Psalm 38 is part of a book of the Old Testament called the Psalter. In total, it contains 150 psalms. This chant has a repentant character. One of the reasons for the appearance of this work was an actively developing serious illness that bothered the author in the last years of his life. As a result, he began to have thoughts about his imminent death.
The Story of Psalm 38
The history of the psalm begins with the uprising of the son of King David, Absalom. Having realized his sinful essence, the author, in his dying years, creates a chant with a very deep philosophical and religious meaning. He reflects on the transience of time on earth and rethinks his life path.
about the author
This psalm was created by David, the second king of Israel after Saul. The psalmist came from the family of Jesse, who lived in Bethlehem. The Bible tells us that David reigned for forty years. For seven years and six months he was sovereign in Judea. He later ruled for thirty-three years in the united kingdom of Israel with its capital in the city of Jerusalem.
Before his reign, he was an ordinary shepherd. The New Testament indicates that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, later appeared from the line of David.
History of writing
Presumably, the reason for writing Psalm 38 is the beginning of the uprising led by Absalom. During this period, along with the awareness of his own sin before God, David could also expect death at the hands of his enemies. This chant was intended for the choir, which was led by Idithum during the reign of King David.
The psalm was originally written in Hebrew. The Psalter was created in the period from the 10th to the 5th centuries BC. In the 3rd century BC. a translation was made from Hebrew into Greek. According to legend, this was an order from the Alexandrian king Ptolemy Philadelphus. The texts of the Bible were translated by 70 Jewish translators and sages, which is why this version is called the translation of the Seventy, or in Greek - the Septuagint. Then this text was already translated into Church Slavonic. The psalms were translated into Russian from Hebrew.
The first translation of the Psalter was made by the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius in 863. This was the first Old Testament book to be translated into Slavic. The first official Russian translation was published in 1876. It was carried out with the blessing and under the control of the Holy Synod. It was called Synodal. In this translation, Russians read Psalm 38 today.
The similarity of this text with Psalm 37 indicates that the hymns were written approximately in the same time period - in the last years of the life of King David.
The psalm teaches wisdom: it addresses problems about the transience of time and life.
In his declining years, David thought a lot about the concepts of “sin” and “repentance”; he regretted that during his life he spent a lot of time on sin and little on repentance.
Having reached old age and realizing the insignificance of worldly human values and aspirations, the Israeli king seeks to warn those who still have many years to live on earth. In the psalm, he calls on young people to spend their earthly journey with benefit for the soul.
Psalm 38
The psalm was assigned to Idithum, one of the choir leaders under David, for singing. The psalm was written by David. Due to the close similarity of its content with the content of Ps.37, it can be considered written on the same occasion and at the same time as the first, Ps.37, i.e. at the beginning of Absalom’s rebellion, when, along with the consciousness of his sin before God, David could expect and death from enemies.
Lord, I will and have kept silence before my wicked enemies. But this silence caused my thoughts to concentrate on my situation, and I began to fear: shouldn’t my life end very soon? (2–6). I see the insignificance of man before You, Lord, and my hope is only in You (7-8). Forgive my iniquities and deliver me from my enemies. Stop punishing me with your reproofs, but hear my cry for mercy, do not punish me with disasters until death, but stop them (9-14).
Ps.38:2. I said, I will take heed to my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will bridle my mouth while the wicked is before me.
Ps.38:3. I was dumb and voiceless, and was silent even
about good; and my grief increased.
David, stricken with illness (see Ps. 37), which he looked upon as a deserved consequence of his sin, decides not to respond to all the unjust accusations that were leveled against him by his enemies (see Ps. 37:13) “how long will the wicked before me,” until the wrath of God, allowing this wicked one to dominate him, ceases. David, with submission to Divine Providence, decides to remain silent even when he could talk about the “good” that he did and that his enemies forgot, who tried to find only bad in him.
Ps.38:4. My heart was inflamed within me; a fire was kindled in my thoughts; I began to speak with my tongue:
“My heart was on fire,” “a fire was kindled in my thoughts”—David was tormented by burning, restless fears about the outcome of his illness.
Ps.38:5. tell me, Lord, my death and the number of my days, what it is, so that I know what my age is.
Ps.38:6. Behold, You have given me days like
spans and my age are like nothing before You. Truly, every living person is complete vanity.
Ps.38:7. Truly, man walks like a ghost; in vain he fusses, collects and does not know who will get it.
David's awareness of his sin was so deep, his illness so strong, that he was convinced of his imminent death. Obviously, his life remained in the amount of a “span”, the width of his hand, i.e. about 7 centimeters. David means by this expression that he has only a very insignificant number of days left to live.
The entire duration of human life is absolutely nothing before God; it is like a ghost, a shadow that quickly disappears, and all human activity aimed at acquiring and strengthening one’s wealth is in vain, useless and pitiful. With this sermon about the insignificance of life, David pronounced a condemnation of his past activities: he did not find anything valuable behind them, and therefore looks with fear at the outcome of life.
Ps.38:8. And now what should I expect, Lord? my hope is in You.
What else, Lord, if not rejection, can I expect from You at my death? I recognize my sin and my guilt before You, but I cannot atone for it due to my imminent death, therefore all my hope is in You, Your mercy and condescension towards me.
Ps.38:9. Deliver me from all my iniquities, do not hand me over to the reproach of a madman.
Forgive me my iniquities, cleanse me of them and do not let the wicked (“insane”) triumph over me.
Ps.38:10. I have become dumb, I do not open my mouth; because You did it.
Ps.38:11. Turn away Thy blows from me; I disappear from Thy smiting hand.
David depicts his complete submission to the will of God and the suffering sent to him.
Ps.38:12. If You punish a person for his crimes with reproofs, then his beauty will crumble like a moth. So, every man is vanity!
“The beauty... of man... will crumble... from... the reproofs of God.” By reproof of God we mean not only reproof by word, but also by sending external punishments upon a person according to his sins. Man constantly sins before God and by his behavior is capable of causing His strong anger. If God treated man only as his strict Judge, then none of the people would resist His truth and everyone would have to perish.
Ps.38:13. Hear, O Lord, my prayer and listen to my cry; do not be silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You and
a stranger, like all my fathers.
Man is preserved by the mercy and condescension of God towards him, and David prays to Him for this condescension towards himself. “For I am a stranger with You and
alien." A person’s earthly life is a journey, that is, it is temporary. Real life begins after the end of earthly life. As a wanderer, every person is subject to the dangers of his sinful passions and attachments to earthly interests of getting lost on his way. On the part of God, man needs guidance on this path and condescension to the weaknesses of the wanderer. David found such guidance in his misfortunes and the illness he experienced, which revealed his guilt to him. But to correct the path, one accusatory leadership is not enough for David: he needs the condescension and mercy of God.
Ps.38:14. Depart from me, that I may refresh myself before I go away and be no more.
David prays to God to grant him this mercy: “depart from me so that I can refresh myself,” that is, do not kill me in my illness, stop my suffering and thereby give me the opportunity to “refresh myself,” take care of my moral rebirth and atonement for your sin. This prayer of David is identical with the prayer of Job (Job 16:6).
Why do they read?
Today, many people find it difficult to find a new well-paid and permanent job, so Orthodox Christians are recommended to read Psalm 38.
The chant is read to the Lord God:
- granted repentance;
- strengthened a person’s strength, helped to resist enemies;
- granted an easy death.
Reading rules
Basic Rules:
- Reading time. It is best to read the chant in the morning.
- Situation. It is recommended to recite the psalm alone in good lighting. You need to prepare for reading in advance. Nothing should distract, no extraneous sounds.
- Reading. It is best to learn the chant by heart. But if this is not possible, then the text of the psalm must be written legibly on a piece of paper. The chant should be spoken in a half-whisper or into a chant. While reading, sincerity should come from the depths of the soul. Only in this way will the words of prayer be heard by God and benefit man.
- Concentrating on the text of the psalm. While reading, you need to concentrate and try to get rid of unnecessary thoughts, personal grievances and set yourself in a positive mood. The effectiveness of a prayerful appeal to God depends on how sincerely a person prayed.
Text and interpretation
In a song, David tells the believers about his serious illness. In his opinion, illness is the result of his sinfulness. Therefore, he decides not to react to injustice on the part of ill-wishers. David decided to accept God's will.
The phrases: “my heart was kindled,” “a fire was kindled in my thoughts” indicate that David was worried about the outcome of his illness. David's awareness of his sinful nature was so deep that he was sure of his imminent death. He believed that he had only a few days left to exist in the world.
In this psalm, David seeks to tell people that a person's life is nothing before God. She is like a ghost and a shadow that quickly disappears. Therefore, all human activity related to enrichment on the earthly path is pathetic. With his reflections on the topic of the meaninglessness of life, David condemned his past activities: he does not find anything necessary in it, so he watches with fear how his life ends.
The king of Israel notes that man on earth is preserved by God's mercy. David prays to the Lord for this mercy.
The phrase: “For I am a stranger and a stranger with You” says that earthly human life is a journey, because it is temporary. Life begins after the death of a person, when he finds himself in another world forever. During the earthly journey, sinful passions and attachments to earthly affairs await everyone, so a person can get lost on his difficult earthly path. Thus, a Christian needs help and mercy on this difficult path.
David recognized this omen of the Lord in his illness, which revealed to him his guilt and sinfulness. David prays to the Lord God for mercy, so that He will grant him this mercy.
The meaning of the psalm
The style of writing of Psalm 38 can be used to judge the predicament of King David at the time of writing this prayer. Using the example of the suffering soul of the psalmist, Christians see a way out of difficult situations when they need to calm down and wait for an answer from God.
In Psalm 38, David calls on the Creator for help.
The reason for writing this text about morality is unknown, one thing can be said, the king was very worried about his death.
1 To fulfillment, Idithum. Song of David.
2 I said, “I will keep my ways pure, lest I sin with my tongue.” I have put a prohibition on my lips as long as the sinner stands before me.
3 I became numb, humbled, silent, having lost my blessings, and again sorrow took possession of me.
4 My heart was kindled within me, and the fire was kindled in my meditation. I spoke with my tongue:
5 Reveal to me, Lord, the day of my death and the number of my days, whether it is great, so that I may understand what remains for me.
6 You have measured my days like a span, and my nature is as if it were nothing before You. However, everything is vanity, every living person!
7 Man walks like a ghost, but he fusses in vain; collects treasures and does not know who will get them.
8 And now who is my hope? Isn't it You, Lord? And my nature was created by You.
9 Deliver me from my iniquities! You gave me to be reproached by a madman.
10 I was speechless and did not open my mouth, because You desired it.
11 Take away Your blows from me, for I have fainted under Your mighty hand.
12 Rebuking iniquity, You taught man and made his life as spotless as a spider’s web. However, every person is vanity.
13 Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my prayer! Do not remain silent when you see my tears, for I am a stranger with You and a stranger, like my fathers.
14 Have mercy on me, so that I may taste peace before I die and am no more.
In Psalm 39 the psalmist says:
- describes with emotion and patience his perception of grace and depravity;
- begs God for guidance in matters of morality and death;
- asks for forgiveness for his sons.
