respond to wicked people created frustration. To ease this, David asks God for a reminder of man's limited lifespan and power. Life is incredibly short. All human effort is nothing compared to the power of God. Those who scrabble for earthly things do so pointlessly. Rather than hoping or despairing because of other people, David places his trust in the Lord. James 4:13–16 parallels David's thoughts about the brevity of life.

David chooses not to speak in the presence of certain evil people. This might have been to avoid slander, or to not speak unfairly about God. In frustration, David calls on God to adjust his perspective. He asks to be reminded of life's brevity; the Lord's infinite perspective makes our troubles seem small. David acknowledges his sin and that God has disciplined him. Even so, he places all his hope in the Lord.

This psalm is related to Psalm 38. Both focus on David's response to sin and the hardships which life brings. Rather than speaking out against wicked people, David asks God to remind him of the brevity of life. Job 7:16–17 parallels the themes found in this psalm. Likewise does Psalm 90. No specific incident is tied to this writing, but it may have been inspired by David's sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:7–9).