📖 Psalms — Chapter 38 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Psalms 38:1 O lord, Rrebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Psalms 38:2 For Rthine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
Psalms 38:3 There is no Rsoundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any Trest in my bones because of my sin.
Psalms 38:4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: Ras an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
Psalms 38:5 RMy wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
Psalms 38:6 I am Ttroubled; I am Rbowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
Psalms 38:7 For Rmy loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
Psalms 38:8 I am feeble and sore broken: I have Rroared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
Psalms 38:9 Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my Rgroaning is not hid from thee.
Psalms 38:10 My Rheart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also Tis gone from me.
Psalms 38:11 My Rlovers and my friends stand aloof from my Tsore; and Tmy kinsmen stand afar off.
Psalms 38:12 They also that seek after my life Rlay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
Psalms 38:13 But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
Psalms 38:14 Thus I was as a man Rthat heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
Psalms 38:15 For Tin thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt RThear, O Lord my God.
Psalms 38:16 RFor I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
Psalms 38:17 For I am ready RTto halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
Psalms 38:18 For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be Rsorry for my sin.
Psalms 38:19 RBut mine enemies Tare lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
Psalms 38:20 They also that Rrender evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
Psalms 38:21 Forsake me not, O LORD: RO my God, be not far from me.
Psalms 38:22 RMake haste Tto help me, O Lord my salvation.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 38:1–8 — Sin felt as a heavy burden
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker confesses iniquity while describing pain, wounds, and weakness in anguished poetry. He asks God not to chasten in hot anger. The confession interprets this speaker's experience; it should not become a diagnosis that every illness or disability is caused by the sufferer's personal wrongdoing.
Key Truth: Bring confessed sin and suffering honestly to God.
Check What You Remember
1. What is compared to a heavy burden? (Psalms 38:4)
Find it in Psalms 38:4 (KJV).
2. How much of the day does he mourn? (Psalms 38:6)
Find it in Psalms 38:6 (KJV).
3. What is disquieted? (Psalms 38:8)
Find it in Psalms 38:8 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 38:9–14 — Groaning, isolation, and threats
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker tells God that his groaning is not hidden. Friends and relatives stand away while opponents plan harm. His silence before them is described through deafness and inability to speak. The prayer gives voice to the loneliness of suffering even when outward answers feel impossible.
Key Truth: God sees the distress others may avoid.
Check What You Remember
1. What is not hidden from the Lord? (Psalms 38:9)
Find it in Psalms 38:9 (KJV).
2. Who stand aloof from his sore? (Psalms 38:11)
Find it in Psalms 38:11 (KJV).
3. What do those seeking his life lay? (Psalms 38:12)
Find it in Psalms 38:12 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 38:15–22 — Confession and an urgent appeal
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker hopes that God will hear, declares his iniquity, and grieves his sin. At the same time, he names the wrongful hatred of opponents who repay good with evil. He closes by asking God not to forsake him and to hurry to help, keeping confession and a plea for protection together.
Key Truth: Repentance can coexist with a truthful appeal against injustice.
Check What You Remember
1. In whom does the speaker hope? (Psalms 38:15)
Find it in Psalms 38:15 (KJV).
2. What does he declare? (Psalms 38:18)
Find it in Psalms 38:18 (KJV).
3. What does he call the Lord in the final verse? (Psalms 38:22)
Find it in Psalms 38:22 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Psalms 32:5 — Another penitential psalm describes confession and forgiveness.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
What confession, sorrow, or loneliness can you bring to God without assuming that every hardship has a simple explanation?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How should the speaker’s confession about suffering be read?
2. How does divine awareness contrast with social distance?
3. How does the speaker respond to hostile traps and speech?
4. What attitude accompanies declaring his iniquity?
5. How does the final appeal describe needed help?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
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