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Salmos 38

ARC · Chapter 38/150

1A Senhor, não me reprehendas na tua ira, nem me castigues em teu furor.

2Porque as tuas frechas se cravaram em mim, e a tua mão sobre mim desceu.

3Não ha coisa sã na minha carne, por causa da tua colera; nem ha paz em meus ossos, por causa do meu peccado.

4Pois já as minhas iniquidades sobrepassam a minha cabeça: como carga pesada são de mais para as minhas forças.

5As minhas chagas cheiram mal e estão corruptas, por causa da minha loucura.

6Estou encurvado, estou muito abatido, ando lamentando todo o dia.

7Porque as minhas ilhargas estão cheias de ardor, e não ha coisa sã na minha carne.

8Estou fraco e mui quebrantado; tenho rugido pela inquietação do meu coração.

9Senhor, diante de ti está todo o meu desejo, e o meu gemido não te é occulto.

10O meu coração dá voltas, a minha força me falta; emquanto á luz dos meus olhos, ella me deixou.

11Os meus amigos e os meus propinquos estão ao longe da minha chaga; e os meus parentes se pôem em distancia.

12Tambem os que buscam a minha vida me armam laços, e os que procuram o meu mal fallam coisas que damnificam, e imaginam astucias todo o dia.

13Mas eu, como surdo, não ouvia, e era como mudo que não abre a bocca.

14Assim eu sou como homem que não ouve, e em cuja bocca não ha reprovação.

15Porque em ti, Senhor, espero; tu, Senhor meu Deus, me ouvirás.

16Porque dizia eu: Ouve-me, para que se não alegrem de mim: quando escorrega o meu pé, elles se engrandecem contra mim.

17Porque estou prestes a coxear; a minha dôr está constantemente perante mim.

18Porque eu declararei a minha iniquidade; affligir-me-hei por causa do meu peccado.

19Mas os meus inimigos estão vivos e são fortes, e os que sem causa me odeiam se engrandecem.

20Os que dão mal pelo bem são meus adversarios, porquanto eu sigo o que é bom.

21Não me desampares, Senhor, meu Deus, não te alongues de mim.

22Apressa-te em meu auxilio, Senhor, minha salvação.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David describes intense physical suffering that he directly links to his own sin, feeling abandoned even by friends and relatives, yet he still waits in silence for God's answer.

Explanation

This is another of the seven penitential psalms, containing one of the Bible's most explicit descriptions of psychosomatic suffering: wounds that smell foul, bones without rest, a racing heart — all tied to guilt over an unspecified sin. The image of friends who 'stand aloof' during the crisis reflects a common human experience: the social isolation that accompanies deep suffering. Notably, David chooses silence before those who accuse him unjustly ('as a deaf man, I heard not'), trusting that God, rather than self-defense, will bring the right answer. Today's application: recognize the link between emotional/spiritual health and physical health, and choose to trust God even when there is no strength left to defend oneself.

Fun facts

  • The title contains the Hebrew word 'Lehazkir,' meaning 'to remember' or 'to bring to remembrance' — possibly indicating that this psalm was used in memorial-offering rituals at the temple (compare Leviticus 2:2).
  • It is one of the psalms most often cited by doctors and pastoral counselors as a biblical example of the connection between unresolved guilt and physical symptoms, a subject studied today under psychosomatics.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Salmos 38:1Opens the psalm with almost the same words as Psalm 6: a request that God’s correction not come loaded with anger, even while admitting he needs to be corrected.
  2. Salmos 38:2Describes the weight of God’s discipline as arrows lodged in his body and a heavy hand pressing down on him, physical images for a pain he feels coming directly from God.
  3. Salmos 38:3Links physical suffering directly to his own sin: no healthy part left in his body, no peace in his bones, a way of showing how guilt weighs on the body too.
  4. Salmos 38:4Compares his own guilt to a load too heavy to carry, a weight that has already risen over his head, greater than any strength can bear.
  5. Salmos 38:5The physical description of infected wounds is used to speak of suffering the psalmist understands as a consequence of his own sin; in the thinking of the time, serious illness and moral guilt were often linked together.
  6. Salmos 38:6Describes a body bent under so much emotional weight, going about in mourning all day long, without relief.
  7. Salmos 38:7Repeats the idea of total physical suffering, now describing a burning in his back, reinforcing that no part of his body is left without pain.
  8. Salmos 38:8Describes a state of total weakness, with groans that come out almost like roaring, the result of a restlessness that won’t let go of his heart.
  9. Salmos 38:9Despite so much suffering, expresses an important trust: nothing he desires or groans over is hidden from God, everything is laid open before Him.
  10. Salmos 38:10Describes symptoms that sound almost like a physical collapse: racing heart, strength draining away, and even the light in his eyes going dark, as if life itself were draining out.
  11. Salmos 38:11Describes the social abandonment that comes with the suffering: friends and even close relatives keep their distance from his wound, as if afraid to come near.
  12. Salmos 38:12While his friends pull away, his enemies do the opposite: they set traps and spend the whole day imagining ways to harm him even more.
  13. Salmos 38:13It isn’t that he was actually deaf or mute: it’s a deliberate strategy of staying quiet in the face of attacks, choosing not to answer the provocations instead of striking back.
  14. Salmos 38:14Continues the image from the previous verse: he chooses to act as one who neither hears nor answers the accusations, a deliberate decision not to strike back.
  15. Salmos 38:15Explains the reason for this silence: instead of defending himself alone, he prefers to wait on God, trusting that He Himself will answer for him.
  16. Salmos 38:16Reveals the fear behind his request to be heard: he fears that, at the slightest slip, the enemies will use it to exalt themselves at his expense.
  17. Salmos 38:17Describes being on the verge of stumbling completely, with pain always present, without a single moment of relief.
  18. Salmos 38:18Makes the decision to openly confess his own guilt, accepting the affliction as an honest part of dealing with sin, instead of hiding it.
  19. Salmos 38:19Draws an uncomfortable contrast: while he wastes away, his enemies remain alive, strong, and increasingly powerful, even while hating him without cause.
  20. Salmos 38:20Explains the unfairness of the situation: his adversaries repay good with evil, and the only reason is that he insists on following what is right.
  21. Salmos 38:21Closes the psalm with a simple, direct request: that God not abandon him nor turn away, precisely at the moment he needs Him most.
  22. Salmos 38:22Ends with an urgent request, calling God directly his salvation, asking that help come quickly.

Chapters

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