King James Version
Psalms 6
10 verses with commentary
O Lord, Deliver My Life
To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Sheminith: or, upon the eight
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KJV Study Commentary
This penitential psalm opens with a cry for measured discipline. David doesn't deny deserving punishment but pleads for mercy in its administration. The Hebrew 'yakach' (rebuke) means to correct or reprove, while 'yasar' (chasten) suggests disciplinary instruction. David distinguishes between God's 'anger' and 'hot displeasure' (fury), asking for correction without consuming wrath. This reflects u...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **O Lord, rebuke me not.**—Repeated with change of one word in Psalm 38:1. The sublime thought that pain and sorrow are a discipline of love might be found in these words (as in Psalm 94:12; Proverbs 3:11-12; Jeremiah 10:24; Hebrews 12:3; Hebrews 12:11; Revelation 3:19), did not the context show that the sufferer in this case is praying for the chastisement to be altogether removed.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11-23. These words are contrary to Job's previous sentiments (see on Job 21:22-33; Job 24:22-25). Job 21:22-33; 24:22-25). They therefore seem to be Job's statement, not so much of his own sentiments, as of what Zophar would have said had he spoken when his turn came (end of the twenty-sixth chapter). So Job stated the friends' opinion (Job 21:17-21; 24:18-21). The objection is, why, if so, does n...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
Chapter Outline
The psalmist deprecates God's wrath, and begs for the return of his favour.(1-7)
He assures himself of an answer of peace.(8-10)
**Verses 1-7**
These verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent to awaken conscience and mortify corruption. Sickness brought sin to his remembrance, and he...
Read full commentary →Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
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KJV Study Commentary
David's physical weakness becomes the basis for his plea for mercy. The Hebrew 'amal' (weak) suggests withering or languishing, while 'bahal' (vexed) means terrified or dismayed. The mention of 'bones' represents his entire being - physical and emotional anguish. This teaches that believers can honestly bring their frailty before God as a reason for His compassion, not stoic denial. God's mercy is...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **I am weak.**—Properly, *wither, *or *waste with disease, *or *languish, *as in Hosea 4:3; Isaiah 16:8.
**Vexed.**—So LXX. and Vulg. Literally, *affrighted. *(Comp. Virgil’s *gelidusque per ima cucurrit Ossa tremor.*)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11-23. These words are contrary to Job's previous sentiments (see on Job 21:22-33; Job 24:22-25). Job 21:22-33; 24:22-25). They therefore seem to be Job's statement, not so much of his own sentiments, as of what Zophar would have said had he spoken when his turn came (end of the twenty-sixth chapter). So Job stated the friends' opinion (Job 21:17-21; 24:18-21). The objection is, why, if so, does n...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
Chapter Outline
The psalmist deprecates God's wrath, and begs for the return of his favour.(1-7)
He assures himself of an answer of peace.(8-10)
**Verses 1-7**
These verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent to awaken conscience and mortify corruption. Sickness brought sin to his remembrance, and he...
Read full commentary →My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
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KJV Study Commentary
The distress deepens from bones to soul. 'Sore vexed' (Hebrew 'bahal me'od') intensifies the previous verse - not just troubled but utterly dismayed. The soul ('nephesh' - life, being) encompasses the inner person. 'How long?' is not doubt but the cry of faith under trial, echoing Job and Habakkuk. This rhetorical question acknowledges God's sovereignty over timing while expressing honest anguish....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **But thou, O Lord, how long?**—Comp. Psalm 90:13. This is “belief in unbelief.” *Domine quousque *was Calvin’s motto. The most intense grief, it was said, could never extract from him another word. In its national form this faith amid despair is shown in Zechariah 1:12. (Comp Revelation 6:10.)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
Chapter Outline
The psalmist deprecates God's wrath, and begs for the return of his favour.(1-7)
He assures himself of an answer of peace.(8-10)
**Verses 1-7**
These verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent to awaken conscience and mortify corruption. Sickness brought sin to his remembrance, and he...
Read full commentary →Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
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KJV Study Commentary
David pleads for God to 'return' - implying God seems absent or withdrawn. 'Deliver my soul' requests rescue from death or destruction. The appeal to God's 'mercies' (Hebrew 'chesed' - covenant love) grounds the request in God's character and promises, not David's merit. This demonstrates Reformed theology: we appeal to God's mercy, not our worthiness. The prayer for salvation is ultimately answer...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 28 Job 28:1-28. Job's Speech Continued.
In the twenty-seventh chapter Job had tacitly admitted that the statement of the friends was often true, that God vindicated His justice by punishing the wicked here; but still the affliction of the godly remained unexplained. Man has, by skill, brought the precious metals from their concealment. But the Divine Wisdom, which governs human affairs, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
Chapter Outline
The psalmist deprecates God's wrath, and begs for the return of his favour.(1-7)
He assures himself of an answer of peace.(8-10)
**Verses 1-7**
These verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent to awaken conscience and mortify corruption. Sickness brought sin to his remembrance, and he...
Read full commentary →For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reflects Old Testament understanding of death as separation from active worship. The Hebrew 'sheol' (grave) was conceived as the realm of the dead where conscious praise ceased. David's argument is not that the dead cease to exist but that they cannot fulfill worship's purpose on earth. This motivates his plea for life - so he can continue glorifying God. While we now understand fuller ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **For in death.**—As in Psalm 30:9, the sufferer urges as a further reason for Divine aid the loss Jehovah would suffer by the cessation of his praise. The Israelite’s natural dread of death was intensified by the thought that the grave separated him from all the privileges of the covenant with God. (Comp. Isaiah 38:18.) There can be neither remembrance of His past mercies there, nor confessio...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. brass--**that is, copper; for brass is a mixed metal of copper and zinc, of modern invention. Iron is less easily discovered, and wrought, than copper; therefore copper was in common use long before iron. Copper-stone is called "cadmium" by Pliny [Natural History, 34:1; 36:21]. Iron is fitly said to be taken out of the "earth" (dust), for ore looks like mere earth.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
Chapter Outline
The psalmist deprecates God's wrath, and begs for the return of his favour.(1-7)
He assures himself of an answer of peace.(8-10)
**Verses 1-7**
These verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent to awaken conscience and mortify corruption. Sickness brought sin to his remembrance, and he...
Read full commentary →I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. all: or, every night
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KJV Study Commentary
David's anguish finds expression in vivid imagery of sleepless nights and constant weeping. 'Make my bed to swim' is hyperbolic poetry conveying overwhelming grief. The Hebrew 'masah' (water/dissolve) and 'ashqeh' (drench) paint a picture of tears flowing like floods. This isn't melodrama but honest lament - Scripture validates expressing deep emotion to God. Jesus wept (John 11:35), showing that ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **I water my couch with tears.**—Comp. *Odyssey, *xvii. 102:
“Say, to my mournful couch shall I ascend?
The couch deserted now a length of years,
The couch for ever watered with my tears.”—
Pope’s *trans.*
Orientals indulge in weeping and other outward signs of emotion, which Western nations, or, at all events, the Teutonic races, try to suppress or hide.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. "Man makes an end of darkness," by exploring the darkest depths (with torches).
**all perfection--**rather, carries out his search to the utmost perfection; most thoroughly searches the stones of darkness and of the shadow of death (thickest gloom); that is, the stones, whatever they be, embedded in the darkest bowels of the earth [Umbreit] (Job 26:10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
Chapter Outline
The psalmist deprecates God's wrath, and begs for the return of his favour.(1-7)
He assures himself of an answer of peace.(8-10)
**Verses 1-7**
These verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent to awaken conscience and mortify corruption. Sickness brought sin to his remembrance, and he...
Read full commentary →Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
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KJV Study Commentary
Physical symptoms accompany emotional distress - 'mine eye is consumed' suggests weakened sight from weeping. 'Waxeth old' (Hebrew 'ataq') means to deteriorate or grow weak. The enemies' presence intensifies his suffering - their ongoing hostility compounds his grief. This verse shows how external persecution and internal anguish interact to overwhelm the sufferer. Yet even in this depth of misery...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Consumed**—*i.e., sunken; *literally, *fallen away. *The LXX. use the same word employed to render *vexed *in Psalm 6:2. Grief has brought the signs of premature age (Job 17:7; Psalm 31:9, and Note there). (See Homer’s *Odyssey, *xix. 360, “Quickly do mortals grow old from trouble.”)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4. Three hardships in mining: 1. "A stream (flood) breaks out at the side of the stranger"; namely, the miner, a strange newcomer into places heretofore unexplored; his surprise at the sudden stream breaking out beside him is expressed (English Version, "from the inhabitant"). 2. "Forgotten (unsupported) by the foot they hang," namely, by ropes, in descending. In the Hebrew, "Lo there" precedes th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 6
Chapter Outline
The psalmist deprecates God's wrath, and begs for the return of his favour.(1-7)
He assures himself of an answer of peace.(8-10)
**Verses 1-7**
These verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent to awaken conscience and mortify corruption. Sickness brought sin to his remembrance, and he...
Read full commentary →Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
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KJV Study Commentary
Sudden shift from lament to confidence - the Lord has heard! This pattern (lament to assurance) is common in psalms and reflects prayer's transformative power. 'Workers of iniquity' identifies enemies by their character and actions. David's command 'Depart from me' shows renewed authority and confidence. The certainty that God 'hath heard' (perfect tense in Hebrew) indicates assurance of answered ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Depart from me.**—After the night of sorrow comes the morning of revived faith and confidence, if not of joy. The poet can turn to address his maligners with the assurance that God has heard his prayer, which in his agony he poured out, as he feared at the time, into deaf and unsympathising ears.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. Its fertile surface yields food; and yet "beneath it is turned up as it were with fire." So Pliny [Natural History, 33] observes on the ingratitude of man who repays the debt he owes the earth for food, by digging out its bowels. "Fire" was used in mining [Umbreit]. English Version is simpler, which means precious stones which glow like fire; and so Job 28:6 follows naturally (Eze 28:14).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-10**
What a sudden change is here! Having made his request known to God, the psalmist is confident that his sorrow will be turned into joy. By the workings of God's grace upon his heart, he knew his prayer was accepted, and did not doubt but it would, in due time, be answered. His prayers will be accepted, coming up out of the hands of Christ the Mediator. The word signifies prayer ...
Read full commentary →The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.</strong> This triumphant declaration marks the dramatic turning point in Psalm 6, shifting from desperate lament to confident assurance. The Hebrew verb for "heard" (<em>shama</em>, שָׁמַע) means more than auditory perception—it implies attentive response and action. God doesn't merely hear; He acts on behalf of His peop...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6. Sapphires are found in alluvial soil near rocks and embedded in gneiss. The ancients distinguished two kinds: 1. The real, of transparent blue: 2. That improperly so called, opaque, with gold spots; that is, lapis lazuli. To the latter, looking like gold dust, Umbreit refers "dust of gold." English Version better, "The stones of the earth are, &c., and the clods of it (Vulgate) are gold"; t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-10**
What a sudden change is here! Having made his request known to God, the psalmist is confident that his sorrow will be turned into joy. By the workings of God's grace upon his heart, he knew his prayer was accepted, and did not doubt but it would, in due time, be answered. His prayers will be accepted, coming up out of the hands of Christ the Mediator. The word signifies prayer ...
Read full commentary →Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
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KJV Study Commentary
The psalm concludes with prayer for the enemies' defeat and shame. This isn't cruel gloating but desire for justice and vindication. The repetition of 'ashamed' and 'vexed' (using the same Hebrew word 'bahal' used of David's distress in verse 3) invokes poetic justice - may they experience the dismay they caused. 'Suddenly' emphasizes God's swift intervention when He acts. Such prayers are legitim...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Let all mine enemies.**—Better rendered either by the present or future. The Psalmist with the eye of faith sees the answer to his prayer.
**Return**—*i.e., *retire discomfited and in failure.
“My enemies shall all be blank, and dasht
With much confusion: then grow red with shame;
They shall return in haste the way they came,
And in a moment shall be quite abashed.”—
Milton’s *trans.*
Ellic...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. fowl--**rather, "ravenous bird," or "eagle," which is the most sharp-sighted of birds (Is 46:11). A vulture will spy a carcass at an amazing distance. The miner penetrates the earth by a way unseen by birds of keenest sight.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-10**
What a sudden change is here! Having made his request known to God, the psalmist is confident that his sorrow will be turned into joy. By the workings of God's grace upon his heart, he knew his prayer was accepted, and did not doubt but it would, in due time, be answered. His prayers will be accepted, coming up out of the hands of Christ the Mediator. The word signifies prayer ...
Read full commentary →