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Psalms 41

KJV · Chapter 41/150

1Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.

2The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

3The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

4I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

5Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

6And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

7All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.

8An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

9Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

10But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.

11By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

12And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.

13Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David declares blessed the one who considers the poor, asks for healing from an illness, laments that even a close friend (who ate at his table) betrayed him, and closes the first 'book' of Psalms with a doxology.

Explanation

This psalm closes what is called 'Book I' of the Psalms (1-41) and combines a wisdom teaching (caring for the poor brings blessing) with a personal lament over illness and betrayal. The line about the close friend who 'did eat of my bread' and 'hath lifted up his heel against me' (v.9) is quoted by Jesus in John 13:18 regarding the betrayal of Judas, showing how Jesus himself identified with David's experience. The final verse ('Blessed be the Lord... Amen, and Amen') is an editorial closing formula marking the end of each of the five 'books' of the Psalter, not part of the original poem.

Fun facts

  • Verse 9 is quoted by Jesus in John 13:18 at the Last Supper, referring to the betrayal by Judas Iscariot — showing how he recognized echoes of his own experience in the Davidic psalms.
  • The final verse ('Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen') is an editorial doxology marking the end of 'Book I' of the Psalter — the other four books (42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150) have similar closing formulas.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Psalms 41:1Opens the psalm declaring happy whoever cares for the poor, tying that care to a concrete promise: deliverance precisely on the day trouble comes.
  2. Psalms 41:2Continues detailing this blessing: preservation of life, prosperity in the land, and protection from falling into the hands of his own enemies.
  3. Psalms 41:3Uses an almost tender image: God caring for the sick like someone who makes up the bed of the ailing, sustaining him through the illness.
  4. Psalms 41:4Shifts to the psalmist’s own personal voice, asking for healing while openly confessing that he has sinned, linking the illness to his own guilt.
  5. Psalms 41:5Describes enemies openly hoping for his death, wanting even his name to disappear for good.
  6. Psalms 41:6Describes hypocritical visits from people who pretend to care but harbor malice inside, then go out and spread what they saw.
  7. Psalms 41:7Describes a chorus of malicious whispers, everyone who hates him gathering together to imagine the worst against him.
  8. Psalms 41:8This is the enemies’ cruel talk, already treating the illness as fatal, certain that he will never rise from his bed again.
  9. Psalms 41:9Sharing bread was a sign of covenant and trust in the ancient world; being betrayed by someone who ate at your table was considered the worst possible form of betrayal. Jesus cites this idea in the Gospel of John when speaking of Judas’s betrayal.
  10. Psalms 41:10Asks God to raise him up precisely to prove the enemies wrong, not hiding his desire to see this turnaround happen.
  11. Psalms 41:11Finds proof of God’s favor in a simple sign: the mere fact that the enemy has not yet managed to triumph over him is already enough to trust.
  12. Psalms 41:12Closes the personal part of the psalm with confidence: upheld by his own sincerity and set before God’s presence forever.
  13. Psalms 41:13This kind of double affirmation closes not only Psalm 41, but the first of the five books into which the book of Psalms is divided; each of these books ends with a similar blessing, a kind of solemn closing point for an entire section.

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