Psalm 6:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.

NIV: Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.

NASB: Leave me, all you who practice injustice, For the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

CSB: Depart from me, all evildoers, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.

NLT: Go away, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping.

KJV: Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.

NKJV: Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

David celebrates a renewed confidence in God by warning his enemies to flee. He calls them "workers of evil." His foes were determined in mind and heart to perform wicked deeds. Their persecution of David was one such act of evil. The Lord had answered his prayer for deliverance.

God sympathizes and responds to the weeping of His people (Psalm 56:8). Grief may not reach the Lord in the form of words, but He hears and understands all the same (Romans 8:26). Hebrews 4:15 assures us that Jesus is our sympathetic high priest "who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus experienced deep sorrow. As He prayed, He was in agony, "and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44). He understands how we feel when we sorrow deeply!

Psalm 6:8–10 changes the mood dramatically: from despair and gloom to joy and encouragement. David believes the Lord has answered his prayer for deliverance and will vanquish his enemies. This renewed confidence is a fitting conclusion to the psalm.

David begins Psalm 6 by asking the Lord to withhold discipline from him. He describes the anguish he is experiencing. His bones are in pain and his soul is troubled. It's not clear whether David is literally experiencing some illness, sorrow for his sin, danger from enemies, or some combination of all these concerns. Whatever the situation, David's health is failing and so is his confidence. And yet, he is ultimately assured that God will intervene. The psalm begins in repentance and ends in confidence.

This psalm is ascribed to David. No exact incident in David's life is identified in this passage. There seems to be a connection to a disease or other health issue. He may have written it during his old age, when his son Absalom rebelled against him (2 Samuel 15:12–14). Another possible inspiration is David's sorrow over his sin with Bathsheba (Psalm 51; 2 Samuel 12:9). Psalm 6 is one of seven penitential psalms: songs expressing confession and repentance. The other six are Psalms 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143.

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.

Accessed 4/28/2024 9:40:11 PM