Psalm 6:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer.

NIV: The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.

NASB: The Lord has heard my pleading, The Lord receives my prayer.

CSB: The Lord has heard my plea for help; the Lord accepts my prayer.

NLT: The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.

KJV: The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.

NKJV: The Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will receive my prayer.

With great confidence David exclaims his faith that God has heard his cries. Believers should be encouraged by David's experience. The same Lord who answered his prayer also promises to answer ours.

Psalm 50:15 promises, "Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me." James 5:13 asks, "Is anyone among you suffering?" The answer is, "Let him pray." Psalm 9:9–10 provides this assurance: "The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you." Prayer is listed as part of the spiritual armor with which God equips believers (Ephesians 6:10–18). Paul writes in Ephesians 6:18: "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." James 5:16 assures us, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

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 5/3/2024 5:19:24 AM