Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 38
PSALM XXXVIII.
The Title. A Pſalm of David to bring to remembrance.] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, to record Gods praiſes for his deliverance out of that great diſtreſſe wherein he had been; or, to put God in mind of his ſad condition, that he might be wonne thereby to withdraw his hand, and to ſend him deliverance, according to that, Pſal. 132.1. Lord, remember David and all his afflictions. But rather I conceive the drift of this Title was to ſhew, that this Pſalm was compoſed purpoſely to put himſelf and others in mind of the ſore affliction he had been in, and of his ſins that had brought it upon him, and of Gods mercy in his deliverance; that ſo, whereas men are naturally apt to forget their former ſickneſſes and troubles, when once they are well and ſafe again, by this Pſalm it might ſtill be brought freſh to his remembrance, and he might for ever reap benefit thereby; and that others alſo might by his example learn how to pray, and how otherwiſe to carry themſelves in ſuch a time of diſtreſſe. We have the ſame Title again Pſal. 70. And this is the third of thoſe that are called the Penitentiall Pſalms; concerning which ſee the Note in the Title Pſal. 6.
Verſ. 1. O Lord, rebuke me not, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 6.1.
Verſ. 2. For thine arrows ſtick faſt in me, &c.] See the Note Job 6.4: and thy hand preſseth me ſore; to wit, as being ſtill heavier and heavier upon me.
Verſ. 3. There is no ſoundneſſe in my flesh, becauſe of thine anger, &c.] That is, My fleſh is broken all over my body, or every member of my body is full of pain and miſery, through my ſickneſſe or ſorrow, which thine anger hath brought upon me: neither is there any reſt in my bones, becauſe of my ſin; ſee the Note Job. 30.17.
Verſ. 4. For mine iniquities are gone over my head.] It is an over-forced expoſition which ſome give of theſe words; to wit, that therefore he ſaith his iniquities were gone over his head, becauſe they were more in number then the hairs of his head; or becauſe it ſurpaſſed his wiſedome to know how to bear the miſeries they had brought upon him; or becauſe they had deprived him of his underſtanding, or brought his reaſon into bondage. Doubtleſſe it is either meant of the multitude of his ſins, to wit, that they were grown to an exceeding great height, ſo that he was even overwhelmed therewith; ſee the Note Ezr. 9.6: or of the miſeries alſo which his ſins had brought upon him, to wit, that he was in danger to be drowned and overwhelmed therewith, according to that expreſſion Pſal. 42.7. all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me; which ſeems the more probable, becauſe in the following verſes he ſtill proceeds to recite the greatneſſe of his miſeries, thereby to move God to pity him.
Verſ. 5. My wounds ſtink and are corrupt, becauſe of my foolishneſſe.] That is, my blockiſhneſſe and ſtupidity: for he ſpeaks this by way of deteſting himſelf for what he had done, and not as excuſing himſelf in that he did it through ignorance. As for thoſe firſt words, my wounds ſtink and are corrupt, either they muſt be underſtood literally, of the ſores that were in his body, (as the words in the following verſe may alſo ſeem to import) which he calls wounds, to intimate that he looked upon them as the wails or ſwelling tumors (for ſo the originall word may ſignify) which the rod of God had made in his fleſh, or the wounds of thoſe arrows of which he had ſpoken verſ. 2. Thine arrows ſtick fast in me; or elſe figuratively, of any other miſeries that God had brought upon him, comparing them to ſtinking and feſter'd ſores, either to imply the long continuance of them, or the ſharp pains and ſorrows which he felt in himſelf by reaſon thereof. Yet ſome, I know, would have it meant of the ſhame which his ſins had brought upon him.
Verſ. 6. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly.] To wit, under the burden of my ſins, of which he had ſaid before, verſ. 4. that they were a burden too heavy for him: and his meaning might be, both that his body was as it were bowed together, through weakneſſe occaſioned by ſickneſſe, or ſome other heartbreaking affliction; and that his ſpirit was alſo ſorely oppreſſed and humbled with grief, not being like thoſe ſtout-ſtomached men, that will by nothing they can ſuffer be brought to bow under the hand of God.
Verſ. 7. For my loyns are filled with a loathſome diſeaſe, &c.] To wit, ſome loathſome ſore, ſome impoſtume, or peſtilentiall carbuncle: or elſe it may be underſtood figuratively, of the grievous ſorrows and perplexities he underwent by reaſon of his afflictions; which he might alſo the rather tearm a loathſome diſeaſe, becauſe they made others reproach and abhor him. And there is no ſoundneſſe in my flesh: ſee the Note before verſ. 3.
Verſ. 9. Lord, all my deſire is before thee, &c.] That is, Thou knoweſt all the deſires of my heart; or, I have in prayer laid all my deſires before thee. And this he ſaith, either to imply, that he wondered therefore that God did not grant him his deſires; or to preſſe God that he would grant them; or to aſſure himſelf that God would hear and ſatisfy his deſires.
Verſ. 10. As for the light of mine eyes, it alſo is gone from me.] See the Note Pſal. 6.7.
Verſ. 11. My lovers and my friends ſtand aloof from my ſore, &c.] To wit, either out of pride or fear; they would not or durſt not come near me to afford me any friendly courteſie: ſee Job 19.13, &c.
Verſ. 13. But I, as a deaf man, heard not, &c.] That is, When mine enemies ſpake ſuch miſchievous things againſt me, as is ſaid in the foregoing verſe, whether I heard them my ſelf, or heard it related by others, I was as ſilent as if I had been either deaf or dumb, neither muttering againſt God, nor replying upon them. But the chief drift of theſe words is doubtleſſe to ſhew, that when their calumnies and falſe accuſations were moſt miſchievous, he was ſilent, either becauſe he could not be ſuffered to plead for himſelf, or rather becauſe he thought it better in patience and ſilence to ſwallow down theſe injuries, and to commit his cauſe to God.
Verſ. 15. For in thee, O Lord, do I hope; thou wilt hear, &c.] Or, thou wilt anſwer, O Lord my God: and the meaning may be, that God would hear and anſwer his prayer; or that he would hear and anſwer his enemies, to wit, by pleading his cauſe againſt them.
Verſ. 16. For I ſaid, Hear me, lest otherwiſe they should rejoyce over me, &c.] To wit, as triumphing over me, when they ſee that my hopes and my prayers fail me; or as if thou didſt favour them, and ſo thy name will be blaſphemed. This muſt needs be the meaning of the words according to our Tranſlation. But others, that do not inſert thoſe words (Hear me) to make up the ſenſe, as our Tranſlatours have done, take this to be alledged as a reaſon of his ſilence mentioned before ver. 13, 14. to wit, that he would not reply any thing, leſt if he had through impatience ſpoken any thing that might provoke God to leave him, then he might be made the ſcorn of his enemies; or leſt they ſhould have derided him for what he ſpake, and if things ſhould fall out otherwiſe, then as he made profeſſion to hope, then they ſhould inſult over him; of which he had often had experience: when my foot ſlippeth (ſaith he) that is, when I offend through infirmity in the hour of tryall, or rather when I fall into any miſery (ſee the Note Deut. 32.35.) or when I begin to fall, or am but in danger to fall; they magnify themſelves againſt me, that is, both by word and deed they triumph over me.
Verſ. 17. For I am ready to halt, &c.] Some underſtand this literally, as thoſe paſſages before verſ. 5, 6, 7. to wit, that he was like to be lamed with his ſickneſſe and ſores: Others underſtand it of his proneneſſe to offend and ſin in the hour of tryall, as is ſaid in the foregoing Note; and that this is here added as a reaſon why he kept ſilence, and would not reply upon his enemies, or why he begged of God that he would preſerve him. But I rather think that it is meant of his falling into ſome irrecoverable miſery, to wit, that he was in danger to fall and to be utterly ruined, according to that of the prophet Jer. 20.10. all my familiars watched for my halting; and that this is added to move God to pity him, and to come in ſpeedily to his help. And my ſorrow is continually before me; that is, I am continually in heavineſſe, partly by reaſon of my continuall miſery, and partly through my grief for my ſins that have brought theſe miſeries upon me.
Verſ. 18. For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be ſorry for my ſin.] Very many learned Expoſitours underſtand here by his iniquity and ſin the puniſhment of his iniquity, and ſo make the meaning of the words to be this; that David would continually bewail the miſeries which his ſins had brought upon him. But I rather conceive, that having mentioned his danger and grief in the foregoing verſe, he adds this, that he would ſtill charge all that he ſuffered upon his ſins, that he would ſtill confeſſe and bewail them before God, even his ſins, rather then his afflictions, either as a ground of his hope that God would hear his prayer, or as an argument whereby he ſeeks to move God to hear him.
Verſ. 20. They alſo that render evil for good are mine adverſaries; becauſe I follow the thing that good is.] That is, becauſe I labour to live holily and righteouſly. Yet ſome would reſtrain this to one particular, to wit, that ungodly men hated him, becauſe he was ſo ſtrict in his government for the puniſhment of ſin.