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Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 38

Psalm 38 is read especially through the theme of mercy & forgiveness, within Book I (Psalms 1–41). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

Mercy & Forgiveness
Old Testament

Psalm 38

1A Psalm by David, for a memorial. LORD, don’t rebuke me in your wrath, neither chasten me in your hot displeasure.

2For your arrows have pierced me, your hand presses hard on me.

3There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation, neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin.

4For my iniquities have gone over my head. As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

5My wounds are loathsome and corrupt because of my foolishness.

6I am in pain and bowed down greatly. I go mourning all day long.

7For my waist is filled with burning. There is no soundness in my flesh.

8I am faint and severely bruised. I have groaned by reason of the anguish of my heart.

9Lord, all my desire is before you. My groaning is not hidden from you.

10My heart throbs. My strength fails me. As for the light of my eyes, it has also left me.

11My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague. My kinsmen stand far away.

12They also who seek after my life lay snares. Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all day long.

13But I, as a deaf man, don’t hear. I am as a mute man who doesn’t open his mouth.

14Yes, I am as a man who doesn’t hear, in whose mouth are no reproofs.

15For I hope in you, LORD. You will answer, Lord my God.

16For I said, “Don’t let them gloat over me, or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”

17For I am ready to fall. My pain is continually before me.

18For I will declare my iniquity. I will be sorry for my sin.

19But my enemies are vigorous and many. Those who hate me without reason are numerous.

20They who give evil for good are also adversaries to me, because I follow what is good.

21Don’t forsake me, LORD. My God, don’t be far from me.

22Hurry to help me, Lord, my salvation.

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 38

Psalm 38 is read especially through the theme of mercy & forgiveness, within Book I (Psalms 1–41). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application. Read it within the complete five-book Psalms collection, then compare its prayer language with the types of prayer found across Scripture. Classification is a reading aid rather than a replacement for the Psalm's own movement and tension.

Collection

Book I (Psalms 1–41). The five-book shape of the Psalter helps readers hear individual prayers within a deliberately arranged collection.

Themes detected

Mercy & Forgiveness. Read for these themes while remaining open to tension and secondary movements.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 38

Psalm 38 contains 22 verses and about 320 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “A Psalm by David, for a memorial. LORD, don’t rebuke me in your wrath, neither chasten me in your hot displeasure.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 22 closes: “Hurry to help me, Lord, my salvation.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include don’t, will, neither, soundness, flesh, heavy. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 38

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Psalms 38:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

What kind of Psalm is this?+

Our reading profile emphasizes mercy & forgiveness, with related themes of Mercy & Forgiveness. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

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