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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Psalms 41:8

"An evil disease," they say, "clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Accusation, False;   Malice;   Slander;   Speaking;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Diseases;  

Dictionaries:

- Easton Bible Dictionary - Belial;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Belial (Beliar);   English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Medicine;   Psalms;   Sin;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Bless;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Psalms the book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Something awful has overwhelmed him,and he won’t rise again from where he lies!”
Hebrew Names Version
"An evil disease," they say, "has afflicted him. Now that he lies he shall rise up no more."
King James Version
An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
English Standard Version
They say, "A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies."
New Century Version
They say, "He has a terrible disease. He will never get out of bed again."
New English Translation
They say, ‘An awful disease overwhelms him, and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.'
Amplified Bible
"A wicked thing is poured out upon him and holds him; And when he lies down, he will not rise up again."
New American Standard Bible
"A wicked thing is poured out upon him, So that when he lies down, he will not get up again."
World English Bible
"An evil disease," they say, "has afflicted him. Now that he lies he shall rise up no more."
Geneva Bible (1587)
A mischiefe is light vpon him, and he that lyeth, shall no more rise.
Legacy Standard Bible
"A vile thing is poured out upon him,That when he lies down, he will not rise up again."
Berean Standard Bible
"A vile disease has been poured into him; he will never get up from where he lies!"
Contemporary English Version
and they say, "You have some fatal disease! You'll never get well."
Complete Jewish Bible
All who hate me whisper together against me, imagining the worst about me.
Darby Translation
A thing of Belial cleaveth fast unto him; and now that he is laid down, he will rise up no more.
Easy-to-Read Version
They say, "He did something wrong. That is why he is sick. He will never get well."
George Lamsa Translation
They conceive unjust accusations against me; they say, Now that he lies sick in his bed, he shall rise up no more.
Good News Translation
They say, "He is fatally ill; he will never leave his bed again."
Lexham English Bible
"A ruinous thing is poured out on him, and now that he lies down, he will not rise up again."
Literal Translation
saying , A thing of ruin is poured out on him; and, He who lies down shall not rise again.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
They haue geuen a wicked sentence vpon me: when he lyeth, he shal ryse vp nomore.
American Standard Version
An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him; And now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
Bible in Basic English
They say, He has an evil disease, which will not let him go: and now that he is down he will not get up again.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
All that hate me whisper together against me, against me do they devise my hurt:
King James Version (1611)
An euill disease, say they, cleaueth fast vnto him; and now that he lyeth, he shall rise vp no more.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
[They sayde] some great mischiefe is lyghted vpon hym: and he that lyeth sicke on his bed, shall ryse vp no more.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
They denounced a wicked word against me, saying, Now that he lies, shall he not rise up again?
English Revised Version
An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thei ordeineden an yuel word ayens me; Whether he that slepith, schal not leie to, that he rise ayen?
Update Bible Version
An evil disease, [they say], cleaves fast to him; And now that he lies he shall rise up no more.
Webster's Bible Translation
An evil disease, [say they], cleaveth fast to him: and [now] that he lieth he shall rise no more.
New Living Translation
"He has some fatal disease," they say. "He will never get out of that bed!"
New Life Bible
"A bad thing has come over him. When he lies down, he will not rise again."
New Revised Standard
They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, that I will not rise again from where I lie.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
An infliction of the Abandoned One hath been fixed upon him, and, now that he hath lien down, he will not again rise.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(40-9) They determined against me an unjust word: shall he that sleepeth rise again no more?
Revised Standard Version
They say, "A deadly thing has fastened upon him; he will not rise again from where he lies."
Young's Literal Translation
A thing of Belial is poured out on him, And because he lay down he riseth not again.
THE MESSAGE
The rumor goes out, "He's got some dirty, deadly disease. The doctors have given up on him." Even my best friend, the one I always told everything —he ate meals at my house all the time!— has bitten my hand.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"A wicked thing is poured out upon him, That when he lies down, he will not rise up again."

Contextual Overview

5 My enemies speak evil of me: "When will he die, and his name perish?" 6 And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; His heart gathers iniquity to itself; When he goes out, he tells it. 7 All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt. 8 "An evil disease," they say, "clings to him. And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more." 9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me. 10 But You, O LORD, be merciful to me, and raise me up, That I may repay them. 11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me. 12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And set me before Your face forever. 13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

An evil disease: Heb. A thing of Belial, Psalms 38:3-7, Job 2:7, Job 2:8, Luke 13:16

and: Psalms 3:2, Psalms 71:11, Matthew 27:41-46, Matthew 27:63, Matthew 27:64

Reciprocal: Job 33:26 - pray Psalms 31:11 - especially Psalms 35:15 - in mine Psalms 38:7 - my loins Psalms 103:3 - healeth Psalms 138:7 - Though I walk Lamentations 2:16 - we have seen

Cross-References

Genesis 40:6
And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad.
Genesis 40:8
And they said to him, "We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it." So Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please."
Genesis 41:1
Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river.
Genesis 41:6
Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them.
Genesis 41:8
Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.
Genesis 41:9
Then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: "I remember my faults this day.
Genesis 41:11
we each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream.
Genesis 41:12
Now there was a young Hebrew man with us there, a servant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he interpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.
Genesis 41:13
And it came to pass, just as he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him."
Genesis 41:14
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; and he shaved, changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

An evil disease, [say they], cleaveth fast unto him,.... Not any bodily one, of which they might hope he would die; much less any foul disease, the disease of sin; but, as the phrase may be rendered, "a word of Belial" y; that is, a wicked charge or accusation; a charge of sin brought against him by the sons of Belial, as of blasphemy and sedition, which they concluded would be fastened upon him, and stick by him, and in which they should succeed to their wishes; or else the shameful punishment the death of the cross, inflicted on him, which they fancied would fix an indelible mark of infamy and scandal on him, since cursed is he that hangeth on a tree;

and [now] that he lieth, let him rise up no more; has much as he was dead, of which they had full proof, and was laid in the grave, his tomb watched, and the stone rolled to it sealed; they thought all was safe, and it was all over with him, that he would never rise again, as he had given out, and his disciples incapable of committing a fraud they afterwards accused them with: this, according to the above learned writer, see Psalms 41:6, was said by Absalom, as he thinks Ahithophel is the person designed in Psalms 41:9.

y דבר בליעל "verbum Belijahal", Montanus, Musculus, Cocceius, Gejerus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

An evil disease - Margin, “a thing of Belial.” The Hebrew is literally “a word of Belial.” This has been very variously understood and interpreted. The Septuagint renders it: λόγον παράνομον logon paranomon - wicked word; “a wicked determination” (Thompson); that is, they formed a wicked purpose against him, to wit, by saying that he was now confined to his bed, and could not rise again. The Latin Vulgate renders it in a similar manner: Verbum iniquitum constituerunt adversum me. Luther: “They have formed a wicked device (Bubenstuck) against me;” they behave in a knavish or wicked manner. DeWette, “Destruction (Verderben) or punishnnent (Strafe) is poured upon him.” The term rendered “disease” means properly “word” or “thing;” and Prof. Alexander renders it, “A word of Belial is poured upon him.” The word rendered “evil, Belial,” means literally “without use” - בליעל belı̂ya‛al - from בלי belı̂y, “not or without,” and יעל ya‛al, “use or profit.”

Then it means worthlessness, wickedness, destruction; and hence, in connection with man, denotes one who is wicked, worthless, abandoned. It is difficult to determine its meaning here. The connection Psalms 41:3 would seem to suggest the idea adopted by our translators; the words themselves would seem rather to convey the idea of some reproach, or harsh saying - some vain, wicked, malicious words that were uttered against him. That there was disease in the case, and that the psalm was composed in view of it, and of the treatment which the author experienced from those who had been his professed friends when suffering under it, seems to me to be manifest from Psalms 41:1, Psalms 41:3-4, Psalms 41:8; but it is probable that the reference in this expression is not to the disease, but to the words or the conduct of his calumniators. It is evident from the pronoun him - the third person - that this refers, as our translators have indicated by the words they say to something that they said in regard to him; something which they affirmed as the result of their observations on his condition, Psalms 41:6-7. The true idea, therefore, I think is this: “They say - that is, those who came to see me said - A ‘word of evil’ - “a sentence of evil or destruction” - is poured upon him. He is suffering under such a ‘word of destruction;’ or, such a word (that is, sentence) as will involve his destruction, by way of punishment for his sins; therefore all is over with him, and he must die. He can hope to rise no more.” This would express the idea that they regarded his death as certain, for he seemed to be under a sentence which made that sure.

Cleaveth fast unto him - Or rather, “is poured upon him.” The word used here - צוּק tsûq - means:

(1) to be narrow, straitened, compressed; and then

(2) to pour out - as metal is poured out Job 28:2, or as words are poured out in prayer Isaiah 26:16.

Here it would seem to mean that such a sentence was poured upon him, or that he had become submerged or swallowed up under it. It was like the pouring out of a torrent on him, overwhelming him with floods of water, so that he could not hope to escape, or to rise again.

And now that he lieth, he shall rise up no more - There is no hope for him; no prospect that he will ever get up again. They felt that they might indulge their remarks, therefore, freely, as he would not be able to take revenge on them, and their expectations and hopes were about to be accomplished by his death. Compare Psalms 41:5. As a part of his sufferings, all this was aggravated by the fact that they regarded those sufferings as full proof of his guilt; that he could not reply to their accusations; and that be was about to die under that imputation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 41:8. An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him — דבר בליעל יצוק בו debar beliyaal yatsuk bo, a thing, word, or pestilence of Belial, is poured out upon him. His disease is of no common sort; it is a diabolical malady.

He shall rise up no more. — His disease is incurable without a miracle; and he is too much hated of God to have one wrought for him. Some apply this to the death and resurrection of Christ; he lieth-he is dead and buried; he shall never rise again from the dead.


 
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