Psalms 6

David cries out from physical and emotional anguish, afraid that God’s anger lies behind his suffering. He pleads for mercy, pours out tears through the night, and then, in a sudden turn, is sure that the LORD has heard. The psalm moves from near despair to quiet confidence.

Psalms 6:1

David begins by asking the LORD not to correct him in anger. He does not say he deserves nothing; he asks that God’s discipline be gentle rather than crushing. He knows he is in God’s hands, and he brings his fear to God himself.

BSA: discipline (“chasten, punish”): The word carries the sense of correcting as a father would, and David pleads that it not come in fury.

See also: Psalm 38:1; Jeremiah 10:24.

Psalms 6:2

He appeals to God’s mercy, not his own worth. His weakness is real: he feels withered and sick, even to his bones. He asks the LORD, who alone can restore him, to heal him.

BSA: frail (“weak, withered away”): He pictures himself like a plant wilting, with no strength left. bones (“body, inner being”): The pain reaches the deepest frame of his being, not just the surface.

Hebrew: חָנֵּנִי (chonneni, H2603) — “show me favor, be gracious to me.” This is a plea for undeserved kindness. David puts himself entirely on God’s grace, not on his own record.

Psalms 6:3

The trouble is not only in his body; his whole self is shaken. Then comes the cry that every sufferer knows: how long? He does not hide his impatience. He brings it to the LORD, who is the only one able to answer.

BSA: soul (“I, the inner being”): The soul here is David himself, all that he is, and not some separate part.

See also: Psalm 13:1-2.

Psalms 6:4

David asks God to turn toward him, as if God had turned away. He asks for rescue, and he grounds the request in God’s steadfast love, not in his own goodness. God’s faithful covenant love is the only solid footing he has.

BSA: loving devotion (“faithful, trustworthy”): God’s love is not a mood but a loyal commitment that can be trusted.

Hebrew: חֶסֶד (chesed, H2617) — “steadfast, covenant love.” This word means loyal love that keeps its promises. It is the love God holds to even when his people fail.

See also: Psalm 136:1.

Psalms 6:5

David argues that his life matters to God’s praise. In the grave, the living voice of thanks falls silent. This reflects the limited view of the afterlife in the Old Testament; later Scripture shows more of the hope beyond death. Here it expresses how much he wants to live and worship.

BSA: Sheol (“the underworld, the place of the dead”): Sheol is the Old Testament name for the realm of the dead, seen from the standpoint of the grave.

See also: Psalm 115:17; Isaiah 38:18-19.

Psalms 6:6

Grief has worn him out. Night, when there is nothing to distract him, is the hardest time, and his tears soak his bed. The picture is vivid and unashamed. Scripture lets believers weep honestly before God.

BSA: flood (“make to swim, water”): His tears are so many that his bed seems to float in them. weary (“exhausted, spent”): He has nothing left; his groaning has used up his strength.

See also: Psalm 42:3.

Psalms 6:7

His eyes are dim from long weeping, and he is worn down by the opposition around him. Sorrow and enemies press together. His whole body shows the strain of an inward battle.

BSA: fail (“are consumed, waste away”): His eyes seem to be eaten away by sorrow, as if wasting from within. foes (“enemies, adversaries”): The word shows that people, not only sickness, add to his misery.

See also: Psalm 31:9.

Psalms 6:8

Suddenly the mood changes. David turns on those who do evil and tells them to go, because he has become certain that God has heard his weeping. Prayer has done its work in him. Even tears have a voice that God hears.

BSA: heard (“given ear to, listened to”): God bends his ear to David, as one who truly attends to the speaker. weeping (“voice of sorrow, crying”): Even wordless tears are treated as a voice that reaches God.

See also: Matthew 7:23.

Psalms 6:9

He repeats himself with joy: the LORD has heard, the LORD accepts. Nothing in his circumstances has yet changed, but he is sure of God’s response. The prayer is received, and that is enough to give him peace.

BSA: heard (“listened with attention and obedience”): God does more than hear; he takes up the cause and acts. accepts (“receives, will receive”): God welcomes the prayer, and the word also points ahead to his answer.

See also: 1 John 5:14-15.

Psalms 6:10

David is confident that those who oppose him will be put to shame, and the reversal will come quickly. The one who was shaken and dismayed now sees dismay turned on his enemies. The psalm ends in trust that God will set things right.

BSA: sudden (“immediate, instant”): God’s deliverance can turn a situation around in a moment. ashamed (“confounded, deeply troubled”): The enemies will end up in the very confusion and trouble that David has felt.

Hebrew: יֵבֹשׁוּ (yevoshu, H954) — “they will be ashamed.” The word describes the disappointment of someone whose confidence has failed. David’s enemies trusted in a plan that will collapse.

See also: Psalm 25:2-3.