Psalms 6
Berean Study Bible

Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger

For the choirmaster.

The psalm was prepared for use in Israel’s public worship under the direction of the appointed leader of music at the sanctuary. Music supported the congregation’s prayer, confession, and praise before the LORD.

Psa 4:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.…
Psa 5:1 For the choirmaster, to be accompanied by flutes.…
Psa 8:1 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith.…

With stringed instruments,

Harps and lyres were regularly used in Israel’s worship and accompanied sung prayers and psalms. Their use suited the personal sorrow and earnest appeal expressed here.

Psa 54:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David.…
Psa 55:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.…
Psa 67:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm.…

according to Sheminith.

The instruction identifies a musical setting, likely one associated with a lower register or solemn performance. It fits the grave tone of David’s plea for mercy.

Psa 12:1 Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful…
1Ch 15:21 And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel,…

A Psalm of David.

David wrote from personal knowledge of sin, suffering, opposition, and dependence upon God. Though Israel’s king, he approached the LORD as one accountable to divine judgment.

Psa 3:1 A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.…
Psa 18:1 For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD…
2Sa 22:1 And David sang this song to the LORD on the day…

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger

David does not deny that he deserves God’s correction. He appeals for the LORD to deal with him mercifully rather than according to the full measure of His righteous anger.

Psa 38:1 A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me…
Jer 10:24 Correct me, O LORD, but only with justice…
Psa 39:11 You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity,…

or discipline me in Your wrath.

God’s discipline can restore His people, but His wrath falls against sin in judgment. David asks that the LORD’s correction preserve him and lead him back to fellowship rather than bring destruction.

Pro 3:11-12 My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD,…
Heb 12:5-6 And you have forgotten the exhortation…
Psa 94:12 Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD,…

Be merciful to me, O LORD,

David appeals to the covenant God of Israel, relying not on his own merit but on the LORD’s compassion and faithfulness.

Psa 4:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.…
Psa 41:4 I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me,…
Psa 57:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.”…

for I am frail;

His weakness is real and personal, leaving him unable to overcome his distress by human strength.

Psa 38:8 I am numb and badly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.
Psa 31:10 For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning…
Psa 109:24 My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean…

heal me, O LORD,

He looks to God as the one who can restore him, whether his suffering involves bodily illness, inward anguish, or both.

2Ki 20:5 Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people…
Jer 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me,…
Hos 6:1 Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us…

for my bones are in agony.

The pain has reached his deepest strength and vitality, portraying suffering severe enough to affect his whole person.

Psa 42:10 Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me……
Job 30:17 Night pierces my bones, and my gnawing pains never rest.
Lam 3:4 He has worn away my flesh and skin; He has shattered…

My soul is deeply distressed.

David describes anguish that reaches his whole being, not merely outward trouble. Surrounded by weakness, fear, and the awareness of God’s displeasure, he brings his suffering directly before the Lord.

1Sa 1:10 In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD…
Mat 26:38 My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death.…
Job 7:11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth;…

How long, O LORD, how long?

The repeated plea reveals the strain of waiting for relief. David does not abandon faith; he appeals to the covenant God whose mercy and deliverance seem delayed.

Psa 13:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD?…
Hab 1:2 How long, O LORD, must I call for help…
Psa 74:10 How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You?…

Turn, O LORD,

David urgently appeals for God to act on his behalf and to restore the favor and help he needs in his distress.

Psa 90:13 Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion…
Psa 80:14 Return, O God of Hosts, we pray! Look down from heaven…
Lam 5:21 Restore us to Yourself, O LORD, so we may return;…

and deliver my soul;

He seeks rescue for his whole life, which is threatened by suffering and danger.

Psa 116:4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, deliver…
Psa 25:20 Guard my soul and deliver me; let me not be put to shame…
Psa 56:13 For You have delivered my soul from death, …

save me because of Your loving devotion.

His appeal rests not on personal worthiness but on the LORD’s faithful covenant love and mercy toward His people.

Psa 31:16 Make Your face shine on Your servant; save me…
Psa 109:26 Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving…
Psa 44:26 Rise up; be our help! Redeem us on account of…

For there is no mention of You in death;

Death removed a person from the public life of Israel, including participation in the congregation’s worship. The psalmist pleads for deliverance because his continued life would allow him to acknowledge God openly among the living.

Isa 38:18 For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You.…
Psa 115:17 It is not the dead who praise the LORD,…
Psa 30:9 What gain is there in my bloodshed, in my descent to the Pit?…

who can praise You from Sheol?

Sheol was understood as the realm of the dead, marked by silence and separation from earthly activity. The question stresses that the dead no longer join the worshiping assembly, making God’s mercy in the present life urgently sought.

Isa 38:19 The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today;…
Psa 88:10 Do You work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise…
Psa 88:11 Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave,…

I am weary from groaning;

David’s prolonged distress has exhausted him in body and spirit. His groaning rises from deep anguish as he seeks the Lord’s help amid affliction and the awareness of sin.

Psa 102:5 Through my loud groaning my skin hangs on my bones.
Psa 38:8 I am numb and badly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.
Psa 69:3 I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched.…

all night I flood my bed with weeping

Instead of finding rest, David spends the night overwhelmed by sorrow. In the solitude of darkness, his grief becomes an unceasing appeal to God for mercy and deliverance.

Lam 2:18 The hearts of the people cry out to the Lord.…
Jer 14:17 My eyes overflow with tears; day and night they do not cease…
Psa 42:3 My tears have been my food both day and night,…

and drench my couch with tears.

The repeated image shows the depth of his suffering. What should be a place of comfort has become marked by mourning, yet David brings his pain openly before the God who sees and remembers the tears of His people.

Psa 119:136 My eyes shed streams of tears because Your law is not obeyed…
Jer 9:1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water,…
Lam 1:16 For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears.…

My eyes fail from grief;

David’s sorrow has become so severe that it affects his body as well as his spirit. Constant weeping and distress leave him exhausted, showing the depth of his suffering before God.

Psa 31:9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;…
Lam 2:11 My eyes fail from weeping; I am churning within.…
Psa 69:3 I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched.…

they grow dim because of all my foes.

His enemies add to his anguish through ongoing opposition and pressure. Though surrounded by trouble, David brings his weakness to the Lord, trusting Him to hear and deliver him.

Psa 13:3 Consider me and respond, O LORD my God……
Psa 25:19 Consider my enemies, for they are many, and they hate me…
Psa 38:10 My heart pounds, my strength fails, and even the light…

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity,

David dismisses those who oppose God and trouble the righteous. His confidence is not rooted in changed circumstances but in the Lord’s attention to his prayer. Evil cannot remain in fellowship with a holy God, and those who persist in rebellion will ultimately be separated from Him.

Mat 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you;…
Luk 13:27 And he will answer, ‘I tell you, I do not know…
Psa 5:5 The boastful cannot stand in Your presence;…

for the LORD has heard my weeping.

David’s tears reveal the depth of his distress, yet he is assured that the LORD has received his plea. God sees the suffering of His faithful servants and responds according to His righteousness and mercy.

Isa 38:5 Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD,…
Psa 39:12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry for help;…
Psa 34:17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears;…

The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;

David’s confidence follows his anguish and repentance. Though surrounded by weakness, sorrow, and opposition, he knows that the covenant God of Israel has not ignored him. The Lord’s mercy meets those who turn to Him in genuine dependence.

Psa 28:6 Blessed be the LORD, for He has heard my cry for mercy.
Psa 116:1-2 I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice…
Psa 66:19-20 But God has surely heard; He has attended…

the LORD accepts my prayer.

David rests in the assurance that God receives his plea and will act according to His righteousness. His circumstances have not yet fully changed, but his confidence has: the Lord has heard, and his enemies will not prevail.

Pro 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable…
Pro 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer…
1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous…

All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed;

David is confident that the Lord will answer his plea and overturn the plans of those who oppose him. Their hostility toward God’s servant will end in humiliation and fear as God vindicates the righteous.

Psa 83:17 May they be ever ashamed and terrified;……
Isa 41:11 Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed…
Psa 35:4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame;…

they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

Rather than succeeding against David, his enemies will retreat in defeat. Their downfall will come swiftly because the Lord has heard David’s weeping and accepted his prayer.

Psa 40:14 May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded;…
Psa 70:2-3 May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded;…
Psa 129:5 May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.

This is a draft of the Berean Study Bible. Please send all comments and recommendations to bereanstudybible@aol.com.



Bible Hub


Psalm 5
Top of Page
Top of Page