Psalm 38 - The Sounds of the Silent

TEXT (Hebrew text at end)

1. A Psalm. Of David. Lihazkir1.

2. O LORD, do not reprove me in Your wrath, and do not chastise me in Your anger.

3. For2 Your arrows have fallen on me, and Your hand has fallen against me.

4. There is no whole place in my flesh because of Your rage; no wellbeing in my bones because of my sin.

5. For2 my iniquities have engulfed my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

6. My wounds grow foul and fester because of my folly.

7. I am utterly bent and bowed; I go about in gloom all the day.

8. For2 my innards are full of fever; there is no whole place in my flesh.

9. I am utterly spent and crushed; I roar because of the turmoil in my heart.

10. My Lord, You are aware of all my entreaties, and my sighing is not hidden from You.

11. My heart reels; my strength forsakes me; the light of my eyes—that, too, not with me.

12. My friends and companions stand back from my plague, and my near ones stand far off.

13. Those who seek my life lay snares and those who wish me harm speak malice; they meditate treachery all the day.

14. But I am like a deaf man, unhearing, and like a dumb man who does not open his mouth.

15. I am like one who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.

16. For2 in You, O LORD, I have hoped; You will answer, O Lord, my God.

17. For2 I thought, "Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot gives way, they will vaunt over me."

18. For2 I am on the verge of collapse, and my pain is ever with me.

19. For2 I acknowledge my iniquity; I am apprehensive due to my sin.

20. Yet my mortal enemies grow numerous; my treacherous foes are many.

21. Those who repay harm for good hate me for pursuing goodness.

22. Do not forsake me, O LORD, my God; be not far from me;

23. Hasten to my aid, my Lord, my deliverance.

Notes

1. Uncertain. Term may refer to certain sacrifices, or to confession.

2. Or "indeed." It is uncertain in each of these seven cases whether the Hebrew (ki) indicates causality or an intensification of the statement—or both.

COMMENTARY

Though numbers of psalms address a speaker's illness, among them Psalm 38 "is marked by the deepest gloom" (Buttenwieser, p. 580). Possibly using an accepted framework for poems referring to illness (the first and last verses have parallels elsewhere), the poet creates a portrait that is both coherent and tragic. Unlike Job, whose suffering is described in similar terms, the speaker accepts that his own sin is responsible for his condition. The message is powerful, an overheard declaration by the speaker to God. It is augmented by a carefully composed structure.

I deal below with the use of "speech" in Psalm 38, and then seek to delineate the structure, leading to comments on the final prayer.

The Words of One Who Does Not Speak

As an overheard address to God, Psalm 38 is particularly powerful, for the speaker's horrible physical condition and the reactions of all around him have led him to silence, due either to inability or to decision (verse 11). The readers see before them (or more to the point, off to the side, as they pass by) one of those pariahs of society who, in their miserable condition, are avoided by all, and who are so beaten down that they do not speak up. This is one of those very sad souls who still in our generation are recalled in popular song ("All the lonely people, where do they all come from?,"– in the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby;" the quiet misery depicted in Ralph McTell's "Streets of London;" et al.). He is here given the power of speech to address God. This is a close look at those who are often not noticed at all. There may be "sighing" (verse 10), but it is before God. The "roar" of verse 9 is particularly ironic, for even this loud sound is again before the LORD and in the speaker's heart (some translators make the roaring internal as well, as Dahood translates "I groan and moan in my heart"). In any case, the words are not public, as opposed to the suffering and its effects. (The speaker once uses "I said," translated above, "I thought," verse 17, so translated because it clearly implies "said to himself.") This psalm is literally an overheard declaration of the soul, challenging the callous or derisive observer (or non-observer!).

Structure

Psalm 38 is not easily divided into sections, apart from the obvious change after verse 11 from physiological to social condition. However, Dahood proposes the following division, based on content: (a) verses 2–11, the illness; (b) verses 12–17, people's reactions; (c) verses 18–19, a summary of the first section; (d) verses 20–21, a summary of the second, and (e) verses 22–23, the prayer.

Term repetition (a criterion Dahood did not use) supports that overview. Repetitions often come close together in this psalm to emphasize content. Repetitions exclusive to section (a) [the illness] are (verses appear in parentheses), appropriately: "fallen (on) me" (3), "no whole place in my flesh" (4, 8) "heavy" (5), "utterly" (7, 9), and "my heart" (9, 11). "Because of" appears three times, followed, respectively, by "Your rage," "my sin" and "my folly." Repetitions in section (b) [the people's reactions] are, appropriately: "stand" (11), "hear" (14, 15), and "mouth" (14, 15).

Subsequent repetitions serve to echo the appropriate previous section. Section (c), summarizing (a), repeats "sin" and "iniquity"; section (d), summarizing (b), repeats "harm." The conclusion (section e) uses one term from each of the two concentrations―"forsake me" (a, verse 11) and "far" (b, verse 12).

Both of the first two sections include one verse of confidence in God, each of which seems out of place (verses 10, 16). Not surprisingly, "all the day" (= "all the time") appears in both sections (a) and (b) (verses 7and 13).

The structure thus isolates the two problems he faces, his illness and his social rejection. Unlike other psalms (e.g., 6), Psalm 38 leaves no room for a metaphoric interpretation of the illness, which is too detailed and physical. Both problems overwhelm the speaker.

The Psalm's Conclusion

The psalm's concluding two lines are its only request. The inclusion of key words from the first two sections serves to incorporate all said to that point. Still, the request is vague, two negatives and only one positive, leading to the general term "aid." It is a remarkably mild request, even if (as Malbim suggests) the three verbs build in intensity – "do not abandon…, do not stay far…, hasten to….").There is no specific reference to healing, or changing the behavior of others. The terms allow for interpretation ranging from maximal (a full reversal of the situation) to minimal (the basic request for presence, i.e., that God should "be there" with him). If one reads the latter, the poem can take on a tone of near-death. At such moments, when one has abandoned hope of overcoming the physical ailments or changing the world, he or she sometimes wants most of all that the ones nearest to him or her (in this case, God) simply be close by. The speaker fears God's absence, and seeks His final presence.

The poet invites the reader to provide the detail of the request of those last two verses, each interpretation reflecting different understanding of the speaker. Inevitably at this point the reader also relates to himself, both in interpreting what the speaker was asking, and in evaluating the request.

While the request is only two verses, coming at the end, it clearly is basic. Like one of the previous verses expressing confidence in God (16), this request employs all three names generally used for the Deity: "the LORD" (His proper, unpronounced name), "the Lord" (i.e., Master) and "God." God's presence/salvation is of ultimate importance to the speaker.

* * * * * * * * * *

Additional Notes – Two Terms

There is great irony in verse 12, "My near ones stand far off." The poet teaches a lesson in both language and behavior.

A Hebrew preposition used three times sheds further light on the speaker's mindset. The term is "in sight of" (neged), not reflected in the English. Twice it is the opposite of "out of sight," and implies association (verse 10, God is "aware of," his entreaties; and verse 18, his pain is always "with" him). Once it is the opposite of close proximity, implying dissociation (verse 12, his friends "stand back," looking only from afar at his plague). The use inspires further consideration of the possible difference between physical proximity ("in sight") and concern.

　

　

　

The author of these essays is Rabbi Benjamin Segal, former president of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and author of The Song of Songs: A Woman in Love (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2009). This material is copyright by the author, and may not be reproduced. If you are interested in using the texts for study groups, please be in direct contact with the author, at psalmblog@gmail.com.

HEBREW TEXT

(א) מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד לְהַזְכִּיר:

(ב) יְהֹוָה אַל בְּקֶצְפְּךָ תוֹכִיחֵנִי וּבַחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי:

(ג) כִּי חִצֶּיךָ נִחֲתוּ בִי וַתִּנְחַת עָלַי יָדֶךָ:

(ד) אֵין מְתֹם בִּבְשָׂרִי מִפְּנֵי זַעְמֶךָ אֵין שָׁלוֹם בַּעֲצָמַי מִפְּנֵי חַטָּאתִי:

(ה) כִּי עֲוֹנֹתַי עָבְרוּ רֹאשִׁי כְּמַשָּׂא כָבֵד יִכְבְּדוּ מִמֶּנִּי:

(ו) הִבְאִישׁוּ נָמַקּוּ חַבּוּרֹתָי מִפְּנֵי אִוַּלְתִּי:

(ז) נַעֲוֵיתִי שַׁחֹתִי עַד מְאֹד כָּל הַיּוֹם קֹדֵר הִלָּכְתִּי:

(ח) כִּי כְסָלַי מָלְאוּ נִקְלֶה וְאֵין מְתֹם בִּבְשָׂרִי:

(ט) נְפוּגוֹתִי וְנִדְכֵּיתִי עַד מְאֹד שָׁאַגְתִּי מִנַּהֲמַת לִבִּי:

(י) אַדֹנָי נֶגְדְּךָ כָל תַּאֲוָתִי וְאַנְחָתִי מִמְּךָ לֹא נִסְתָּרָה:

(יא) לִבִּי סְחַרְחַר עֲזָבַנִי כֹחִי וְאוֹר עֵינַי גַּם הֵם אֵין אִתִּי:

(יב) אֹהֲבַי וְרֵעַי מִנֶּגֶד נִגְעִי יַעֲמֹדוּ וּקְרוֹבַי מֵרָחֹק עָמָדוּ:

(יג) וַיְנַקְשׁוּ מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשִׁי וְדֹרְשֵׁי רָעָתִי דִּבְּרוּ הַוּוֹת וּמִרְמוֹת כָּל הַיּוֹם יֶהְגּוּ:

(יד) וַאֲנִי כְחֵרֵשׁ לֹא אֶשְׁמָע וּכְאִלֵּם לֹא יִפְתַּח פִּיו:

(טו) וָאֱהִי כְּאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא שֹׁמֵעַ וְאֵין בְּפִיו תּוֹכָחוֹת:

(טז) כִּי לְךָ יְהֹוָה הוֹחָלְתִּי אַתָּה תַעֲנֶה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהָי:

(יז) כִּי אָמַרְתִּי פֶּן יִשְׂמְחוּ לִי בְּמוֹט רַגְלִי עָלַי הִגְדִּילוּ:

(יח) כִּי אֲנִי לְצֶלַע נָכוֹן וּמַכְאוֹבִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד:

(יט) כִּי עֲוֹנִי אַגִּיד אֶדְאַג מֵחַטָּאתִי:

(כ) וְאֹיְבַי חַיִּים עָצֵמוּ וְרַבּוּ שׂנְאַי שָׁקֶר:

(כא) וּמְשַׁלְּמֵי רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה יִשְׂטְנוּנִי תַּחַת רדופי טוב {רָדְפִי טוֹב}:

(כב) אַל תַּעַזְבֵנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי אַל תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי:

(כג) חוּשָׁה לְעֶזְרָתִי אֲדֹנָי תְּשׁוּעָתִי: