A thoughtful guide for your walk of faith Read with context, practice with grace.
Bless.You
Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 6

Psalm 6 is read especially through the theme of lament, within Book I (Psalms 1–41). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

LamentMercy & ForgivenessThanksgiving
Psalms overview
Old Testament

Psalm 6

1For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm by David. LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath.

2Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint. LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

3My soul is also in great anguish. But you, LORD—how long?

4Return, LORD. Deliver my soul, and save me for your loving kindness’ sake.

5For in death there is no memory of you. In Sheol, who shall give you thanks?

6I am weary with my groaning. Every night I flood my bed. I drench my couch with my tears.

7My eye wastes away because of grief. It grows old because of all my adversaries.

8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.

9The LORD has heard my supplication. The LORD accepts my prayer.

10May all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed. They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly.

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 6

Psalm 6 is read especially through the theme of lament, 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

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

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 6

Psalm 6 contains 10 verses and about 161 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: “For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm by David. LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 10 closes: “May all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed. They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include soul, heard, chief, musician, stringed, instruments. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 6

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 6:1—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 lament, with related themes of Lament, Mercy & Forgiveness, Thanksgiving. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer →